Qingcheng District 清城区

Setting and landscape

The Bei River enters the district in the northeast and leaves at its southwest tip, a 66.5-kilometre stretch from Feilaixia town (飞来峡镇) to Shijiao town (石角镇). The southeast is higher and hilly; the west is lower, mostly plain and low hills, with river plains of varying width along the south bank of the lower Bei. Hills and terraces each cover roughly half the district. The Dayan River (大燕河), an important flood-diversion channel of the Bei, runs its whole 44-kilometre course inside Qingcheng. The district government lists Danxia landforms, gorge rafting and geothermal hot springs among its natural attractions.

History

The district was once part of Qingyuan County. A county was first set up here in 111 BC as Zhongsu County (中宿县), named after the Zhongsu Gorge (中宿峡) within it, and the name Qingyuan County dates from 590 under the Sui. On 7 January 1988 the State Council replaced the county with Qingyuan City, splitting it into Qingcheng and Qingjiao (清郊, today's Qingxin District). Feilaixia town was transferred from Qingxin to Qingcheng in 2009. The district's other name is Fengcheng (凤城).

What to see

Of 260 recorded heritage sites, three are protected at provincial level: the Qingyuan stone inscriptions (清远石刻), Cangxia Cave (藏霞古洞) and Feixia Cave (飞霞洞). The district also claims a Taoist 'nineteenth blessed land'. Four of its 54 intangible heritage items are on the provincial list. The Qingyuan 'prosperous dragon' (清远旺龙) was brought by Hakka settlers from Jiaying (嘉应, today's Meizhou) and Xinfeng (新丰) during the Qianlong reign, and is staged at clan and temple celebrations every three, five or ten years. In the Baimiao Tanka dragon parade (白庙疍家游龙), boat people at the Dragon Boat Festival cruise the edge of the race course but never race. The Longtang pottery-vat firing craft (龙塘陶缸烧制技艺) has five stages from preparing the clay to unloading the kiln, and the district calls the Banchong Liyutou pottery works (办冲鲤鱼头陶器厂) the only works in Guangdong still firing large vats this way.

Food and local products

Qingyuan speckled chicken (清远麻鸡) hens are known by 'three yellows, two thins, one speckle': yellow beak, feet and skin, a small head and fine legs, and speckled feathers. The Qingyuan black-maned goose (清远乌鬃鹅), given its name in 1977, entered the national poultry breed register in 1980. In Longtang (龙塘), fish jelly (鱼冻) is bream fried golden, braised with salt, garlic, pepper and vinegar and eaten once fully cold; its cooking method is on the district intangible heritage list.

Highlights

• Feixia Cave 飞霞洞: Provincially protected site in Qingcheng.
• Longtang pottery-vat firing craft 龙塘陶缸烧制技艺: Provincial intangible heritage; one works in Longtang still fires large vats the traditional way.
• Qingyuan black-maned goose 清远乌鬃鹅: Local goose breed named in 1977 and listed in the national poultry breed register in 1980.
• Fish jelly 鱼冻: Longtang dish of fried bream braised with garlic, pepper and vinegar and served cold.