Funan County 阜南县

The Huai and its floods

Wangjiaba stands where the upper Huai becomes the middle Huai, at its confluence with the Hong River (洪河) and Bailu River (白露河). Built in 1953, the sluice has been opened 16 times in 13 flood years, sending a total of 7.5 billion cubic metres into storage; the water level here is called the barometer of flood control on the Huai. The site is a national water-conservancy scenic area and has an exhibition hall on flood fighting.

Behind it lies Mengwa, 180.4 square kilometres on the north bank of the middle Huai, shared with Yingshang (颍上). Set up in 1953 as the first flood-storage area in the Huai basin, it has 131 raised village platforms (庄台), and most of its residents live on raised platforms or inside protective embankments. The county government calls their repeated choice to let floodwater cover their homes the "Wangjiaba spirit" (王家坝精神).

History

In 1957 villagers of Baizhuang (白庄) in Zhuzhai (朱寨镇) found eight Shang bronzes in the Run River (润河), among them the dragon-and-tiger zun (龙虎尊) and a taotie-pattern zun. The find first pointed to a Shang bronze-age centre here; excavations from 2014 to 2017 at the Taijiasi site (台家寺遗址) uncovered a square moat, large buildings and bronze-casting remains, the first bronze-vessel casting confirmed outside the Shang capitals. The site became a national key protected site in October 2019; the Run River beside it keeps reed wetland.

Under the Qin the area belonged to Lushang County (鹿上县); in the Eastern Han it became Yuanlu (原鹿). A Funan County was first set up in November 1947, when the People's Liberation Army opened up southern Fuyang; it became the Funan office in February 1949 and Funan County again in 1950. Its seat is Lucheng (鹿城镇).

Food and local products

Huanggang willow weaving (黄岗柳编) uses osier willow grown here for about a thousand years, with a weaving tradition of more than 500 years; it is national intangible heritage and a national geographical-indication product, included in the China–EU geographical-indication agreement. Huilong chilli (会龙辣椒), large and thick-fleshed, comes in more than ten varieties and became a geographical-indication certification mark in 2014. At Caoji (曹集镇) on the Huai, river clams nicknamed "Huai River abalone" (淮河鲍鱼) are at their plumpest around the Qingming festival.

Highlights

• Wangjiaba sluice 王家坝闸: Built 1953 at the junction of the upper and middle Huai; opened 16 times to divert floodwater.
• Mengwa flood storage area 蒙洼蓄洪区: First flood-storage area in the Huai basin (1953), with 131 raised village platforms.
• Taijiasi site 台家寺遗址: Shang settlement with bronze-casting remains; national key protected site since 2019.
• Huanggang willow weaving 黄岗柳编: National intangible heritage and geographical-indication product.
• Huilong chilli 会龙辣椒: Geographical-indication certification mark since 2014.
• Caoji river clams 曹集蚬子: Huai River clams at their best around Qingming.