Tianchang 天长市

Setting and landscape

All seven of the larger rivers, among them the New and Old Baita rivers (白塔河) and the Tonglong River (铜龙河), belong to the Huai system, and the waterways link through Gaoyou Lake to Hongze Lake (洪泽湖) and the Yangtze. About 70 square kilometres of Gaoyou Lake lie inside Tianchang; Yi Lake (沂湖) and Yang Lake (洋湖) sit on its western shore. Woodland is concentrated in the southwest, at the Fushan (釜山) and Caomiaoshan (草庙山) forest farms.

History

The earliest recorded settlement is Beiliang (卑梁邑) of the Spring and Autumn period; the city's cultural centre links a quarrel there in 518 BC to a war between Wu and Chu. The county was founded in the early Tang, first as Qianqiu County (千秋县). During the war against Japan the Communist administration twice merged it with Gaoyou and other counties as Tiangao County (天高县), and in the civil war it was twice renamed Binghui County (炳辉县) after the New Fourth Army deputy commander Luo Binghui (罗炳辉). The Tianchang name returned on 5 January 1960, and the county became a county-level city in September 1993.

Provincially protected sites include the Shiliang earthen wall site (石梁土城遗址), the former site of the 8th branch of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University (抗大八分校旧址), the stone carvings at General Yang Jie's tomb (杨捷将军墓石刻) and the Qingshidun site (青狮墩遗址).

What to see

The city museum holds more than 5,000 objects, 70 of them grade-one national relics; its prize pieces include a ring-shaped jade dragon, a cloud-pattern iron sword and a bronze dagger with an openwork handle. Other sights named by the city are Hongcao Lake Wetland Park (红草湖湿地公园), the Longgang (龙岗) memorial hall and old town linked to the university branch, the Fushan eco-resort and Huguo Temple (护国寺).

Tianguan paintings (天官画), on Anhui's provincial intangible heritage list, show the Heavenly Official (天官) in dozens of forms, such as the official who grants blessings or brings wealth, painted on white cotton or xuan paper, combining the outline work of fine-brush painting with the flat colour of woodblock New Year prints. They are hung at home, at shop openings, in new houses and when fishing boats set out.

Getting oriented

Tianchang meets Lai'an (来安) in Anhui to the west, Xuyi (盱眙) and Jinhu (金湖) to the north, Gaoyou (高邮) across the lake to the east, and Yizheng (仪征) and Nanjing's Luhe District (六合区) to the south. The city centre is 50 kilometres from Yangzhou (扬州) and 75 kilometres from Nanjing (南京), with the Beijing–Shanghai railway to the west.

Highlights

• Gaoyou Lake 高邮湖: Inter-provincial lake on Tianchang's eastern side; about 70 km² lies within the city.
• Tianchang Museum 天长市博物馆: More than 5,000 objects, including 70 grade-one relics such as a ring-shaped jade dragon.
• Former site of the 8th branch of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University 抗大八分校旧址: Provincially protected site.
• Tianguan paintings 天官画: Folk paintings of the Heavenly Official; provincial intangible heritage.