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The First Bend of the Yangtze
River
The Jinsha River, the upper reaches of the
Yangtze River, rises in the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and flows
southward. When the river reaches Shigu Township of Lijiang
County, it makes an abrupt turn and flows northward, forming
a great V-shaped bend reputed as the First Great Bend of
the Yangtze River.
Shigu township is 70 kilometers away from
Lijiang County. A drum-shaped stone tablet is built on the
small hill at the turn for the Jinsha River. Thus the town
got its name. 1.5 meters in diameter, the tablet was set
up in the Jiajing Period of the Ming Dynasty (1548-1561)
by the magistrate of Lijiang Prefecture -Mugao to commemorate
the Naxis' victory over the Tubo Kingdom in their westward
expansion. Both sides of the tablet were inscribed withy
characters in intaglio recounting the event. The Shigu Ferry
is a good place to cross the river as it is wide and flows
slowly there. Historically,it has long been a place of military
importance. It was said that during the Three Kingdom Period,
when Zhuge Liang pacified the turbulance in Nanzhong (Sichuan),
his army "cross the Lu River in May" ( The Jinsha
River was called Lu River at that time )and Kublai Khan
( king of the Yuan Dynasty ) " ferried across the river
on leather bags" at this very place. In April 1936,
led by He Long, Ren Bishi and Xiao Ke, the Second Route
of the Red Army crossed the river and went northward to
fight against Japanese invaders from here. After Liberation,
" A Memorial to the Red Army's Crossing Shigu Ferry"
was built up on a hill behind the Stone Drum Tablet. 8.1
meters high, the memorial stands majestically and solemnly.
It is a cultural relic under provincial protection. In front
of the memorial, there is a tower -like building, "
The Red Army Museum" in which relics of the Second
Route of the Red Army passing through Yunnan during the
Long March are on display.
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On the embankment of the river bend to the
right side of the Stone Drum, there is a willow wood protecting
the embankment; to the left side of the Stone Drum, the
Chongjiang River joins Jinsha River. Tiehong Bridge, an
iron chain framework laid with planks, crosses over the
initiative of Zhou Lanping, a successful candidate of Shigu
in the imperial examination at the provincial level in the
late Qing dynasty.
Being an important township for tea and
horse trade on the route between the inland and Tibet in
ancient times, the township was economically prosperous.
Now, there is a market day in every three days when the
town bustles with noise and excitement.
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