Leishan County 雷山县

Setting and landscape

Leishan borders Taijiang (台江), Jianhe (剑河) and Rongjiang (榕江) to the east, Sandu Shui Autonomous County (三都水族自治县) to the south, Danzhai (丹寨县) to the west and Kaili to the north. It sits on the slope where the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau falls towards the hill basins of Hunan and Guangxi, high in the north-east and low in the south-west, with its lowest point at 480 metres. The Leigong range, crossing the county from north-east to south-west, divides the Qingshui River (清水江) from the Duliu River (都柳江): about 63 per cent of the county drains to the Yuan River system of the Yangtze and the rest to the Liu River system of the Pearl. The county government describes it as a typical county of "nine parts mountain, half water, half field".

Leigong Mountain became a national nature reserve in 2001 and a national forest park in 2002.

History

The Qing set up Danjiang subprefecture (丹江厅) at old Danjiang (老丹江) in 1729, under Duyun prefecture (都匀府), and moved its seat in 1872 to Zhaoqingbao (肇庆堡), today's county town. It became Danjiang County in 1913 and was abolished in 1941, its land going to Taigong (台拱) and Bazhai (八寨) counties. The Leishan administrative bureau (雷山设治局) was set up in 1944 and became Leishan County in 1950.

What to see

The county has more than 350 Miao villages, 68 national traditional villages and 15 items on the national intangible heritage list; the county government says no county in China has more national intangible heritage items or a denser cluster of traditional villages. Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village (西江千户苗寨) and Langde Miao Village (郎德苗寨) are national 4A scenic areas. Xijiang was named a Chinese historic and cultural town in 2007, and the old buildings of Langde Upper Village (郎德上寨) became a national key protected site in 2001.

Paika (排卡苗寨), a Miao village three kilometres from the county town, is known for making the lusheng (芦笙) reed pipe, a craft said to go back more than 400 years there. Leishan was also named China's home of Miao silver ornaments in 2008.

Food and local products

Leishan grows teas such as Yinqiu (银球茶) and Qingming tea (清明茶); Yinqiu has been named one of Guizhou's ten famous teas. Bamboo shoots, konjac and ferns from the county's hills are sold as far as Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Japan.

Highlights

• Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village 西江千户苗寨: National 4A scenic area; Xijiang named a Chinese historic and cultural town in 2007.
• Langde Miao Village 郎德苗寨: National 4A scenic area; Langde Upper Village's old buildings are a national key protected site (2001).
• Leigong Mountain 雷公山: Highest point at 2,178.8 metres; national nature reserve since 2001.
• Paika Miao Village 排卡苗寨: Lusheng-making village three kilometres from the county town.
• Yinqiu tea 银球茶: Named one of Guizhou's ten famous teas.