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Located in the southwestern corner of Shanxi Province， Yuncheng meets Sanmenxia in Henan Province and Weinan in Shaanxi Province across the Yellow River. The Yellow River takes a 90-degree turn at this “Golden Triangle” to flow eastward to the sea， giving the city a 380-kilometer shoreline.
Yuncheng， the most populous city in Shanxi， is unlike others in the province. Shanxi is largely a coal-mining province， but Yuncheng lacks coal. Shanxi is famous for vinegar production and consumption， but residents of Yuncheng show little passion for vinegar. Even the Yuncheng dialect sounds closer to Henan and Shaanxi dialects.
A cable car in Shengtian Lake Scenic Spot in Yuncheng provides comfortable access to the top of a loess cliff overlooking the meandering Yellow River， the mother river of the Chinese nation. It slows and bends eastward， but children tend to be more interested in the likenesses of Hulk and Batman in the amusement park at the foot of the mountain. Tradition and modernity as well as Eastern and Western elements harmoniously converge there.
City of Salt
Historically known as the “city of salt transport，” Yuncheng emerged and found prosperity thanks to the mineral. In southern Yuncheng is a 132-square-kilometer salt lake. It is considered one of the oldest inland salt lakes in the world， with a history of more than 4，000 years. Emperors in ancient China regarded the salt lake as an inexhaustible source of wealth.
Dongguo Town near the salt lake is home to Chiyou Village， and its villagers are considered descendants of Chiyou， the God of War in Chinese mythology. Legend goes that the army of the Yellow Emperor， a legendary ancestor of the Chinese nation， battled the tribe of Chiyou to take salt resources from Yuncheng after defeating the Yan Emperor. The Yellow Emperor won the battle and executed Chiyou next to the salt lake. Confucius once said to Duke Ai of the state of Lu that Chiyou was beheaded by the Yellow Emperor in central Shanxi and that his blood became brine and formed the salt lake in Hai （today’s Haizhou Town in Yuncheng）.
The salt lake in Yuncheng is also called Guchi in Chinese， meaning lake of unrefined salt. Records of the Grand Historian： Biographies of Merchants compiled by Sima Qian from 109 to 91 B.C. mentioned that Yi Dun enriched himself by selling salt and that Guo Zong of Handan made a fortune in iron work. The book estimated these two merchants to have amassed as much wealth as lords and dukes. Legendary businessman Yi Dun extracted wealth from the salt lake， but at the same time helped bring good life to local people. People in Yuncheng have been self-sufficient since ancient times and local residents rarely go elsewhere to seek fortune. During Emperor Wu’s reign （141-87 B.C.） in the Han Dynasty （202 B.C.-220 A.D.）， the central government arranged a salt monopoly which became a key source of state revenues. In the early years of Emperor Daizong’s reign （762-779） in the Tang Dynasty （618-907）， salt revenues reached 6 million min （equivalent to US$2.68 billion today）， half of national revenues at that time， and the salt lake of Yuncheng contributed a quarter of the country’s salt revenues. In the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644）， a sharp increase in salt production from Yuncheng drove the development of salt transportation and sales. Salt merchants in Yuncheng rose rapidly by leveraging the favorable location and strong business channels to accumulate capital， which spread to most Shanxi merchants.
With the passage of time， salt has not been produced in Yuncheng since the 1980s， when ecological protection concerns became more prominent. Mineral extraction gave way to cultural tourism development. The salt lake， the city’s“golden goose” for more than 4，000 years， remains a highlight of cultural tourism in Yuncheng.
According to Chang Min， vice chairman of the Yuncheng Federation of Literary and Art Circles， the traditional five-step salt production method from the salt lake was deemed a national intangible cultural heritage item in 2014. The salt lake is rising into an international tourist destination after leaving its mining roots in the dust of history in favor of environmental protection and recreational tourism.
Harvesting Farming Civilization
Nestled by the bends of the Yellow River， Yuncheng offers calm waters， flat terrain， and fertile soil. The placid stretch is offset by rapid water upstream and a perched water level downstream. The conditions are ideal for agriculture， which is how Chinese civilization began.
In 1926， a Neolithic cultural site was excavated in Xiyin Village， Weiguo Township， Xiaxian County in Yuncheng， and half of a silkworm cocoon specimen was discovered. Archaeologist Li Ji determined that the cocoon had been “manually dissected.” Foreign scholars later identified the finding as a domesticated silkworm. Such evidence made a strong case for Yuncheng as the hub of silkworm domestication in northern China before the Xia Dynasty （2100-1600 B.C.） as well as the existence of the legendary Leizu， Empress of the Silkworm. Leizu， the first wife of the Yellow Emperor， hailed from Xiyin Village according to Records of the Grand Historian. She encouraged local people to plant mulberry trees and raise silkworms to produce silk to wear. To commemorate the legendary figure， the Leizu Temple was built in Xiyin Village.
The legend of Houji is further evidence that Yuncheng could have been the birthplace of China’s agricultural civilization. During the reigns of Yao and Shun in Neolithic China， Houji， a native of Yuncheng’s Jishan County， was an expert at sowing grain and improving farm tools. He taught people farming techniques and instructed them on when to sow and harvest. According to Mencius， “Houji taught people farming techniques and crops planting， enabling people to feed themselves after harvesting.” Houji is revered as the Lord of Millet or the God of Farming by Chinese people.
Locals said that once when a young teacher expressed interest in leaving the village to work in the city， the residents said： “What’s so great in the city？ It’s nice here. You can eat noodles with tomato and egg every day.”
This humorous anecdote is inspired by the agricultural conditions in Yuncheng， making it possible for farmers to settle permanently. As an old Chinese saying goes， “The people are the top priority for emperors， and food is the top necessity of the people， so a wise emperor should focus on providing food for the people.” The close relationship between Chinese civilization and agriculture has continued for thousands of years.
Since antiquity， farmers in Yuncheng have sowed seeds of hope and reaped the fruits of life alongside peers in other parts of China. The suitable climate and fertile soil make the agricultural practice more rewarding and less worrisome.
An important agricultural hub， Yuncheng often ranks first in Shanxi in terms of area and output of agricultural products including grain， cotton， fruit， and vegetables. Some joke that Yuncheng provides the flour for more than a half of every steamed bun eaten by Shanxi people and enough cotton for all the clothing worn in Shanxi except for the sleeves.
This year， the Autumnal Equinox， one of the 24 Solar Terms that marks the arrival of harvest season， fell on September 22.
A shout of “Good harvest！” heralded thunderous drumbeats. Dozens of farmers from the Drum Troupe in Yuncheng’s Xinjiang County waved their drumsticks and performed the local drum piece China Celebrates the Harvest. The same day， the home-based events of the third Chinese Farmers’ Harvest Festival were held at the Yellow River Farming Civilization Expo Park in Yuncheng’s Wanrong County. The event displayed an array of local specialties including dates and fried dough twists from Jishan， hawthorns from Jiangxian， green persimmons from Puzhou， apples from Wanrong and Linyi， and steamed flower buns from Wenxi. The annual output of fruit from Yuncheng now exceeds 6 billion kilograms. Its apples and nectarines are exported to more than 60 countries and regions including the United States， Australia， and Peru. Its fruit export volume accounts for nearly a quarter of the national total.
Selling agricultural products also promotes culture， which is key to the vitality of the festival. “The harvest festival has highlighted cultural traditions from the very beginning and aims to preserve and promote distinctive rural and farming cultures，” said Tang Ke， director of the Office of the Organizing Committee of the Chinese Farmers’ Harvest Festival and head of the Department of Market and Informatization of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. “We wanted to create a vibrant urban-rural cultural space and boost confidence in our culture.”
An agricultural powerhouse with annual grain output of more than 3 billion kilograms and a historical and cultural city revered as the birthplace of Chinese farming civilization， Yuncheng was a perfect choice for the main venue for this year’s Chinese Farmers’ Harvest Festival， which was held outside Beijing for the first time.
Yuncheng， the most populous city in Shanxi， is unlike others in the province. Shanxi is largely a coal-mining province， but Yuncheng lacks coal. Shanxi is famous for vinegar production and consumption， but residents of Yuncheng show little passion for vinegar. Even the Yuncheng dialect sounds closer to Henan and Shaanxi dialects.
A cable car in Shengtian Lake Scenic Spot in Yuncheng provides comfortable access to the top of a loess cliff overlooking the meandering Yellow River， the mother river of the Chinese nation. It slows and bends eastward， but children tend to be more interested in the likenesses of Hulk and Batman in the amusement park at the foot of the mountain. Tradition and modernity as well as Eastern and Western elements harmoniously converge there.
City of Salt
Historically known as the “city of salt transport，” Yuncheng emerged and found prosperity thanks to the mineral. In southern Yuncheng is a 132-square-kilometer salt lake. It is considered one of the oldest inland salt lakes in the world， with a history of more than 4，000 years. Emperors in ancient China regarded the salt lake as an inexhaustible source of wealth.
Dongguo Town near the salt lake is home to Chiyou Village， and its villagers are considered descendants of Chiyou， the God of War in Chinese mythology. Legend goes that the army of the Yellow Emperor， a legendary ancestor of the Chinese nation， battled the tribe of Chiyou to take salt resources from Yuncheng after defeating the Yan Emperor. The Yellow Emperor won the battle and executed Chiyou next to the salt lake. Confucius once said to Duke Ai of the state of Lu that Chiyou was beheaded by the Yellow Emperor in central Shanxi and that his blood became brine and formed the salt lake in Hai （today’s Haizhou Town in Yuncheng）.
The salt lake in Yuncheng is also called Guchi in Chinese， meaning lake of unrefined salt. Records of the Grand Historian： Biographies of Merchants compiled by Sima Qian from 109 to 91 B.C. mentioned that Yi Dun enriched himself by selling salt and that Guo Zong of Handan made a fortune in iron work. The book estimated these two merchants to have amassed as much wealth as lords and dukes. Legendary businessman Yi Dun extracted wealth from the salt lake， but at the same time helped bring good life to local people. People in Yuncheng have been self-sufficient since ancient times and local residents rarely go elsewhere to seek fortune. During Emperor Wu’s reign （141-87 B.C.） in the Han Dynasty （202 B.C.-220 A.D.）， the central government arranged a salt monopoly which became a key source of state revenues. In the early years of Emperor Daizong’s reign （762-779） in the Tang Dynasty （618-907）， salt revenues reached 6 million min （equivalent to US$2.68 billion today）， half of national revenues at that time， and the salt lake of Yuncheng contributed a quarter of the country’s salt revenues. In the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644）， a sharp increase in salt production from Yuncheng drove the development of salt transportation and sales. Salt merchants in Yuncheng rose rapidly by leveraging the favorable location and strong business channels to accumulate capital， which spread to most Shanxi merchants.
With the passage of time， salt has not been produced in Yuncheng since the 1980s， when ecological protection concerns became more prominent. Mineral extraction gave way to cultural tourism development. The salt lake， the city’s“golden goose” for more than 4，000 years， remains a highlight of cultural tourism in Yuncheng.
According to Chang Min， vice chairman of the Yuncheng Federation of Literary and Art Circles， the traditional five-step salt production method from the salt lake was deemed a national intangible cultural heritage item in 2014. The salt lake is rising into an international tourist destination after leaving its mining roots in the dust of history in favor of environmental protection and recreational tourism.
Harvesting Farming Civilization
Nestled by the bends of the Yellow River， Yuncheng offers calm waters， flat terrain， and fertile soil. The placid stretch is offset by rapid water upstream and a perched water level downstream. The conditions are ideal for agriculture， which is how Chinese civilization began.
In 1926， a Neolithic cultural site was excavated in Xiyin Village， Weiguo Township， Xiaxian County in Yuncheng， and half of a silkworm cocoon specimen was discovered. Archaeologist Li Ji determined that the cocoon had been “manually dissected.” Foreign scholars later identified the finding as a domesticated silkworm. Such evidence made a strong case for Yuncheng as the hub of silkworm domestication in northern China before the Xia Dynasty （2100-1600 B.C.） as well as the existence of the legendary Leizu， Empress of the Silkworm. Leizu， the first wife of the Yellow Emperor， hailed from Xiyin Village according to Records of the Grand Historian. She encouraged local people to plant mulberry trees and raise silkworms to produce silk to wear. To commemorate the legendary figure， the Leizu Temple was built in Xiyin Village.
The legend of Houji is further evidence that Yuncheng could have been the birthplace of China’s agricultural civilization. During the reigns of Yao and Shun in Neolithic China， Houji， a native of Yuncheng’s Jishan County， was an expert at sowing grain and improving farm tools. He taught people farming techniques and instructed them on when to sow and harvest. According to Mencius， “Houji taught people farming techniques and crops planting， enabling people to feed themselves after harvesting.” Houji is revered as the Lord of Millet or the God of Farming by Chinese people.
Locals said that once when a young teacher expressed interest in leaving the village to work in the city， the residents said： “What’s so great in the city？ It’s nice here. You can eat noodles with tomato and egg every day.”
This humorous anecdote is inspired by the agricultural conditions in Yuncheng， making it possible for farmers to settle permanently. As an old Chinese saying goes， “The people are the top priority for emperors， and food is the top necessity of the people， so a wise emperor should focus on providing food for the people.” The close relationship between Chinese civilization and agriculture has continued for thousands of years.
Since antiquity， farmers in Yuncheng have sowed seeds of hope and reaped the fruits of life alongside peers in other parts of China. The suitable climate and fertile soil make the agricultural practice more rewarding and less worrisome.
An important agricultural hub， Yuncheng often ranks first in Shanxi in terms of area and output of agricultural products including grain， cotton， fruit， and vegetables. Some joke that Yuncheng provides the flour for more than a half of every steamed bun eaten by Shanxi people and enough cotton for all the clothing worn in Shanxi except for the sleeves.
This year， the Autumnal Equinox， one of the 24 Solar Terms that marks the arrival of harvest season， fell on September 22.
A shout of “Good harvest！” heralded thunderous drumbeats. Dozens of farmers from the Drum Troupe in Yuncheng’s Xinjiang County waved their drumsticks and performed the local drum piece China Celebrates the Harvest. The same day， the home-based events of the third Chinese Farmers’ Harvest Festival were held at the Yellow River Farming Civilization Expo Park in Yuncheng’s Wanrong County. The event displayed an array of local specialties including dates and fried dough twists from Jishan， hawthorns from Jiangxian， green persimmons from Puzhou， apples from Wanrong and Linyi， and steamed flower buns from Wenxi. The annual output of fruit from Yuncheng now exceeds 6 billion kilograms. Its apples and nectarines are exported to more than 60 countries and regions including the United States， Australia， and Peru. Its fruit export volume accounts for nearly a quarter of the national total.
Selling agricultural products also promotes culture， which is key to the vitality of the festival. “The harvest festival has highlighted cultural traditions from the very beginning and aims to preserve and promote distinctive rural and farming cultures，” said Tang Ke， director of the Office of the Organizing Committee of the Chinese Farmers’ Harvest Festival and head of the Department of Market and Informatization of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. “We wanted to create a vibrant urban-rural cultural space and boost confidence in our culture.”
An agricultural powerhouse with annual grain output of more than 3 billion kilograms and a historical and cultural city revered as the birthplace of Chinese farming civilization， Yuncheng was a perfect choice for the main venue for this year’s Chinese Farmers’ Harvest Festival， which was held outside Beijing for the first time.