Linquan County 临泉县

Setting and landscape

Linquan lies in the heart of the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain (黄淮海平原), between East China and the Central Plains. The land is flat and slopes gently from northwest to southeast, rivers are dense, and the climate is warm-temperate, semi-humid and monsoonal. The Quan River network links the county by water to the Huai and the Yangtze. Since ancient times it has been described as "the crossroads of Liang, Song, Wu and Chu, the road of Qi, Lu, Bian and Luo" (梁宋吴楚之冲，齐鲁汴洛之道).

History

The area was known in antiquity as Shen (沈), and its sites include the remains of the Shenzi state (沈子国遗址) and the old Tongyang commandery (鲖阳古郡). Qin set up Pingyu County (平舆县) here in 221 BC, and the Sui created Shenqiu County (沈丘县) in 583. Under the Qing it was the western part of Fuyang County, with a police office at Shenqiuji (沈丘集), today's county town. In September 1934 the west of Fuyang County was split off as a new county, named Linquan, 'by the Quan', because its town stood on that river.

What to see

In the county town, the old street (老街), first called Shenqiu Street (沈丘街), runs east–west along Shunhe Street northwest of Chengguan subdistrict; it is about 3 metres wide and paved with stone slabs. A ginkgo at the old west town is about a thousand years old and more than 20 metres tall.

Linquan acrobatics (临泉杂技) entered the national intangible-heritage list in 2021. Excavated objects suggest more than 2,000 years of history. Early performers used farm tools, pots, bowls and knives as props, and each household formed its own troupe; after the reform era several towns, villages and households became professional, giving rise to the saying "for international acrobatics look to Wuqiao, for folk acrobatics look to Linquan". Traditional acts include handstands on horseback and fire-eating. Changguan Acrobatics Town (长官杂技小镇), themed on folk acrobatics, stages weekend shows of traditional acts; the county also has six acrobatics schools and an acrobatics museum.

Linquan's elbow-borne floats (肘阁抬阁) were listed as national heritage in 2008. In this float parade (抬阁) a single bearer holds up costumed child performers, whereas larger floats are carried by two or more people; tableaux show folk tales such as a son lying on ice to catch carp (卧冰求鲤), to gongs, drums, sheng, xiao and flute.

Getting oriented

Fuyang city is 30 kilometres to the east. The Zhengzhou–Fuyang high-speed railway stops at Linquan Station (临泉站), and the Fuxin Expressway (阜新高速) crosses the county from east to west.

Highlights

• Linquan acrobatics 临泉杂技: Household folk acrobatics troupes, on the national intangible-heritage list since 2021.
• Changguan Acrobatics Town 长官杂技小镇: Folk-acrobatics theme town with weekend shows of traditional acts.
• Elbow-borne floats 肘阁抬阁: Float parade in which one bearer holds up costumed child performers; national heritage since 2008.
• Old street 老街: Stone-paved street of about 3 metres, first called Shenqiu Street, in the county town.