Xingning 兴宁市

Setting and landscape

The city seat, Xingcheng (兴城), stands on the Ningjiang River (宁江) in the centre of the 302-square-kilometre Ningjiang basin (宁江盆地). The Ningjiang, once called Zuobie Creek (左别溪), runs 107 km from Xunwu (寻乌) in Jiangxi through the whole city to Shuikou (水口), where it joins the Mei River (梅江); it is the Mei's largest tributary. Only Luofu town (罗浮镇) in the north drains to the Dong River. The highest point, according to the city government, is Yangtianzhang (阳天嶂), at 1,017 m.

History

Xingning was split from ancient Longchuan (龙川) in 331, under the Eastern Jin, and took its name from the Xingning River, today's Wuhua River (五华河). Its first seat was at Leigongdun (雷公墩), in what is now Huacheng in Wuhua County, and in 1071 its south-western part became Changle County, the later Wuhua. The seat moved to the site of present-day Xingcheng in 1369. Pingyuan County (平远县) was merged into Xingning in 1958 and separated again in 1961, and Xingning became a county-level city on 8 June 1994.

Almost all residents are Hakka. The lantern-viewing custom (赏灯) of the first lunar month, held from the 9th to the 16th day, is common only in Xingning and parts of Wuhua; it celebrates both lanterns and the birth of sons, since in the local speech "lantern" sounds like the word for a male heir.

What to see

Shenguang Mountain (神光山), about 3 km from Xingcheng, is a national 4A scenic area and national forest park, with Shenguang Temple (神光寺) and Mochi Temple (墨池寺). In Xingcheng, the Xingning Confucian school (兴宁学宫), a provincial protected site inside the Xingmin Middle School campus, keeps its Dacheng Hall with 16 granite columns. The old city wall, mostly built in the Chenghua reign of the Ming, became a provincial protected site in 2012. The Chaozhou Guild Hall (潮州会馆) on Hebei Street is built in Chaozhou style, and the Yenan hot spring (叶南温泉) at Tanghu village, Yetang town (叶塘镇), reaches 82 °C.

Getting oriented

Xingcheng is 57 km from Meizhou, 185 km from Shantou and 377 km from Guangzhou, and the city government describes it as an overland hub for Guangdong, Jiangxi and Fujian. The Guangzhou–Meizhou–Shantou railway and the Meizhou–Longchuan high-speed railway both cross the city. Local products include qilan tea (奇兰茶) and oil-tea camellia; in 2009 the China Economic Forest Association named Xingning a "home of oil-tea camellia".

Highlights

• Shenguang Mountain 神光山: National 4A scenic area and forest park about 3 km from Xingcheng, with Shenguang and Mochi temples.
• Xingning Confucian School 兴宁学宫: Provincial protected site in Xingcheng; Dacheng Hall has 16 granite columns.
• Xingning old city wall 兴宁古城墙: Mostly Ming Chenghua-era; provincial protected site since 2012.
• Lantern viewing 赏灯: First-month custom found only in Xingning and parts of Wuhua, marking the birth of sons.