Guoyang County 涡阳县

Setting and landscape

Most of the county is flat plain between rivers, built up by old river silt, with scattered low hollows. A strip along both banks of the Guo River belongs to the Yellow River flood plain; it stands about a metre above the surrounding land and acts as a natural levee. The ground falls gently from northwest to southeast, at roughly 26 to 34 metres above sea level. Besides the Guo, the Xifei (西淝河), Beifei (北淝河) and Bao (包河) rivers drain the county, and small hills such as Longshan (龙山), Shigong Shan (石弓山) and Huishan (辉山) rise north of the Guo.

History

The county owes its existence to the Nian (捻军) uprising. In October 1852 the Nian leader Zhang Lexing (张乐行) swore his followers to revolt at the Shanxi guild hall in Zhihe Ji (雉河集), a market town far from the nearest county seats. After his death in 1863, the Qing court carved a new county out of Bozhou, Suzhou (宿州), Mengcheng (蒙城) and Fuyang (阜阳) in 1864, placed its seat at Zhihe Ji and revived the Northern Wei county name Guoyang.

What to see

Tianjing Palace (天静宫) stands on the north bank of the Guo River about 60 kilometres east of Bozhou, close to where the Wujia River (武家河) joins it. Scholars cited by the county's Laozi research institute identify the Wujia with the Gu River (谷水) of the classical geography Shuijing Zhu (水经注) and place Laozi's birthplace here; the question has long been disputed. The county also lists the Daoyuan National Wetland Park (道源国家湿地公园), the East Taiqing Palace (东太清宫) and the tombs of Yin Xi (尹喜), Ji Kang (嵇康) and Fan Li (范蠡). Zhang Lexing's former residence, the former headquarters of the New Fourth Army's 4th Division and the Huishan revolutionary martyrs' cemetery recall the county's later history.

Food and local products

Yimen taigan (义门苔干, dried celtuce stems) was sent to the court as tribute in the Qianlong era and, like Guoyang soybeans, carries national geographical-indication status. Gaolujia (高炉家) baijiu is a registered China Well-known Trademark, and Gaolu liquor (高炉酒) is a national geographical-indication product. Local specialities include sweet-and-sour garlic, smoked beef, dry-tossed Guoyang noodles (涡阳干扣面) and Longshan mutton soup (龙山羊肉汤).

Getting oriented

The Qingdao–Fuyang railway (青阜铁路) crosses the county from north to south, with a station at Guoyang, and the Beijing–Kowloon line has a station at Wangzhai (王寨). National Highway 344 and several expressways pass through, and Bozhou South high-speed station is about 35 kilometres from the county.

Highlights

• Tianjing Palace 天静宫: Temple on the north bank of the Guo River that the county presents as Laozi's birthplace; the claim is disputed.
• Daoyuan National Wetland Park 道源国家湿地公园: Wetland park that the county describes as rich in fish and shrimp, with flocks of water birds.
• Yimen taigan 义门苔干: Dried celtuce stems, a Qianlong-era tribute product with national geographical-indication status.