Guzhen County 固镇县

History

In 202 BC the Battle of Gaixia (垓下之战) was fought within today's county: Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu here, and the episodes known as "Chu songs on all sides" (四面楚歌) and "the Hegemon-King bids farewell to his consort" (霸王别姬) belong to this campaign. Under the Han the area held Xiao (洨), where the scholar Xu Shen (许慎), compiler of the early character dictionary Shuowen Jiezi (说文解字), served as an official.

The county town, Guzhen, was anciently called Guyang (谷阳), "north of the Gu River". A Guyang county seat was set up in the early Western Han 1 kilometre south of the present town, and in 483 the Northern Wei made it Guyang town (谷阳镇). A post station was built here in 1374, and in 1391 the Lingbi magistrate Zhou Rong (周荣) replaced a washed-out timber bridge with a seven-arch stone bridge 13 zhang long, which gave the town its popular name, Guzhen Bridge (固镇桥).

What to see

The Gaixia Site (垓下遗址) in Haocheng (濠城镇), with the Tuo River (沱河) to its north, is by tradition where Xiang Yu had his headquarters in that battle. Excavations in 2007–2009 found a walled town of the Dawenkou culture (大汶口文化) more than 4,500 years old; it was named one of China's ten major archaeological discoveries of 2009 and became a national protected site in 2013. The scenic area has a display hall, and in spring its fields fill with red corn poppies.

In the south of the county town, Guyang City Site Park (谷阳城遗址公园) occupies a square Han city of 1,500 mu, with a newly built Han-style county office and some 150,000 cherry trees of 47 varieties. The Jinpu Railway Guzhen Station Site Park (津浦铁路固镇站遗址公园) keeps a station building designed by the British in 1910 and opened in September 1911, Japanese-built guard buildings from the occupation, and a second-class carriage from the Asia Express (亚细亚号). Xu Shen Cultural Park (许慎文化公园) in the northwest of town covers 550 mu, about half of it water.

Food and local products

Local specialities named by the county include Renqiao beef (任桥牛肉), Qingshui Yuji tofu (清水虞姬豆腐), Hugou baked flatbread (湖沟烧饼) and Haocheng mung bean cakes (濠城绿豆饼). Wangzhuang peanuts (王庄花生) and Shihu watermelons (石湖西瓜) carry national geographical indication status.

Highlights

• Gaixia Site 垓下遗址: Dawenkou-period walled town over 4,500 years old and traditional site of Xiang Yu's last stand; national protected site since 2013.
• Guyang City Site Park 谷阳城遗址公园: Square Han city site planted with about 150,000 cherry trees.
• Jinpu Railway Guzhen Station Site Park 津浦铁路固镇站遗址公园: 1911 station building and an Asia Express carriage.
• Qingshui Yuji tofu 清水虞姬豆腐: One of the local foods named by the county.