Kèhú

Kehu stood on the Shanxi bank of the Yellow River opposite Jiazhou, at a crossing linking the province with northern Shaanxi. Its earlier name survived in several written forms, including Kehu and Kehuzhai. Although the Yuan period reduced its old military role, local gazetteer tradition records the construction of the Stone Buddha Temple here in 1343.

The Ming restored an official security presence in 1372 by establishing a patrol inspectorate at the crossing. The Yongle encyclopaedia described its steep riverside position and the route west towards Shenmu and the desert, explaining why this small place warranted supervision. By the seventeenth century, Gu Zuyu's geographical account recalled an earlier floating bridge but described the crossing as served by boats. Qing records retained a small garrison at the renamed Kehuzhai. Temple, patrol office and ferry each show a different use of the same riverbank settlement as military frontiers and administrative arrangements changed.