Gangu County 甘谷县

History

In 688 BC Duke Wu of Qin crossed the Long Mountains, subdued the Ji Rong (冀戎) and made their land a county. The county cites the line recording this in the Records of the Grand Historian (史记) as the earliest record of a Chinese county; it marked 2,700 years as a county in 2012. The Maojiaping site (毛家坪遗址) at Pan'an (磐安), found by Pei Wenzhong (裴文中) in 1947 and excavated in 1956, 1982 and 1984, holds Qin-culture remains. The county counts the Shu Han general Jiang Wei (姜维), the Confucian disciple Shi Zuoshu (石作蜀) and the Qing scholar Gong Jianfeng (巩建丰) among its people.

What to see

Daxiang Mountain (大像山), 2.5 km west of the county town, is a national key heritage site and 4A scenic area, also called Wenqi Mountain (文旗山) for its banner shape. It has 22 caves and 15 timber buildings clinging to the cliffs, linked by plank walkways. Its centrepiece is the Great Buddha, 23.3 m high and 9.5 m across the shoulders, set in an arched niche 34 m tall; the county dates it to the Tang. The county also names the tomb of Jiang Wei and the Gong Jianfeng Memorial Hall (巩建丰纪念馆) among its best-known relics.

Gupo Grassland (古坡草原), a 3A scenic area in the southern mountains of Gupo (古坡) town 45 km from the county town, sits at an average elevation of 2,238 m where Gangu, Li and Wushan counties meet. Part of the western spurs of the Qinling, it forms the divide between the Yangtze and Yellow River basins, and its name is linked to the early Qin people raising horses here for the Zhou kings.

Food and local products

Gangu chillies (甘谷辣椒) have been grown for at least 400 years and appear in the 1627 Fuqiang county gazetteer (伏羌县志); the long, slender, glossy pods are thick-fleshed and fragrantly hot, and Pan'an thread chillies (磐安线椒) lead the local varieties. They are a national geographical-indication product, and Gangu scallions, Chinese cabbage and Sichuan pepper carry registered geographical-indication marks. Gangu hemp shoes (甘谷麻鞋), one design of which has red toe tassels recalling Jiang Wei's mother longing for her son, were added to Gansu's provincial intangible heritage list in 2017.

Getting oriented

The Longhai railway (陇海铁路), Lianyungang–Khorgas expressway (连霍高速) and national highway 310 cross the county; Tianshui airport and Tianshui South high-speed station are 70 km away.

Highlights

• Daxiang Mountain 大像山: Cliff-side caves and temples with a 23.3 m Great Buddha dated by the county to the Tang; national key heritage site and 4A scenic area.
• Gupo Grassland 古坡草原: High grassland averaging 2,238 m on the divide between the Yangtze and Yellow River basins.
• Maojiaping site 毛家坪遗址: Excavated site at Pan'an with Qin-culture remains, first found in 1947.
• Gangu chillies 甘谷辣椒: Grown for over 400 years; a national geographical-indication product.
• Gangu hemp shoes 甘谷麻鞋: Hand-made hemp shoes on Gansu's provincial intangible heritage list since 2017.