She County 歙县

Setting and landscape

Mountains ring the county: the Huangshan range to the north, the Tianmu Mountains (天目山) to the east and the Baiji Mountains (白际山) to the south-east, with the Huizhou basin in the middle. The highest point is Qingliang Peak (清凉峰) in the Tianmu range, at 1,787 metres. All of the county drains to the Xin'an River (新安江), through tributaries such as the Lian River (练江); below Shendu (深渡镇) the Xin'an is navigable all the way to Qiandaohu town (千岛湖镇) in Chun'an (淳安), Zhejiang.

History

She was set up as a county under the Qin. After the Sui conquered the Chen it became the seat of Shezhou (歙州), which the Northern Song renamed Huizhou after putting down the Fang La (方腊) rebellion; from the Sui onward it was the political, economic and cultural centre of the Huizhou region. It was named a national historic and cultural city in 1986. In 1988 its western part was split off to form Huizhou District (徽州区).

What to see

Two hills cut the Huizhou Ancient City (徽州古城) in two: the old She county town to the east, half-moon shaped among hills, and the prefectural city to the west, facing the Lian River. The Ming walls survive only as a few gate towers and stretches of wall. Twenty-two national protected sites lie in the county, including the Xu Guo stone arch (许国石坊) in Huicheng.

Yuliang Dam (渔梁坝), about one kilometre south of the town, crosses the Lian River. First built under the Tang and rebuilt in 1605, it is about 140 metres long, made of blue stone blocks locked together with stone pins; Huizhou merchants set sail from here for Zhejiang and Jiangsu. The cobbled Yuliang Street runs from its northern end. At Tangyue (棠樾村) in Zhengcun (郑村镇), seven Ming and Qing memorial arches honour members of the Bao (鲍) clan, among them the 1820 arch for the Lianghuai salt merchant Bao Shufang (鲍漱芳) and his son Bao Jun (鲍均), who gave large sums for army supplies and famine relief.

Food and local products

She County is a main producer of Hui ink (徽墨) and She inkstones (歙砚), whose making techniques entered the national intangible-heritage list in 2006. She inkstones are carved from stones grouped by grain into five classes and more than a hundred varieties. The county is also one of the main growing areas of Huangshan Maofeng tea (黄山毛峰) and Huizhou tribute chrysanthemum (徽州贡菊).

Highlights

• Huizhou Ancient City 徽州古城: The county town, formerly the Huizhou prefectural city, with Ming gate towers and wall sections.
• Yuliang Dam 渔梁坝: Tang-founded dam on the Lian River rebuilt in 1605; a national protected site since 2001.
• Tangyue memorial arches 棠樾牌坊群: Seven Ming and Qing arches of the Bao clan; a national protected site since 1996.
• She inkstone 歙砚: Inkstone carving technique on the national intangible-heritage list since 2006.