The most worthwhile ancient building ruins in Shanxi [Laoniuwan]

“The Yellow River has nine bends and eighteen turns. The divine bull opened the river to Pianguan. When the bright light came on, it was frightened and turned around to plow out a Laoniu Bay.” Laoniuwan mentioned in the folk song is located in Pianguan County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province. The Yellow River enters Shanxi from here, the Inner and Outer Great Walls meet here, and the Shanxi-Shaanxi-Inner Mongolia Grand Canyon begins here. The Great Wall and the Yellow River meet romantically here. Here you can not only see the perfectly preserved Ming Dynasty brick hollow watchtowers, but also climb up and look far into the distance to take in the beautiful scenery of the Yellow River's nine bends and eighteen turns. It was rated as one of the ten most beautiful canyons in China by National Geographic China, and has the reputation of "the first village where the Yellow River enters Shanxi" and "a crowing of a rooster can be heard in three counties." The water of the Yellow River flows out of the Hetao, flows through the deep mountains and canyons, rushes southward, and makes a big turn here. The ancient Great Wall also meanders eastward here. The stone buildings here are really spectacular. They are all built with stones in an orderly manner. Several families live here, leading a peaceful and beautiful pastoral life. The Laoniuwan Ancient Wharf, the former golden waterway freight distribution center, the Four Princesses' Good Governance Monument, and the time-honored brand Rongtaixiang are still visible. When you drift by boat, you will see towering cliffs on both sides of the river, and the Yellow River makes a nearly 360° bend here. Laoniuwan was a garrison castle in the Ming Dynasty. It is said to have been built during the Chenghua period (1487) of the Ming Dynasty (the eighth emperor Zhu Jianshen of the Ming Dynasty). There were troops stationed there all year round. Laoniuwan Dun, also known as Wanghe Tower, is a 12-meter-high hollow brick and stone tower with rope ladders and passages inside. Soldiers went up and down here. There were also battlements on the pier for observing the enemy situation across the Yellow River, and for lighting smoke signals to transmit military intelligence to the east and west sides of the Great Wall. This well-preserved pier has become a landmark building in the Laoniuwan Scenic Area. The ancient village in the scenic area was built according to the terrain of the mountain, using local materials and all made of stones. Looking back on the past, it must have been bustling with people coming and going. Today, the ancient village has become part of the main scenic area. The original villagers have moved into new houses elsewhere. They have also kept pace with the times and focused on developing homestay tourism. Except for the off-season in winter, the rest of the time should be pretty good. This is both a peaceful and bustling place. When you are here, you can feel as if the scenes of war and battles in the past are unfolding before your eyes. Pianguan Laoniuwan Scenic Area