Embraced by the Yellow River! A 72-hour adventure in the ancient towns of the Jin-Shaanxi Gorge

"When the ferry swirled through the muddy waves, the cave dwellings on the opposite bank looked like beehives growing out of the mountain - I knew I had really entered a time capsule this time!" Qikou Ancient Town, known as the "First Town of the Yellow River" during the Ming and Qing dynasties, even has horse hitching posts with rope marks that tell the glorious memories of Shanxi merchants' camel caravans. 🗺️Time travel route: Day 1: Check in at Qikou Inn → Listen to the waves at Heilong Temple → Explore the maze alleys of Xiwancun Village Day 2: Sketch at Lijiashan Village → Take a boat ride on the Yellow River Gallery → Collect Yellow River stones at Qilintan Beach Day 3: Visit the Zhaizishan Earth Forest → Qikou Folk Museum → Stargaze at the ancient town at night 🏯Living history books: ▫️Heilong Temple Stage: Standing on the Qing Dynasty stage overlooking the passionate embrace of the Yellow River and Jiushui River, I suddenly understood the deep meaning of "Wohu Longmiao" (Crouching Tiger Dragon Temple). The temple keeper handed me a telescope: "Look at Shaanxi on the other side, no need for a microphone to sing opera!" I tried shouting in the Shanxi dialect, and there was an echo bouncing back to my chest🎤. ▫️Lijiashan Village: The "Han Tomb" village depicted by Wu Guanzhong. Following an old shepherd around 72 bends, the Ming Dynasty cave dwellings were scattered like pyramids. While sketching under a jujube tree, an auntie insisted on giving me freshly picked crispy jujubes: "They're sweet, more real than the additives in your city!" ▫️Yellow River Earth Forest: Floating into the ten-mile gallery on a sheepskin raft, the water-eroded cliffs revealed wonders like "Bodhidharma Facing the Wall" and "Peacock Spreading Its Tail." Boatman Lao Chen suddenly pointed somewhere: "Look! The iron ring for tying boats from when the Red Army crossed east is still there!" 🍜Shanxi flavors: ▫️Saozi Wantuo: At the century-old shop "Xiangyuanlong," I watched the boss lady spin out buckwheat jelly with an iron sheet, topped with aged vinegar, spicy lamb offal, and saozi, the sour and spicy taste hit me right in the head! ▫️Yellow River Catfish: Freshly caught and cooked in an iron pot stew, the fish wrapped in thick millet porridge, paired with golden fried oil cakes, made me exclaim "It's so beautiful!" ▫️Red Date Fermented Rice: The secret recipe of an old man carrying a load at the ancient ferry, the fermented wine aroma mixed with the sweetness of Yellow River beach dates, warming the stomach like a down jacket❄️. 📸Film filter spots: 1️⃣Xiwancun Village archway alley (light and shadow magic at 4 pm) 2️⃣Qilintan Beach sunset (Yellow River water dyes pebbles into golden amber) 3️⃣Ancient town lantern night (the moment hundreds of paper lanterns light up🏮) 4️⃣Earth forest dawn (like alien terrain in the mist) 💡TIPS: · 3-hour drive from Taiyuan, the ancient town's bluestone roads will make your suitcase cry · May's jujube flower festival fills the city with sweet fragrance, October's red dates hang like lanterns · Learn this Shanxi phrase "Chi lie me" (Have you eaten?), unlock hidden smiles At dusk by the Jiushui River, an old craftsman was hammering Yellow River stone paintings. Amidst the clanging, I suddenly saw that the natural water patterns on the stone slab coincided with the Ming and Qing merchant road map - it turns out time has never left, it just hides in the folds of the cave dwellings, waiting to meet those with a heart.