Huangping County 黄平县

Setting and landscape

The climate is subtropical and monsoonal, mild and wet with four distinct seasons. Close to 100 rivers cross the county. The main ones, the Wuyang (舞阳河), the Chong'an (重安江) and the Miaoli (苗里河), drain to the Dongting Lake (洞庭湖) system of the Yangtze and cover about three quarters of the county; in the north the Yuqing River (余庆河) belongs to the Wu River (乌江) system.

History

The county government traces the name to the Miao word "Wangqie" (王且), the Miao name for Jiuzhou (旧州), read as "imperial plain" and later written Huangping. After the Han subdued Qielan, the Zangke commandery (牂牁郡) was set up with its seat at Jiuzhou. The name Huangping first appears in the records in 1258. In 1687 the Xinglong garrison (兴隆卫) was merged into Huangping department (黄平州) and the seat moved there: the garrison town became Xinzhou (新州, "new seat") and the old seat Jiuzhou ("old seat"). The department became a county in 1914 and joined Qiandongnan in 1956.

During the war against Japan, the Jiuzhou airfield (旧州机场) was a base of the US 76th Fighter Squadron, 23rd Fighter Group, flying P-51s.

What to see

Four sites are national key protected sites: the Feiyun Cliff ancient buildings (飞云崖古建筑群) east of Dongpo village in Xinzhou town, listed in 2006; the Jiuzhou ancient buildings (旧州古建筑群); the Qing-dynasty town of the Yanmen chieftain (岩门长官司城); and the Ming-dynasty water mills on the Chong'an River (重安江水碾群). Provincial listings include the Qing iron-chain bridge west of Chong'an town (重安江铁索桥) and the Huangping section of the old Hunan–Guizhou post road (湘黔驿道) through Jiuzhou and Shangtang.

Crafts and local products

Huangping calls itself a home of modern folk painting, clay whistles and batik, and of seedless watermelons. Huangping batik made by Gejia women entered the national intangible-heritage list in 2011. It uses only blue and white or black and white, with white patterns on a dark ground, and most designs centre on the sun. Miao ancient songs (苗族古歌) are also on the national list for the county.

Getting oriented

The county seat is Xinzhou town (新州镇). The Shanghai–Kunming railway (沪昆铁路) crosses the county, and Kaili Huangping Airport (凯里黄平机场) is 14 km from the county town.

Highlights

• Feiyun Cliff ancient buildings 飞云崖古建筑群: National key protected site east of Dongpo village, Xinzhou town, listed in 2006.
• Jiuzhou ancient buildings 旧州古建筑群: National key protected site in the former department seat.
• Chong'an River water mills 重安江水碾群: Ming-dynasty water mills listed as a national key protected site.
• Huangping batik 黄平蜡染: Gejia batik in blue-white or black-white, on the national intangible-heritage list since 2011.