Bengshan District 蚌山区

History

Bengbu's nickname, Pearl City (珠城), goes back to pearl gathering, and the district places the earliest pearl gathering in the area at Xuqiao (徐桥), a village in Yanshan (燕山乡) 6 kilometres southeast of the city. In the early Ming, Xuqiao was a post station on the official road between Fengyang and Huaiyuan (怀远), with a market street about 500 metres long paved in stone slabs; the market lasted until 1921. By one local account, a little over a century ago Bengbu had no market town at all, only about ten villages on the south bank of the Huai.

The Baoxing Flour Mill (宝兴面粉厂), on the south dyke of the Huai east of the Chaoyang Road bridge, was built from 1928 by Yang Shucheng (杨树诚), a mill owner from Yanshan County (盐山县) in Hebei, and began milling in 1931. Four original workshop buildings and an attic survive with a wisteria more than a century old, and the district describes it as the only Republican-era industrial site left in the city.

What to see

Bengbu Museum (蚌埠市博物馆) and the Bengbu Carnival (蚌埠嘉年华) cultural tourism park are the district's two national 4A scenic areas, and the Jianghuai Botanical Garden (江淮植物园) is among its 3A sites. City parks include Jinpu Datang (津浦大塘), Xiaonanshan (小南山) and Hushan (虎山).

In Yanshan township, the old town of Dingan (定庵古镇) sits at the western foot of Meihua Hill (梅花山) and dates from the early Song. A stone inscription tells how the commander Zhou Bangyan (周邦彦), home from the army soon after the dynasty was founded, built a nunnery there for his widowed daughter; it was named Dingning Nunnery (定宁庵), later shortened to Dingan. Apricot Hill (杏山), also in Yanshan, carries the legend of Dong Feng (董奉), a physician of the Three Kingdoms period who asked cured patients to plant apricot trees on the slope instead of paying him.

Food, crafts and old streets

Among Bengbu's time-honoured names the district lists Guohuo Road pedestrian street (国货路步行街), Miejiang Street (篾匠街, "bamboo weavers' street") and Maxia Street (蚂虾街), and eateries such as Xueyuan Snack Shop (雪园小吃部) and Laohuaibin (老淮滨). For jade and antiques there are the Nanshan antiques and jade market (南山古玩玉器城) and the Guangcai jade centre (光彩玉器文化城). Among 16 listed intangible heritage items are Bengshan xinyi liuhe boxing (心意六合拳), on the provincial list, and white jade micro-carving (白玉微雕).

Highlights

• Bengbu Museum 蚌埠市博物馆: One of the district's two national 4A scenic areas.
• Baoxing Flour Mill 宝兴面粉厂: 1928–1931 mill on the Huai dyke, the city's only surviving Republican-era industrial site.
• Xuqiao 徐桥: Early Ming post station, named by the district as the area's earliest pearl-gathering place.
• Nanshan antiques and jade market 南山古玩玉器城: Antiques and jade market in the district.