Jiyuan City, the legendary hometown of Yugong (literally old fool, an old man who removed two giant mountains in front of his house.), lies in the northwest of He'nan Province. It is at the foot of Mountain Taihang and Mountain Wangwu on the north and borders Yangcheng and Jincheng counties of Shanxi Province to the west. Facing to the Yellow River to the south and neighboring Qinyang and Mengzhou City to the east.
Jiyuan City covers an area of 1,981 square kilometers, of which 28 square kilometers is downtown area and 88% mountainous area. A boom town as it is, Jiyuan has developed many new industries.
Jishui River, one of the ancient “Four Rivers” with the Yangzi River, Yellow River and Huai River, originates from Jiyuan, literally the source of Jishui, hence deriving its name. According to the latest archaeological findings, as early as around 1,000 years ago, precisely at the end of the Paleolithic Period and the beginning of the Neolithic Period, people have lived here. It used to be the capital of the Xia Dynasty and was well known for its wealth between the Period of Warring States and Han Dynasty.
On the one hand, Jiyuan is a scenic area with various landscapes, such as hills, mountains, rivers and plains. The typical ones are Mountain Wangwu scenic spot, Three Gorges of Yellow River at Xiaolangdi, Jiuligou scenic spot and Wulongkou scenic spot (featuring macaques watching and hot spring). On the other hand, Jiyuan is a place of historical relics and ancient remains with 64 cultural relic protection units. Jidu Temple is a case in point, where the water from Jishui River of one thousand years is preserved and worshiped.