Li County 礼县

Setting and landscape

The land falls from northwest to southeast, from 3,312 metres to 1,080 metres. Mountains with steep slopes and deep valleys cover 91 per cent of the county; the flat valley land lies along the Xihan River at Yanguan (盐官), Yongxing (永兴), Chengguan (城关) and Shiqiao (石桥). The county government describes a temperate continental monsoon climate with long, cold, dry winters and short, hot, wet summers, an average temperature of 9.9°C and 488.2 mm of rain a year.

History

Researchers from Lanzhou University date widespread farming here to about 6,400 years ago, in the Banpo phase of the Yangshao culture. In ancient times the area was part of Xichui (西垂), "the Western March", which the Ying family continued to control under the Zhou. After the Rong massacred the clan of Cheng at Xichui, Zhuang of Qin won it back and moved the family capital there, founding the city of Quanqiu (犬丘); After Zhuang's death his son Xiang moved the capital to Qian (汧), in today's Long County (陇县) in Shaanxi, in 776 BC.

Under the Tang the area was called Changdao (长道) and belonged to Qinzhou (秦州). Li County itself was created in 1473, in the Ming dynasty. Qishan town (祁山镇) is where Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮) mounted the northern campaigns remembered as the "six sorties from Qishan" (六出祁山). The loess here is prone to erosion and landslides, and the county has recorded 25 earthquakes of magnitude 5.0 or more, the largest on 21 July 1654.

Food and local products

Li County is known in China as a home of rhubarb, and writings from the Qianlong era say it has been grown here for thousands of years. Lixian rhubarb (礼县大黄), Lixian hot mianpi (礼县热面皮, "hot noodle sheets") and Lixian apples (礼县苹果) are Chinese geographical-indication products, and Huaniu (花牛) apples are a speciality of the area. Walnuts and peppers are also grown.

Getting oriented

The county borders Tianshui's Qinzhou District (秦州区) and Xihe County (西和县) to the east, Tanchang (宕昌) and Min County (岷县) to the west, Wudu District (武都区) to the south, and Wushan (武山) and Gangu (甘谷) counties to the north. The county government gives distances of 345 km to the provincial capital Lanzhou (兰州), 97 km to Tianshui (天水) and 250.5 km to Wudu, the seat of Longnan.

Highlights

• Qishan town 祁山镇: Site of Zhuge Liang's "six sorties from Qishan".
• Lixian rhubarb 礼县大黄: Geographical-indication rhubarb, grown here for thousands of years according to Qianlong-era writings.
• Lixian hot mianpi 礼县热面皮: Local snack registered as a geographical-indication product.