Pujin Ferry Archaeological Site 蒲津渡遗址

About Pujin Ferry Archaeological Site

The Pujin Ferry site near Yongji preserves remains associated with a historic Yellow River crossing. Its best-known objects are the Tang iron oxen, made as part of the anchoring system for a pontoon bridge. The sculpture and engineering belong to the same story: these substantial cast forms helped secure an important river connection.

The site lies by the former Puzhou city area. Iron figures, columns and later embankment remains add context to the oxen. The Yuncheng account describes the modern excavation and subsequent conservation work that brought the buried remains back into view. Their present display level is therefore part of the archaeological site’s modern protection history.

Concentrate on the relationship between the iron objects, bridge anchoring and the river landscape. The later interpretive bridge construction should be distinguished from excavated Tang material. Reading the labels in that order makes it easier to separate an original engineering component from a reconstruction intended to explain how the crossing worked.

What to look for

• Examine the cast iron oxen as bridge anchors.
• Compare excavated ironwork with later embankment remains.
• Distinguish original objects from modern bridge interpretation.

Location & getting there

Getting to Pujin Ferry Archaeological Site

Use 蒲津渡遗址 with 永济市蒲州镇. Locate the archaeological visitor entrance, and keep riverside wandering separate from the protected site visit.

• Use 蒲津渡遗址 with Shanxi when searching for the visitor entrance.