The Morigele River in Chenbalhu Banner

Winding through Chenbalhu Banner lies the Morigele River, resembling a graceful jade dragon coiling across the grassland, unfurling its charming figure freely each day.

The river is not wide at all. Even at its broadest stretch outside flood seasons, it measures merely five to six metres across. Fed by underground springs and winding through uninhabited mountains and steppes, its water remains pristinely pure and untouched by pollution, clear and sacred as a flawless crystal soul.

Standing on the grassland watching its gentle ripples flow, a profound peace settles over your heart—a soft tenderness unlike any feeling evoked by vast oceans, grand rivers or lakes. As you gaze upon the leisurely current stretching between heaven and earth, a warm warmth wells up inside you, akin to the quiet composure of a young maiden. Her bashfulness and gentle affection creep through your mind. At this moment, blue skies, white clouds, green grass and wildflowers exist merely as embellishments to the water. This river is the lifeblood of heaven and earth, gliding joyfully across the steppe, stirring every vein in the onlooker’s body with its vibrant flow.

Originating on the western foothills of the Greater Khingan Range, the Morigele River runs from northeast to southwest across the famed Hulunbuir Grassland. It empties into Hoh Nur Lake before flowing onward to join the Hailar River. Stretching over 290 kilometres in total length, it belongs to the Argun River basin, the Sino-Russian border waterway.

Narrow yet extremely meandering, the river, when viewed from above, looks like a sapphire silk ribbon whipped by soft winds, drifting gently over the boundless jade-green plain. It twists endlessly—veering east, west, south and north in constant turns. The phrase “nine bends and eighteen twists” falls far short of describing its countless curves.

Long ago, the land around the Morigele was a parched grassland with sparse vegetation and struggling livestock, leaving local herdsmen trapped in hardship. One year, a brutal drought struck, killing vast numbers of cattle and sheep and forcing countless families to flee their homeland in search of survival.

A young Mongolian maiden named Morigele grieved deeply for her people. She swore to venture deep into the forests of the Greater Khingan to seek the legendary divine spring, hoping to channel its water back to save her suffering hometown.

After countless days and nights of gruelling travel, Morigele reached the lofty Khingan Mountains. Yet she combed every towering mountain and rugged ravine without finding the sacred spring. Overwhelmed by exhaustion and despair, she collapsed on a hillside, never to rise again.

The following spring, as ice and snow thawed, a clear mountain spring bubbled forth from the very spot where the maiden had fallen. The stream trickled downhill toward her hometown, merging with melting snow and rainwater along its course to gradually form a winding river. The villagers waited and hoped for Morigele’s return, but instead, they beheld the twisting spring water flowing toward them.

The maiden was never seen again, yet locals firmly believe her sincere devotion moved heaven and earth, who gifted this river to the grassland. They say the river’s countless bends come from Morigele’s lingering longing for her homeland—her spirit pausing again and again to gaze upon the flourishing steppe and her beloved kinsfolk. In memory of the maiden, people named the waterway the Morigele River.

Beneath blue skies dotted with white clouds, the Morigele River nestles within the endless green grassland, delicate and enchanting. Amid this unspoiled natural beauty, one may ride horses or camels, or ride in a Lelo wooden cart to wander along the river’s winding course. Step inside a Mongolian yurt to sip bowls of milk tea brewed with water from the Morigele and fresh milk, savour aromatic hand-boiled lamb, chat casually with local herdsmen, and listen as they recount this touching ancient legend—an experience of pure bliss.