Xiao County 萧县

History

Known in antiquity as Fuyang (扶阳), the area was the fief of the state of Xiao (萧国) in the Spring and Autumn period. From the Qin onward it was attached to Xuzhou, under the Qing to Xuzhou prefecture of Jiangsu, and in the 1950s it moved from Jiangsu to Anhui. Its reputation as a "home of calligraphy and painting" (书画之乡) rests on painters such as Xiao Longshi (萧龙士) and Zhu Dequn (朱德群).

The Huaihai Campaign (淮海战役) site at Caiwa (蔡洼), now a national key heritage site, was once the headquarters of the East China Field Army. It keeps the campaign's General Front Committee meeting place, and the only photograph of all five committee members, including Deng Xiaoping and Chen Yi, was taken here.

What to see

Huangcangyu National Forest Park (皇藏峪国家森林公园), a 4A scenic area in the Longgang Mountains (龙岗山) southeast of the county town, takes its name ("the valley where the emperor hid") from a line in the History of Han saying that Liu Bang, the future founder of the Han, sheltered on this mountain before his rise. Its 72 named spots include Huangcang Cave (皇藏洞), Sanxian Cave (三仙洞), Bajian Spring (拔剑泉) and Ruiyun Temple (瑞云寺).

The Xiao kiln site (萧窑遗址) at Baitu (白土镇) is a provincial protected site. Founded in the Sui and Tang, the Baitu kiln is grouped with the Fanchang (繁昌窑) and Shouzhou (寿州窑) kilns as one of Anhui's three famous old kilns, and made mostly white-glazed wares with some black glaze.

Food and local products

Xiao County mutton soup (萧县羊肉汤) has a milky, rich broth without a strong mutton smell and has been known for more than 300 years; a local saying holds that there is no banquet without mutton. Xiao County mianpi (萧县面皮) are wheat-batter sheets steamed in a tray, then dressed with chilli oil, shredded cucumber, sweet preserved mustard tuber, gluten rolls and mung-bean sprouts, and served rolled or cut.

Grapes have grown here for over 1,000 years and appear in the 1540 county gazetteer; Xiao County grapes became a national geographical-indication product in 2014, and local wine is made from Cabernet Sauvignon. Fish-drum ballads (渔鼓道情), sung and spoken stories accompanied by a tapped fish drum (渔鼓), are the oldest ballad form in the county and joined the national intangible-heritage list in 2011.

Getting oriented

The Longhai railway (陇海铁路) stops at Huangkou, the Xuzhou–Lanzhou high-speed line at Xiaoxian North, and highways G311 and G237 cross the county.

Highlights

• Huangcangyu National Forest Park 皇藏峪国家森林公园: 4A area named for Liu Bang hiding on the mountain; 72 named spots including Huangcang Cave.
• Caiwa Huaihai Campaign site 蔡洼淮海战役红色旅游景区: East China Field Army headquarters and General Front Committee meeting site.
• Xiao kiln site 萧窑遗址: Sui–Tang kiln at Baitu, one of Anhui's three famous old kilns.
• Xiao County mutton soup 萧县羊肉汤: Milky broth without a strong mutton smell, known for over 300 years.
• Fish-drum ballads 渔鼓道情: Oldest ballad form in the county; national intangible heritage since 2011.