Daming County 大名县

History

The county government calls Daming twice a national capital and seven times a secondary capital, at its height in the Song. Wang Mang (王莽), emperor of the Xin dynasty, was born here, and Di Renjie (狄仁杰), Kou Zhun (寇准) and Bao Zheng (包拯) served here as officials. Eighteen of the 120 chapters of the novel Water Margin (水浒传) mention Daming Prefecture.

What to see

The ruins of the Song-era Daming city lie 5 to 12 li north-east of the present town; four present-day villages stand on the sites of its east, south, west and north gates, and the outer wall ran 48 li. First built in 360 under the Former Yan, the city was destroyed in 1401 by floods on the Zhang (漳河) and Wei (卫河) rivers, which the county government says sealed its Song remains like an "eastern Pompeii". It became a national key protected site in 2006. The Ming–Qing Daming old city (大名古城) keeps well-preserved remains of its prefectural yamen, Confucian temple and academies.

The Daming Stone Carving Museum (大名县石刻博物馆) holds more than 200 carvings, including the Wuliji Stele (五礼记碑), which the county government calls China's largest ancient stele. It also lists the epitaph of He Hongjing (何弘敬), which it calls the largest Tang epitaph yet excavated. North of Kongzhuang village (孔庄村) stands the stele of Di Renjie's shrine, first set up in 698 and remade in 811; the shrine is gone.

Food and local products

Local shorthand for Daming's classic foods is "258" (二五八). Ermao roast chicken (二毛烧鸡), first made in 1809, is simmered for three to four hours or more in old stock with more than ten spices and herbs such as amomum, galangal, cinnamon and dried tangerine peel. Wubaiju sausage (五百居香肠), from 1821, takes its name from the roughly 500 li between Daming and its founder's home in Jinan; diced pork, six parts lean to four fat, is cased, air-dried and steamed. Guoba huoshao (郭八火烧), from 1895, is a flatbread of 25 to 30 paper-thin layers baked golden with repeated brushings of oil.

Daming small-mill sesame oil (大名小磨香油) gained geographical-indication status in 2014, and its making was placed on the national intangible heritage list in 2021.

Getting oriented

Shen (莘县) and Guan (冠县) counties of Shandong lie to the east and Nanle County (南乐县) in Henan to the south; Handan is about 70 km away. The Daguang Expressway (大广高速) and National Highway 106 run north–south, and the Handan–Jinan railway (邯济铁路) crosses east–west.

Highlights

• Daming Prefecture city ruins 大名府故城: Song-era city north-east of the present town, destroyed by flood in 1401; national key protected site since 2006.
• Daming old city 大名古城: Ming–Qing old city with well-preserved remains of its prefectural yamen, Confucian temple and academies.
• Daming Stone Carving Museum 大名县石刻博物馆: More than 200 carvings, including the Wuliji Stele, called by the county government China's largest ancient stele.
• Ermao roast chicken 二毛烧鸡: Chicken simmered for hours in old stock with herbs; the recipe dates from 1809.
• Daming small-mill sesame oil 大名小磨香油: Geographical indication since 2014; its making is on the national intangible heritage list (2021).