Rong'an County 融安县

Setting and landscape

Rong'an borders Yongfu (永福) and Lingui (临桂) to the east, Liucheng (柳城) and Luzhai (鹿寨) to the south, Rongshui (融水) to the west, and Sanjiang (三江) and Longsheng (龙胜) to the north. The county seat, Chang'an Town (长安镇), lies at the centre of the area where Hunan, Guangxi and Guizhou meet and grew as a market town; the county government lists it among the "four famous towns" of modern Guangxi and says it was nicknamed "Little Liuzhou" (小柳州).

History

The county history office starts the record in 111 BC, when the area belonged to Tanzhong County (潭中县) of Yulin Commandery (郁林郡). A county of its own, Qixi (齐熙县), was first set up under the Southern Qi, and the name Rongshui County (融水县) dates from 623. In 1377 the area became Rong County (融县) under Liuzhou prefecture. The county government moved from Rongle (融乐镇) to Chang'an on 21 July 1951, the county took the name Rong'an on 2 September 1952, and it came under Liuzhou city in 2002.

What to see

The arcade street (骑楼街) in the Hexi part of Chang'an runs for about 1.5 km; the county government counts it among the largest and best-preserved arcade streets in Guangxi, a century-old record of the town's trade.

The Red Seventh Army Battle of Chang'an Memorial (红七军战长安纪念馆) stands at the foot of Xishan (西山) in Chang'an. On 5 December 1930 Deng Xiaoping, Zhang Yunyi and Li Mingrui led the Red Seventh Army against the Nationalist garrison here; after three days of fighting the army withdrew on 7 December and marched north into Hunan. The site includes the Shengshan Temple (圣山庙), used as the forward command post, and a banyan more than 200 years old where Deng is said to have tied his horse.

Lucizhou (鹭鹚洲), 10 km from the county seat in Fushi Town (浮石镇), is a 1.2 square km island in the Rong River planted with ponkan, kumquat and Shatian pomelo orchards and known locally as "fruit island".

Food and local products

Rong'an kumquat (融安金桔) is a national geographical-indication product, and the farm economy rests on kumquat, fragrant fir and moso bamboo. The county portal counts Rong'an strained rice noodles (融安滤粉) among the best-known local dishes: soaked old rice is ground to a thick batter and pushed through a small strainer into boiling water, and the noodles are lifted out when they float. They are served with roast pork (烧炙), spring onion, pickled mustard (头菜) and a house brine, with pork-bone broth ladled over.

Highlights

• Chang'an arcade street 长安骑楼街: About 1.5 km of Lingnan-style arcade buildings in the Hexi part of the county seat.
• Red Seventh Army Battle of Chang'an Memorial 红七军战长安纪念馆: Museum on the December 1930 attack on Chang'an led by Deng Xiaoping, Zhang Yunyi and Li Mingrui.
• Lucizhou 鹭鹚洲: Orchard island in the Rong River in Fushi Town.
• Rong'an strained rice noodles 融安滤粉: Rice batter strained into boiling water and served with roast pork and brine.