Jiexi County 揭西县

Setting and landscape

The county lies on the southern flank of Dabei Mountain (大北山), a spur of the Lianhua Mountains (莲花山), and the land falls from northwest to southeast. The county government counts 62 per cent of the area as mountain, 24 per cent as hills and 14 per cent as plain. A range more than 60 kilometres long runs across the northwest, with six peaks above 1,000 metres; the highest, Liwangzhang (李望嶂), reaches 1,222 metres. The southeastern plain lies below 20 metres. The Tropic of Cancer crosses the county, and the South River runs 71.7 kilometres through it.

Hakka is spoken in ten townships, including Hepo (河婆), Longtan (龙潭) and Jingxiyuan (京溪园), and Teochew in seven, including Mianhu (棉湖); in villages where the two meet, people speak both.

History

Stone tools from the Xia, Shang, Zhou and pre-Qin periods have been dug up at several sites, and graves and weapons of Qin-dynasty garrison soldiers were found at Chilingpu (赤岭埔). Most of the county's land was originally part of Jieyang; Jiexi County itself was created on 19 July 1965 from twelve communes and Mianhu town of Jieyang and two communes of Lufeng. Zhou Enlai led the Eastern Expedition army in the Battle of Mianhu (棉湖战役), and Dabei Mountain later served as a Red Army base area.

What to see

The Huangmanzhai Waterfalls (黄满寨瀑布群) at Cukeng village (粗坑村) in Jingxiyuan are a national 4A scenic area and provincial geopark. Five falls step down a forested gorge: the first, Feihong Falls (飞虹瀑布), is 82 metres wide and drops 56 metres, and often shows a rainbow on sunny mornings; the third, Luojiutian Falls (落九天瀑布), drops more than 120 metres. A folk village at the site houses a geopark museum.

The county government also points to the ancestral temple of the Three Mountain Kings (三山国王祖庙), Shiling Temple (石灵寺) at Qiankeng (钱坑), and Mianhu old town (棉湖古镇) with its Blacksmith Street (打铁街), Yongchang Temple (永昌古庙), Xingdao Academy (兴道书院) and the Guo family mansion (郭氏大楼). Jiexi has 55 protected heritage sites, seven of them at provincial level.

Food and local products

Both Hakka and Teochew cooking are found here. Hakka dishes named by the county include pork braised with preserved mustard greens (咸菜焖猪肉) and stuffed tofu (酿豆腐). Among some forty local snacks are Hakka pounded tea (客家擂茶), Nanshan filled rice cakes (南山包粄), Dayang bitter bamboo shoots (大洋苦笋), sugar-frosted taro (反沙芋头) and taro paste (芋泥).

Highlights

• Huangmanzhai Waterfalls 黄满寨瀑布群: National 4A scenic area and provincial geopark in Jingxiyuan with five tiers of falls, one of them dropping more than 120 metres.
• Mianhu old town 棉湖古镇: Blacksmith Street, Yongchang Temple, Xingdao Academy and the Guo family mansion; where Zhou Enlai led the Eastern Expedition army in the Battle of Mianhu.
• Ancestral temple of the Three Mountain Kings 三山国王祖庙: Its rites are on Guangdong's second intangible-heritage list.
• Hakka pounded tea 客家擂茶: One of the county's named local snacks; lei tea making is on the municipal heritage list.