Rongcheng District 榕城区

History

Jieyang County was established here in 1140, under the Southern Song, and the town has long been the political and cultural centre of Jieyang. Rongcheng District was created in December 1991. It is one of Guangdong's first provincial historic and cultural cities, and in March 2021 four areas, West Road (西马路), Zhongshan Road (中山路), Shiguli (石鼓里) and the eastern part of Dongmen Zhijie (东门直街), became provincial historic blocks.

What to see

The Jieyang Confucian Temple (揭阳学宫), founded in 1140, was the county's official school and its temple to Confucius. Its 21 buildings, laid out on an axis facing southwest, include the Lingxing Gate (棂星门), the Pan pool (泮池) and its bridge, Dacheng Hall (大成殿) and the Chongsheng Shrine (崇圣祠), where Zhou Enlai stayed and worked three times during the Great Revolution (大革命). It became a national protected site in May 2013.

Jinxian Gate (进贤门), added in 1621 between the old north and east gates, was the only gate kept when the city walls came down in the 1940s. A stone gateway carries a three-storey pavilion tower, and families still bring students about to sit the university entrance exam to walk through it. The Gurong Martial Temple (古榕武庙), a Guandi temple of 1558 outside the old north gate, is known for its carved wood, including an octagonal coffered ceiling in the entrance hall, and a plaque granted by Empress Dowager Cixi and the Guangxu Emperor. The Ding family Guanglu ancestral hall (丁氏光禄公祠) and the Jieyang City God Temple (揭阳城隍庙) are also national protected sites.

Food

Pingpong kueh (乒乓粿) is a Jieyang snack developed from cudweed kueh (鼠曲粿). Its filling is based on unhusked glutinous rice roasted in a sealed iron can until the grains pop, then husked and ground; the popping noise and the local word for the filling both sound like "pingpong". The powder is mixed with sugar, sesame, peanuts and candied orange, wrapped in a glutinous-rice skin and steamed on bean-curd skin. It is eaten hot or cold, or dipped in egg and fried.

Getting oriented

Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport and the airport station of the Meizhou–Shantou high-speed railway are in the district, which borders Shantou and Chaozhou directly. The Guangzhou–Meizhou–Shantou railway and national highway G206 cross it, and Jieyang Bridge (揭阳大桥) opened on 9 February 2021.

Highlights

• Jieyang Confucian Temple 揭阳学宫: Founded 1140; 21 buildings; national protected site since 2013; Zhou Enlai stayed in its Chongsheng Shrine.
• Jinxian Gate 进贤门: 1621 gate tower, the only city gate kept after the walls were pulled down in the 1940s; Guangdong protected site since 2015.
• Gurong Martial Temple 古榕武庙: Guandi temple of 1558 known for its woodcarving and octagonal coffered ceiling; national protected site.
• Pingpong kueh 乒乓粿: Glutinous-rice dumpling filled with popped-rice powder, sesame and peanuts, steamed or fried in egg.