Lingshan County 灵山县

Setting and landscape

The county counts 683 rivers. The main stem of the Qin River (钦江) rises here and runs 93 kilometres within the county. The Pinglu Canal (平陆运河), under construction, crosses about 36.5 kilometres of the county through Shaping, Jiuzhou and Luwu towns. The climate is south subtropical monsoon: long summers, warm winters, and typhoons and rainstorms in summer.

History

Nanbin County (南宾县) was renamed Lingshan in 636 under the Tang, according to the New Book of Tang (another account gives 742). The name comes from a group of six rock peaks just west of the old seat; one of them was called Turtle Peak, and the turtle was held to be a spirit creature (灵物). In 1065 the seat moved to Shiliuzhai (石六寨) on the east side of Liufeng Mountain, where the town still stands. Lingshan was governed from Guangdong for long periods, and has been in Guangxi's Qinzhou since 1965. Local speech is Lingshan dialect, a sub-dialect of Cantonese.

What to see

Liufeng Mountain stands in the town centre beside the Mingke River (鸣珂江), rising 182 metres above its surroundings to 243 metres. Its six peaks are named Dragon Head, Phoenix Tail, Standing Crane, Turtle Back, Baozhang and Chongxiao, and the scenic area, rated 4A in 2017, holds a Beidi temple, a Guanyin pavilion and a Sanqing hall. On its west side, Sanhai Cave (三海岩) has more than 150 inscriptions carved into the rock walls over the centuries.

Dalu old village (大芦古村) in Fozi town (佛子镇) is a 4A scenic area and a nationally listed historic village. Its nine groups of Lao family (劳氏) houses were built in stages between 1546 and 1826. The village is known for its "three olds": old houses, old trees and old couplets.

Food and local products

Litchi growing here dates to the Tang, and the county was named China's home of litchis in 1996; Lingshan litchi became a national geographical-indication product in 2012. The county grows 35 varieties. Lingshan Xiangli (灵山香荔), named after the county, ripens from late June to early July and has crisp, fragrant white flesh; Guiwei (桂味) is noted for an osmanthus scent. Tea, longans, buffalo milk and fragrant chicken (香鸡) are other local products.

Getting oriented

Lingshan borders Pubei County to the east, Hepu County of Beihai to the south, Qinbei and Qinnan districts to the west, and Hengzhou and Yongning to the north. Liufeng Mountain is 98 kilometres from Qinzhou city and 150 kilometres from both Nanning and Beihai.

Highlights

• Liufeng Mountain 六峰山: Six-peaked hill in the town centre, a 4A scenic area since 2017, with temples and the inscribed Sanhai Cave.
• Sanhai Cave 三海岩: Cave on the west side of Liufeng Mountain with more than 150 carved inscriptions.
• Dalu old village 大芦古村: Nine groups of Lao family houses built between 1546 and 1826, known for old houses, trees and couplets.
• Lingshan litchi 灵山荔枝: National geographical-indication product since 2012; the county grows 35 varieties.