Chun'an County 淳安县

Setting and landscape

Wikipedia describes Chun'an as the largest county in Zhejiang by area. Mountains ring the county and hills fill the middle, giving it a shallow basin shape; the main ranges are the Baiji (白际山), Qianligang (千里岗) and Yuling (昱岭) mountains. The highest point is Moxinjian (磨心尖), at 1,523 metres, the main peak of the Qianligang range. The Xin'an River runs for 68 kilometres through the county.

History

In 208 the Wu general He Qi (贺齐) created the counties of Shixin (始新) and Xinding (新定) here and became governor of the new Xindu Commandery (新都郡); the next year he built the walled town of Hecheng (贺城) as its seat. Xinding became Sui'an (遂安) in 280. After the rising of Fang La (方腊), a local man, was put down, the Song renamed Qingxi (青溪) county Chunhua (淳化) in 1121; in 1131 it became Chun'an. When the Xin'an River hydropower station was built, Chun'an and Sui'an were merged in 1958 and the county seat moved to Pailing (排岭), today's Qiandaohu town. The river was dammed in September 1959, and the old seats of Hecheng and Shicheng (狮城), with 27 other towns and townships and 1,377 villages, went under the reservoir.

Two local performing traditions are on the national intangible heritage list. Chun'an bamboo-horse dancing (淳安竹马), which records date to the Southern Song, is danced by five performers with bamboo horses tied at the waist, each horse a different colour. Chun'an three-role opera (淳安三角戏), formed in the late Qing from tea-picking opera and the bamboo-horse troupes, is sung in the Chun'an dialect and was renamed Mu opera (睦剧) in 1951.

What to see

Qiandao Lake, whose name means "Thousand Island Lake", covers 567.40 square kilometres across Chun'an and neighbouring Jiande (建德). At a water level of 108 metres, 1,078 islands of more than 2,500 square metres rise from it, all hilltops left above the flood. The State Council listed the reservoir among the first national scenic areas in 1982, and the name Qiandao Lake was approved in 1984.

Qinchuan village (芹川村) in Langchuan (浪川乡) township was named a Chinese historical and cultural village in 2014. At its centre stands the Wang family ancestral hall (芹川王氏宗祠), also called Guangyu Hall (光裕堂), first built in the Ming.

Food and local products

Qiandao Lake fish (千岛湖鱼) is a Chinese geographical indication product. The lake holds 74 kinds of fish, and since 2000 silver and bighead carp have been released into it to help keep the water clean.

Highlights

• Qiandao Lake 千岛湖: Reservoir formed in 1959; 1,078 islands over 2,500 square metres; national scenic area since 1982.
• Qinchuan village 芹川村: Chinese historical and cultural village since 2014.
• Wang family ancestral hall, Qinchuan 芹川王氏宗祠: Ming-dynasty hall, also called Guangyu Hall, with gate, sacrificial hall and rear hall in sequence.
• Qiandao Lake fish 千岛湖鱼: Chinese geographical indication product.