Tongzi County 桐梓县

Setting and landscape

The land is high in the northeast and low in the southwest, and three rivers, the Tongzi (桐梓河), Songkan (松坎河) and Yangdeng (羊磴河), cut it into three distinct landform zones. Karst is widespread, with stone peaks, underground rivers and caves. The county government lists Niujiaozhai (牛角寨) on Baizhi Mountain (柏枝山), at 2,227 metres, as the highest peak in northern Guizhou; the lowest point, 310 metres, is on the river forming the Chongqing border at Podu (坡渡镇).

A 1978 compilation of national climate records by the Central Meteorological Bureau put its average cloud cover first in China. The county also holds 200,000 mu of primary fangzhu (square bamboo, 方竹) forest, which the government describes as the largest continuous stand in the world.

History

The "Tongzi Man" (桐梓人) site shows human presence about 200,000 years ago. The Tang set up Yelang County (夜郎县) here in 642, and Tongzi County dates from 1601 under the Ming. In the Republican period a Tongzi military faction led by Zhou Xicheng (周西成) and Wang Jialie (王家烈) ran Guizhou for more than ten years, and the Republic of China Naval Academy operated in Tongzi for almost eight years. After the Zunyi Conference the Red Army won its first major Long March victory here, and Mao Zedong wrote the poem "Loushan Pass" (《忆秦娥·娄山关》) in Tongzi.

What to see

Xiaoxihu (小西湖), a 3A scenic area 6 km from the county seat, was the last place Zhang Xueliang (张学良) was held in confinement on the mainland; he lived there for two years. The scenic area also takes in the Tianmen River hydropower station (天门河水电站), a national key protected site, and Tianmen Cave (天门洞), where the Red Army's First Corps fought. Elsewhere the county government points to the Shanping flower fields (杉坪花海), the Baiqing nature reserve (柏箐自然保护区), the Huanglian primeval forest (黄莲原始森林) and rafting on the Yangdeng and Shuiyin (水银河) rivers.

Food and local products

Huaqiu free-range chicken (花秋土鸡) and Tongzi honey hold national geographical-indication status. Square bamboo shoots, Loushan braised chicken (娄山黄焖鸡), Rongguang twice-cooked mutton (容光回锅羊肉), rabbit steamed with kumquat (金橘蒸兔肉) and Tongzi sausage have all been featured on CCTV's food programme Wei Dao. The braised chicken is known for tender meat, soft, sticky skin and a fragrant, spicy taste, and its maker counts Zunyi municipal intangible-heritage status among its honours.

Getting oriented

The county lies 180 km from Guiyang (贵阳) and 160 km from Chongqing. The Sichuan–Guizhou Railway (川黔铁路) and the Chongqing–Guiyang fast railway cross it, as does the G75 Lanzhou–Haikou Expressway.

Highlights

• Xiaoxihu Scenic Area 小西湖景区: 3A scenic area where Zhang Xueliang spent two years in confinement; includes a nationally protected hydropower station.
• Loushan braised chicken 娄山黄焖鸡: Spicy braised chicken with tender meat and soft skin, recognised as Zunyi municipal intangible heritage.
• Rongguang twice-cooked mutton 容光回锅羊肉: Local mutton dish shown on CCTV's Wei Dao and awarded at the Zunyi culture and food festival.
• Niujiaozhai, Baizhi Mountain 柏枝山牛角寨: At 2,227 m, listed by the county as the highest peak in northern Guizhou.