Húkǒu

Hukou occupies the outlet of Poyang Lake into the Yangtze, beneath the landmarks of Stone Bell Mountain. Its river traffic repeatedly attracted the attention of Ming and Qing revenue officials. A customs establishment was built below Lower Stone Bell Mountain in 1563 and abolished in 1567. In 1598 the tax eunuch Li Dao rebuilt it; after a fire, the offices rose again on a lavish scale. When the customs station moved away in 1615, local officials burned its main hall, fearing Li Dao's return and renewed exactions.

The Qing also tried to draw revenue from passing vessels. In 1717 the Jiangxi governor Bai Huang dredged Wuqu Harbour to berth merchant boats and established a tax office on its bank. Education occupied some of the same riverside ground. In 1724 the county magistrate Zhu Qizheng removed Buddhist images from premises beside the Jiangsheng Pavilion and converted them into the Stone Bell school. The school moved inside the town in 1741. Customs buildings, harbours and classrooms thus marked successive attempts to organize life at the lake's gateway.