As I See It Sheepskin Raft Yellow River , Lanzhou
By Foo Mee Sim
Yellow River is often been referred to as ‘ Mother River ’ of China in view of its association with the development of ancient Chinese civilization . My last trip to Silk Road Tour ended at Lanzhou city where the highlight is the river front of Yellow River showcasing a big granite statue of a mother holding a baby .
The river bank is lined with a tree-shaded walkway and an attractive landscape . A huge water wheel projects itself as an iconic feature with the creaking noise of the rotating wooden wheel driven by the swift current of the river under it .
As I walked along the river bank , the sight of a few rows of sheepskin rafts placed at the river bank caught my attention . There were a few sheepskin rafts on the river carrying mainly tourists curious to try this ancient mode of river transport .
Sheepskin rafts were used more than 2,000 years ago during the Han Dynasty where soldiers
Photo 1 : Granite statute of a mother and a baby , the symbol of Yellow River as the Mother River of China .
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