The land nurtures humanity, and humanity creates civilization. The Yellow River has nurtured a people with yellow skin and a culture as ancient and enduring as the river itself.

The winding Yellow River has left its most precious gifts in the Central Plains, where the land has gradually accumulated and thrived. Henan has become China’s “granary”, thanks to the fertile soil bestowed by the Yellow River.

Tracing the source of the Yellow River and exploring the roots of Chinese civilization.

Mahad Munawar Khan, a student from Australia studying at Zhengzhou University, has always been curious about the land of Henan. To understand the profound impact of the Yellow River on this land, one must listen to the stories closely tied to this great river.

Henan has long been one of China’s major agricultural provinces, designated as the “Granary of China”, bearing the significant mission of ensuring the country’s food supply. For the more than 100 million people of Henan, this is both a great honor and responsibility.

A bountiful harvest depends on nature’s gifts, but also on the support of modern technology.

Yang Yawei, founder of Ruitong Digital Agriculture Technology Group Co., Ltd., has his own pursuit: “My greatest wish is to solve the problem of farmers relying on the weather for irrigation, so they no longer have to ‘face the soil with their backs to the sky’.” In recent years, Yang Yawei and his team have empowered nearly ten million acres of farmland across the Central Plains and the North China Plain through technological innovation, focusing on high-standard farmland construction, efficient water-saving irrigation, and smart agriculture.

When Central Plains have abundant supplies of food, the entire nation is well-fed. The water of the Yellow River irrigates fertile fields, nourishing countless families, while the soil along the riverbanks has also nurtured brilliant craftsmanship and culture.

At the Yellow River Chengni Inkstone workshop, Zhang Hui, the sixth-generation inheritor of the Yellow River Chengni Inkstone, a provincial intangible cultural heritage project in Henan, holds up some Yellow River clay, carefully examining its texture. Khan, the student from Zhengzhou University, approaches to learn the process of making the Yellow River Chengni Inkstone.

The Yellow River Chengni Inkstone is a traditional craft closely linked to the Yellow River. Made from Yellow River clay, the inkstone embodies both delicacy and ruggedness, with the clay carrying the imprints of Chinese culture and history.

It was the Yellow River Chengni Inkstone that connected Zhang Hui’s family with clay. It is one of China’s four famous inkstones. Due to the complexity of its production process, the craft was lost for several centuries.

“In the 1990s, my parents experienced 131 failures before finally restoring the technique of making the Yellow River Chengni Inkstone,” Zhang Hui explained. Although the demand for the Yellow River Chengni Inkstone is niche, the public’s emotional connection to Yellow River clay is widespread. To meet contemporary aesthetic tastes, Zhang Hui has experimented with incorporating Yellow River clay into glazes, giving the inkstones vibrant colors and infusing them with more stories and cultural elements of the Yellow River.

The meandering course of the Yellow River has not only left behind the unique and precious handcraft of Chengni Inkstone but has also imprinted a rich and diverse popular culture, with opera being one of its most vibrant expressions.

As a promoter of traditional culture and a winner of the Peony Award, China’s highest award for folk art, Qin Mengyao grew up by the Yellow River, which has provided her with endless inspiration. In her opera creations, she has combined traditional Henan Zhuizi with modern elements, resulting in two refreshing works, Home by the Yellow River and People of the Yellow River. These works blend traditional culture with new forms of expression, incorporating not only Henan Zhuizi but also rock elements.

“We need to innovate within tradition and incorporate young people’s understanding of traditional culture. This way, more people will continue to inherit our traditional folk arts and spread Yellow River culture.” The waves of the Yellow River inspire countless artists, and the spirit of the Yellow River continues to grow and flourish in the hearts of the people of Henan.

The inspiration of the Yellow River is omnipresent; it is not only a natural wonder but also a source of culture. On this ancient land of the Central Plains, more stories of the Yellow River are continually unfolding.

More details: https://youtu.be/cu-XgdjNkXA