Get to know Zijin County
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- Administrative area
- County · 县
- Part of
- Heyuan
- Chinese name
- 紫金县
- Local areas
- County guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 3,627.00 km²
- Population · 2020 census
- 551,095
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
History
Before the county existed, its land was split between Guishan (归善) and Changle (长乐) counties. Under the Ming Jiajing emperor both were hit by repeated uprisings of farmers and miners, and a miners' revolt at Qingxi (青溪) lasted more than twenty years. After a fifth military campaign crushed the risings in 1566, the court created a new county in 1569 and named it Yong'an (永安), "forever at peace", with its walled seat at present-day Zicheng.
Fujian already had a Yong'an County, founded in 1452, so in 1914 the Guangdong county took the name Zijin from Zijin Mountain (紫金山) in its county town. It was transferred to Heyuan in 1988.
Huazhao opera and heritage
Zijin is an entirely Hakka-speaking county and the birthplace of Huazhao opera (花朝戏), a national intangible heritage item since 2006. It grew from "shenchao" (神朝) rites of the late Ming and early Qing, when epidemics spread through Zijin's hills and ritual masters sang and danced to call on the gods and ward off evil. In the Guangxu reign the ritual master Ye Chunlin (叶春林) added local stories and folk-song tunes, and his company is regarded as the county's first Huazhao troupe. The stage movements imitate daily work such as climbing slopes, wading, milling rice, spinning cotton and picking flowers. The county's Huazhao Opera Troupe became the official protection unit for the form in 2019.
Provincial protected sites include Dexian Hall (德先楼), a Qing building in Gaoxin village (高新村) of Nanling town (南岭镇); the former home of Deng Zuanxian (邓缵先故居); and the 1927 site of the Zijin County Soviet Government in Paozi village (炮子村), Suqu town (苏区镇).
Getting oriented
The county borders Wuhua (五华) to the east, Huidong (惠东) to the south, Luhe (陆河) and Haifeng (海丰) to the southeast, Huicheng (惠城区) in Huizhou to the southwest, and Yuancheng (源城区) and Dongyuan (东源县) to the northwest and north. The Jinan–Guangzhou and Guangzhou–Longchuan expressways cross it. Better-known natural sights include Wudun Mountain (武顿山), Tianzizhang peak (天字嶂), the Baixi Reservoir (白溪水库) and the Jiuhe hot springs (九和温泉).
Highlights
- Huazhao opera 花朝戏: National intangible heritage since 2006, grown from local exorcist rites and folk tunes.
- Dexian Hall 德先楼: Qing-dynasty building in Gaoxin village, Nanling town; provincial protected site.
- Zijin County Soviet Government site 紫金县苏维埃政府旧址: 1927 site in Paozi village, Suqu town; provincial protected site.
Sources for this guide
紫金概况 -紫金县人民政府门户网站 · Zijin County People's Government
花朝戏 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
紫金县各级文物保护单位列表 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
紫金县 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-23.
Explore Zijin County
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Zijin County 紫金县
Plan your visit
Getting there
Zijin County is about 50 km in a straight line from central Heyuan. Search for 紫金县 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →More in Heyuan
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 花朝戏 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 紫金县各级文物保护单位列表 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 紫金县 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.