History, Culture and Tourist Attractions of Yanjin

Yanjin County boasts numerous scenic spots and historical relics designated as Henan Provincial Cultural Relics, including the Wanshou Pagoda at Dajue Temple, the White Horse Pagoda at Guangtang Temple, the memorial archway of the Confucian Temple, the Shamen Ruins, the Ming Dynasty Thousand-Buddha Stone Stele, the Wild Jujube Pavilion where Yuchi Jingde of the Tang Dynasty hung his whip, the Tomb of Lu Huaishen of the Tang Dynasty, the Tomb of Li Dai of the Ming Dynasty, and the Tomb of Chen Yucheng, a young general of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in the late Qing Dynasty. Meanwhile, the Old Yellow River Forest Park features landscapes such as ten-thousand-mu artificial black locust forests, a thousand-mu peach orchard and a bird island.

Located on North Street in downtown Yanjin, Dajue Temple was first constructed during the Tianbao reign of the Tang Dynasty (724–755). A Buddhist administrative bureau was established here in the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, and the monk Dingyuan renovated the temple in 1426 (the 6th year of Xuantong). The temple has a three-bay front gate and a three-bay secondary gate. Its main hall, the Mahavira Hall, is a three-bay structure enshrining Sakyamuni Buddha. To the right of the Mahavira Hall stands a stone stele inscribed with Record of the Eternal Lamp, handwritten by Zhao Mengfu, a master calligrapher of the Yuan Dynasty.

Two side halls flank the main hall: the Hall of Sangharama on the left and the Hall of Ksitigarbha on the right. Behind the main hall lies the Water-Land Ritual Hall, which was renamed the Grand Earth Pavilion during the Wanli reign. Each of these three halls covers three bays. Today, only the Mahavira Hall remains standing.

Wanshou Pagoda sits within the compound of Dajue Temple. Its initial construction dates back to the Tianbao reign of the Tang Dynasty. Reconstruction began in the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty but was suspended after two storeys were completed due to insufficient funds. Construction proceeded intermittently afterward, and the pagoda was finally topped out in the 13th year of the Wanli reign. A bronze vase weighing more than 500 kilograms, serving as the pagoda finial, was cast and installed on its summit. The reconstruction project spanned the reigns of three emperors and fifteen county magistrates over thirty-six years. It is listed as a Henan Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Unit.

Chen Yucheng, originally named Picheng, was born in Xiwang Village, Teng County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, in 1837. At the age of 14, he followed his uncle to join the Jintian Uprising. He led troops into battles at 18 and successively held official posts including the 30th Left Palace Inspector and Minister of Winter Affairs. At 22, he was conferred the title of King Ying.

Captured in 1862, he was escorted to Beijing. En route, the Qing government issued an urgent order for his execution at the Jade Guandi Temple in the West Drill Ground of Yanjin, at the age of 26. The People’s Government of Yanjin County erected a stone monument at the site in 1958 in memory of him. The tomb is recognized as a Henan Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Unit.

At the West Drill Ground in downtown Yanjin, the site where Chen Yucheng sacrificed his life, there once stood the Jade Guandi Temple, also known as the "Shanxi Courier Station". Legend has it that the temple was built by Zhou Jibai, Prefect of Taiyuan.

The ruins lie in the northeastern part of Shamen Village, Yulin Township, Yanjin County, Xinxiang City, Henan Province. This place was a military garrison at the Yellow River ferry crossing guarded by Wu Qi, a renowned military strategist of the Warring States Period.

The ancient Wuqi City stretches about 3,000 meters from north to south and 800 meters from east to west, featuring a terrain narrow in the south and wide in the north. The ruins are now covered with rubble, including bricks, tiles and fragments of pottery and porcelain. The prominent sand dune here marks the site of Wuqi City, from which the relics derive their name.

Classified as a County-level Cultural Relic Protection Unit of Yanjin County, the extant ruins date back to the Song and Yuan dynasties and still yield abundant cultural artifacts. A great number of pottery, jade, porcelain and bronze wares have been unearthed here, in forms including jars, vases, plates and bowls, mostly porcelain pieces from the Northern Song Dynasty. Specimens of official Jun porcelain from the Song Dynasty have also been discovered on the site.

Yanjin Old Yellow River Forest Park was founded in 1993 on the basis of Yanjin Forest Farm, covering a managed area of 63,000 mu. It boasts extensive wetlands and sand dunes with a forest coverage rate of nearly 90%, and contains the largest black locust forest in northern Henan. It was designated a provincial-level forest park in 1995.

The shallow shoals along the old Yellow River course attract dozens of rare bird species such as whooper swans to overwinter here every year. In 1995, the wetland area was designated the National Nature Reserve for Wetland Birds along the Old Yellow River in Northern Henan.

The park also preserves multiple cultural sites: Wuqi City, the ferry stronghold defended by the famous Warring States general Wu Qi, as well as the Jiji Ruins, where Jiang Ziya once took refuge and made a living selling pan-fried dumplings during his hardship.