Get to know Dangshan County
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- Administrative area
- County · 县
- Part of
- Suzhou
- Chinese name
- 砀山县
- Local areas
- County guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 1,193.00 km²
- Population · 2018
- 1,002,141
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
The abandoned Yellow River channel lies 10 to 20 km north of the county town, and its sandy riverside soils suit crisp pears. Close to a million mu of continuous orchards cover the county, recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's largest contiguous orchard area. The county government describes spring here as a sea of blossom and autumn as a season of fruit.
History
Under the Qin, Dang Commandery (砀郡) was one of the thirty-six commanderies. The name comes from Dang Mountain (砀山), south-east of the old Dang County and now part of Yongcheng (永城) in Henan; in 598, under the Sui, Anyang County was renamed Dangshan County. A new county town, today's town centre, was built from 1598 at Qinjiatang (秦家堂), 1 km west of the old town. Dangshan belonged to Jiangsu in the Republican period and was transferred to Anhui in 1955.
The county is the home town of Zhu Wen (朱温), the Liang ruler of the Five Dynasties period, and the ancestral home of the painter Qi Baishi (齐白石).
What to see
The county government lists the tomb of the Ming general Xue Xian (薛显墓), the Yanxi Terrace (宴嬉台) associated with Li Bai (李白), and a well-known mosque. In the orchards are the King of Pear Trees (梨树王), groups of century-old pear trees, an eco-tourism belt along the old Yellow River and a large crisp-pear orchard park. The county holds a Pear Blossom Festival and a Pear Picking Festival each year.
Food and local products
Dangshan is the original home of the Dangshan crisp pear, a Chinese geographical indication product. For breakfast, sha soup (𬲱汤) is made with shredded mutton and wheat kernels, seasoned with ginger, pepper, fennel, star anise, clove, Sichuan pepper and cinnamon. Charcoal-baked shaobing (木炭烧饼) and soy-milk porridge (豆浆粥) are the other local snacks, and date cake (枣糕) is also well known.
Getting oriented
Xuzhou (徐州) lies 70 km to the east and Shangqiu (商丘) 60 km to the west. The Longhai railway (陇海铁路) and National Highway 310 cross the county, and Dangshan South station (砀山南站) is on the Xuzhou–Lanzhou high-speed line.
Highlights
- Dangshan crisp pear 砀山酥梨: Geographical indication pear grown in the county's continuous orchards.
- Old Yellow River course 黄河故道: Abandoned river channel 10 to 20 km north of the county town, with sandy soils suited to pears.
- King of Pear Trees 梨树王: Named pear tree listed by the county among its natural sights, beside groups of century-old pear trees.
- Sha soup 𬲱汤: Breakfast soup of shredded mutton and wheat kernels with warm spices.
Sources for this guide
砀山概况_砀山县人民政府 · Dangshan County People's Government
砀山县 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-23.
Explore Dangshan County
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Dangshan County 砀山县
Plan your visit
Getting there
Dangshan County is about 105 km in a straight line from central Suzhou. Search for 砀山县 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →More in Suzhou
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 砀山县 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.