Dāntú

Dantu shared the city of Zhenjiang on the southern bank of the Yangtze. Here the Grand Canal met the great river, making the town an important passage between northern and southern China. At Xijin Ferry, boats landed below the hills, and travellers climbed the stone-paved street past temples and shops.

The crossing had been known by several names before becoming Xijin in the Song. A stone pagoda spanning the street dates from the transition between the Yuan and Ming. As the riverbank gradually shifted northward, old landing places were left farther from the water. In the Qing, a smaller landing near Xijin Bay served charitable ferries and the rescue of people in distress on the river.