Xuancheng 宣城市

Setting and landscape

The land rises from plains in the north through hilly uplands to low mountains in the south, where the Huangshan range reaches in from the south-west and the Tianmu range from western Zhejiang. Qingliang Peak (清凉峰) rises to 1,787.2 m. The Qingyi (青弋江) and Shuiyang (水阳江) rivers flow north to the Yangtze, and Nanyi Lake (南漪湖), which the city calls southern Anhui's largest natural freshwater lake, drains into the Shuiyang. Jixi County (绩溪县) forms the divide between the Yangtze and Qiantang basins.

History

In 109 BC the Western Han made Wanling (宛陵), today's Xuanzhou District (宣州区), the seat of Danyang Commandery; the Jin created Xuancheng Commandery in 281, and in 1166 the Southern Song renamed Xuanzhou as Ningguo Prefecture (宁国府). The city government ranks Tang-dynasty Xuanzhou with Suzhou and Hangzhou among the three leading cities of Jiangnan, and says Li Bai came here seven times and left more than 80 poems; it calls Jingting Mountain (敬亭山) Jiangnan's foremost 'poetry mountain'. From 1938 to 1941 the New Fourth Army had its headquarters at Yunling (云岭) in Jing County (泾县).

What to see

The Yunling headquarters site, in the first batch of national key protected sites and a AAAA scenic area, keeps 12 sites, including the army command and the Communist Party's Southeast Bureau, in Hui-style buildings of the Ming, Qing and early Republic. Longchuan (龙川), a AAAAA scenic area 11 km east of the Jixi county town, is a national historic village of old houses along a water street; its Hu Family Ancestral Hall (胡氏宗祠), famed for woodcarving, and the Ming stone Yishi Shangshu Archway (奕世尚书坊) are national key protected sites. Taiji Cave (太极洞) in Guangde (广德) is a national key scenic area.

Food and local products

Xuan paper is made in Jing County from qingtan (青檀) bark mixed with rice-straw pulp in more than 140 steps; the craft entered the first national intangible heritage list in 2006 and is on UNESCO's intangible heritage list. Jixi's Hu family one-pot (胡氏一品锅), which Hu Shih (胡适) served to guests, is built in layers, usually four and up to six or seven with chicken and fish, with stock added again and again as it braises. Local products include Ningguo (宁国) hickory nuts, Shuidong (水东) candied dates and Jingting Lüxue (敬亭绿雪) green tea.

Getting oriented

The government sits in Xuanzhou District. The Hefei–Fuzhou, Shangqiu–Hefei–Hangzhou, Hangzhou–Huangshan and Xuancheng–Jixi high-speed railways serve the city, and Wuhu Xuanzhou Airport is about 21 km away.

Highlights

• Longchuan 龙川: National historic village 11 km east of the Jixi county town, with the Hu Family Ancestral Hall.
• New Fourth Army Headquarters Site, Yunling 云岭新四军军部旧址: Headquarters of 1938–1941 in Jing County, preserved in Hui-style buildings; a first-batch national key protected site.
• Jingting Mountain 敬亭山: The city government calls it Jiangnan's foremost 'poetry mountain'.
• Xuan paper 宣纸: Hand-made paper of qingtan bark and rice straw from Jing County; on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.
• Jixi Hu family one-pot 绩溪一品锅: Layered braise of vegetables and meats that Hu Shih served to guests.