Luyang District 庐阳区

What to see

Xiaoyaojin (逍遥津), in the northeast corner of the old city, is a park of about 200,000 square metres on what was once a ford on the Fei River (淝水). It is known as a Three Kingdoms battlefield: here, by tradition, Zhang Liao (张辽), a general of Cao Cao (曹操), routed Sun Quan (孙权), a story retold in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. A mound on one of the islands in the lake is said to be Zhang Liao's cenotaph. The ford was brought inside the city walls when Hefei grew in the Qiandao era of the Song.

Mingjiao Temple (明教寺) on Huaihe Road (淮河路) stands on a raised terrace, the Crossbow Training Platform (教弩台), where Cao Cao drilled troops against the Wu navy; locals still call it Cao Cao's Review Platform. Emperor Wu of Liang built an Iron Buddha Temple on it, it took the name Mingjiao under the Ming, and it was rebuilt in 1885. It is one of the national key Buddhist temples in Han Chinese areas.

Also on Huaihe Road, at No. 208, the former residence of Li Hongzhang (李鸿章故居) is part of the late-Qing statesman's family house, built in the Jianghuai style of the period. Its halls hold exhibitions on his life and calligraphy, and the "young ladies' building" is furnished with Qing furniture. It became a national key cultural relic site in 2013 under the name Li Family Old Residence.

The Luzhou Prefecture City God Temple (庐州府城隍庙) on Huoqiu Road (霍邱路) was founded in 1051, burned in the Taiping war in 1854 and rebuilt between 1871 and 1879. Its gate, opera stage and main hall line up along one axis; it now serves as the Hefei Culture Centre, with a market built around it since the 1980s.

History

The district grew out of the First and Second districts set up when the Hefei People's Government was founded in February 1949. It was later called Dongshi (东市区), then Nanshi (南市区) and Zhongshi (中市区), and took the name Luyang in February 2002, when Sanshigang (三十岗乡), Xinghuacun (杏花村镇) and Dayang (大杨镇) were moved in from the suburbs.

Getting oriented

Metro Line 5 runs through the district, stopping at Xinghua Park (杏花公园) and Sanxiaokou (三孝口); Line 3 stops at Xinghuacun (杏花村).

Highlights

• Xiaoyaojin Park 逍遥津: Old-city park on the site of the Three Kingdoms battle where Zhang Liao routed Sun Quan.
• Mingjiao Temple 明教寺: Temple on Cao Cao's Crossbow Training Platform, rebuilt in 1885.
• Former Residence of Li Hongzhang 李鸿章故居: Late-Qing family house on Huaihe Road; national key cultural relic site since 2013.
• Luzhou Prefecture City God Temple 庐州府城隍庙: Founded in 1051 and rebuilt in 1871–1879; now the Hefei Culture Centre.