Tong'an District 同安区

Setting and landscape

Tong'an borders Xiang'an District (翔安区) to the east, Changtai District (长泰区) of Zhangzhou (漳州) to the west, Anxi County (安溪县) and Nan'an (南安) of Quanzhou (泉州) to the north and Jimei District (集美区) to the south-west, with the sea to the south-east. The land falls from middle and low mountains in the north and north-west through low hills in the middle to plains, and 24 peaks rise above 800 m. Streams from all sides gather into the East and West streams (东溪, 西溪), which meet at Shuangxikou (双溪口) in the town and flow on to Dongzui Harbour (东咀港). The district describes its climate as south-subtropical maritime monsoon, with short winters and long summers.

History

A Tong'an County was created in 282 but abolished the same year. Its real forerunner was Datong Chang (大同场), set up in 803, which became a county in 933, taking in what later became Xiamen, Kinmen (金门) and part of Longhai (龙海). Maxiang sub-prefecture (马巷厅) was carved out in 1775, and in 1914 Xiamen Island and Kinmen were split off as Siming County (思明县). Tong'an became a district of Xiamen in 1997, and in 2003 its eastern towns were split off to form Xiang'an District.

What to see

Tong'an Confucian Temple (同安孔庙), on Nanmen Street in Datong Subdistrict (大同街道), dates from the Five Dynasties. It moved to its present site in 1140, was enlarged in 1153 under the philosopher Zhu Xi (朱熹), and its Dacheng Hall was rebuilt in 1767. It has housed the Tong'an Museum since 1989 and is a Fujian provincial protected site, with the Sugong (苏公祠) and Lingong (林公祠) shrines on its south-west side. The Northern Song scholar Su Song (苏颂) came from Hulu Hill (葫芦山) in Tong'an; in 1088 he led the re-creation of the water-powered astronomical clock tower (水运仪象台). His former residence, Lushan Hall (芦山堂), stands on the south side of Hulu Hill.

Other sights listed for the district include Beichen Mountain (北辰山), Lianhua National Forest Park (莲花国家森林公园), Tong'an Film and Television City (同安影视城) and Fantian Temple (梵天寺).

Food and local culture

Local specialities include Tong'an fengrou (同安封肉), zhazao (炸枣), juhong cake (桔红糕), gongtang (贡糖) sweets and horse-hoof pastry (马蹄酥). The Tong'an dialect of Minnan is spoken here, and the tones of the Xiamen and common Taiwanese accents largely follow it. The cult of Baosheng Dadi (保生大帝) spread with Tong'an emigrants to Taiwan and South-East Asia.

Highlights

• Tong'an Confucian Temple 同安孔庙: Temple on its present site since 1140, enlarged under Zhu Xi in 1153; home of the Tong'an Museum since 1989.
• Lushan Hall 芦山堂: Former residence of the Northern Song scholar Su Song, on the south side of Hulu Hill in Tong'an.
• Tong'an fengrou 同安封肉: Listed among Tong'an's local specialities.