The origin and development of Lanzhou sheepskin raft?

According to historical records, since the Han and Tang Dynasties, rafts have been used for a long time from Qinghai to Shandong along the Yellow River for at least 2,000 years. Due to the lack of records, it is difficult to determine the history of rafts in Gansu. According to Wang Jinding, the sheepskin raft in Lanzhou rose in Guangxu period of Qing Dynasty. Rafts were widely used to cross the river in Lanzhou at least 320 years ago, and this ancient handicraft has been passed down to this day.

The Yellow River kayak is a unique kayak in the Yellow River area of China, formerly known as "kayak", made of cattle and sheep skins, and is one of the world-famous kayaks. A sheepskin raft made of sheepskin and a cowhide raft made of cowhide. As the saying goes, "The Yellow River bends in nine bends and eighteen bends, and the raft rises to cross the river", which shows the close relationship between the raft and the Yellow River.

The ancient sheepskin raft was mainly used for long-distance water transportation between Qinghai, Lanzhou and Baotou, with a wide road. You can imagine how spectacular the scene was.

Sailors rowing sheepskin rafts are called "rafters", and rafters with superb skills and good water quality have also left many magical legends of wandering rivers and lakes.

The Yellow River is thousands of kilometers long, and there are few gentle places, especially the Daxia and Sangyuan Gorge in the lower reaches of Lanzhou. The water is swift and the rocks are rugged. If you are not careful, you will be in danger of capsizing, which depends on the passengers on the raft to control. Now, with the improvement of traffic conditions, sheepskin rafts have gradually withdrawn from the river, and most of them have become tools to increase tourism income in scenic spots and decorations for tourists to experience and feel local customs, which has long been out of its original practical role and importance in people's daily life.

Here, the sheepskin raft floating on the Yellow River is one of the most distinctive tourist experiences.

Lanzhou is the only city in Wan Li where the Yellow River passes through the city. Along the south bank of the Yellow River, a riverside road with a length of more than 50 kilometers from east to west has been opened, and the only citywide Yellow River amorous feelings line in China has been built, which is called the "Bund" in Lanzhou. Here, the sheepskin raft floating on the Yellow River is one of the most distinctive tourist experiences.

Originally, I wanted to know some sheepskin rafts that are still used as primitive means of transportation. I learned from many sources and finally failed. It is said that some sheepskin rafts are still used as private transportation in some remote places, and it is estimated that it will take time to trace them carefully.

Raft workers said that most of these sheepskin rafts were produced in Ningxia or Qinghai, but I don't know the details. According to the data, the Yellow River raft should be made of animal skins first. First, you have to skin the cow. After killing the sheep, you should remove the head and hind legs, hang them upside down, peel them from the hips, and finally peel them to the neck. Cattle and sheep were skinned.

The small raft consists of more than ten sheepskin bags, which is convenient for short-distance transportation.

After peeling, you should tan the skin and turn it into "ripe skin". The method is: soak the hairy skin in water, let it ferment, take it out and drain it, shave it with a knife, and then turn it over. Then step on it to make it soft. After that, an appropriate amount of clear oil and salt water is injected into the skin to make it elastic and antibacterial. Then connect the neck and ass with thin twine. One forelimb is pricked to death, inflated from the other forelimb, and then fixed with a movable buckle. The sheepskin is inflated by the rafter mouth, and the cowhide is very large. If the air demand is huge, they use "fire skin" to inflate. A leather tire is actually a portable bellows.

Rafts are big and small. The largest sheepskin raft is made up of more than 600 sheepskin bags, 22 meters long and 7 meters wide. There are three paddles in front of it, each controlled by two people. The load can reach 20-30 tons. More than 200 kilometers downstream from Lanzhou every day, you can reach Baotou in eleven or two days. This kind of raft should be extinct by now. The small raft consists of more than ten sheepskin bags, which is convenient for short-distance transportation.

The sheepskin rafts seen at Lanzhou Yellow River Tourist Wharf are mostly composed of twelve or three sheepskins. Tourists sit on it and are operated by rafters. At present, the water situation of the Yellow River is not as sinister as before. For the safety of tourists, the sheepskin raft only travels in relatively shallow waters, so the feeling of riding the raft is not so thrilling.

Sitting on a raft, watching the Yellow River roll eastward.

Sitting on the raft, you can see the Yellow River flowing leisurely through the empty sheepskin tires, and you can reach the cool water by reaching through the wooden shelf. What is even more amazing is that the raft swings with the water waves, but the passengers will not get wet by the water, which is a bit like "I will sit by myself and let him ride the wind and waves". There was a cool breeze blowing gently on the river, and the turbid Yellow River swirled slowly eastward. The reeds swayed on the island in the middle of the river, and the white pagoda stood on the mountain on the other side of the river. Watching the rafters paddle "pressing", "grasping" and "lifting" and listening to him sing a few trembling "flowers" at the top of his lungs … all these make people feel the unique charm of the Yellow River.

Raft has excellent buoyancy and is easy to operate and control. When encountering turbulence, the speed is like an arrow, and it gives people a sense of pleasure when falling straight. Long-distance rafting requires a raft. Tourists can walk on rafts. They can drift in the Yellow River for half a day or two and enjoy the magnificent scenery on the Yellow River.

Rafts can only go downstream, not upstream. There is a saying that "people in the water take rafts, and people in the water take rafts", so they were eliminated. However, sheepskin raft has the advantages of energy saving, environmental protection and broad vision. It is also a rare pleasure to go sightseeing downstream on a sheepskin raft.