Puning 普宁市

History

Puning became a county in 1563, under the Ming Jiajing emperor; its county office was first housed temporarily in a private house at Guiyu (贵屿) in Chaoyang, and the seat moved to Hongyang (洪阳) in 1586. The county government set up on 1 July 1949 made Liusha (流沙) the new county town, and Puning became a city on 6 April 1993. Hongyang is on the fourth national list of historic and cultural towns, and Xinan village (溪南村) in Meitang (梅塘) is a listed traditional village.

What to see

De'anli (德安里), a national 3A scenic area, is the old family village of Fang Yao (方耀), commander of the Guangdong navy in the late Qing, built between 1871 and 1890. It has old, middle and new sections. In the old section 100 buildings surround the main ancestral hall in a "hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix" (百鸟朝凰) layout; the middle and new sections follow the "four horses pulling a carriage" (驷马拖车) plan. The old hall now holds a museum and the middle section an art gallery.

In Liusha, a church built in 1890 east of the Xinhe (新河) is where Zhou Enlai chaired the command meeting of the Nanchang Uprising forces on 3 October 1927, with He Long, Ye Ting, Liu Bocheng and Guo Moruo among those present. The meeting decided to raise the soviet banner and withdraw the troops to Hailufeng (海陆丰). The building has been a Guangdong protected site since 1979.

Food, crafts and local products

The city government calls Hongyang guozhi (洪阳粿汁) one of Puning's best-known snacks: pieces of rice sheet, chewy yet crisp, served in a savoury soup with plenty of toppings. Puning is named China's home of green plums (青梅), and Puning green plums and Puning jiaogan mandarins (蕉柑) are protected geographical-indication products; yougan, the Indian gooseberry (油柑), and olives are also grown. Two Puning traditions are on the national intangible-heritage list, the Yingge dance (英歌) and inlaid porcelain decoration (嵌瓷), and Puning bean paste (普宁豆酱) making is on the provincial list.

Getting oriented

Puning borders Chaonan District (潮南区) of Shantou to the east, Huilai County (惠来县) to the south, Lufeng (陆丰) and Luhe (陆河) of Shanwei to the southwest, Jiexi County (揭西县) to the northwest and Rongcheng District (榕城区) to the northeast. Puning Station on the Xiamen–Shenzhen high-speed railway lies in the south of the city, and four expressways pass through, including the Jieyang–Huilai and Shantou–Zhanjiang lines.

Highlights

• De'anli 德安里: Late-Qing compound of naval commander Fang Yao, with a 100-building layout around the ancestral hall; national 3A scenic area.
• Liusha command meeting site of the Nanchang Uprising forces “八一”南昌起义南下部队指挥部军事决策会议旧址: 1890 church where Zhou Enlai chaired the meeting of 3 October 1927; Guangdong protected site since 1979.
• Hongyang guozhi 洪阳粿汁: Rice-sheet pieces in savoury soup, described by the city as one of its best-known snacks.
• Puning Yingge dance 普宁英歌: National intangible heritage.
• Puning green plums 普宁青梅: Protected geographical-indication product.