Xishui County 习水县

History

In the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods the area was known as Xibu or the state of Xi (鳛部、鳛国). It was moved from Sichuan to Guizhou in 1728, and Xishui County has existed under that name since 1915. Surviving remains include Han-dynasty cliff carvings, sites of the Bo people (僰人) and the Jiulongtun military stockade (九龙囤). The county traces its liquor history to gouju wine (枸酱酒) and the envoy Tang Meng's (唐蒙) mission to Nanyue (南越). In the Qing, Yuan Jindao (袁锦道) set up 48 workshops at Sanchahe (三岔河), which the county counts as the start of early industry in Guizhou.

In 1935 the Central Red Army made the first, second and fourth of its four crossings of the Chishui River within Xishui, and the county calls itself the main battlefield of that campaign.

What to see

Tucheng Ancient Town (土城古镇), on the Chishui River, holds a cluster of 17 memorial halls and museums. Among them, the Four Crossings of the Chishui River Memorial Hall (四渡赤水纪念馆), opened in 2007, is a national first-grade museum and a 4A scenic area. Others include a memorial hall to the women of the Red Army, the Guizhou Shipping Museum (贵州航运博物馆) and an exhibition on salt transport along the Chishui. The Qinggangpo battle site (青杠坡战斗遗址) is also in the county.

Besides Tucheng and the memorial hall, the county's 4A scenic areas are the China Danxia Valley (中国·丹霞谷) and the Xijiu liquor valley (习酒酒谷). The county government also points to the Feige sea of clouds (飞鸽云海), the red cliffs of Chibi Danxia (赤壁丹霞), an old tree called the Thousand-Year Fir King (千年杉王) and the Miao village of Hetang (荷塘苗乡).

Setting and landscape

Danxia landform covers 1,300 square kilometres of the county. Xishui also holds 50,000 hectares of mid-subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest, described by the county government as the best preserved at latitude 28° north; it forms the largest nature reserve in Guizhou by area. Elevations run from 275 metres to 1,871.9 metres, and the average annual temperature is 13.6°C.

Food and local products

Xishui is a core production area for sauce-aroma baijiu in the Chishui River valley, home to the Xijiu Group (习酒集团) and Moutai's 201 plant (茅台201厂).

Getting oriented

Chongqing's Qijiang District (綦江区) lies to the east and Gulin County (古蔺县) in Sichuan to the south. Three expressways cross the county: the Renxichi (仁习赤), Jiangxigu (江习古) and Xizheng (习正) routes.

Highlights

• Tucheng Ancient Town 土城古镇: Chishui River town with 17 memorial halls and museums.
• Four Crossings of the Chishui River Memorial Hall 四渡赤水纪念馆: Opened 2007 in Tucheng; a national first-grade museum and 4A scenic area.
• China Danxia Valley 中国·丹霞谷: One of the county's 4A scenic areas, in a county with 1,300 square kilometres of Danxia landform.
• Xijiu liquor valley 习酒酒谷: 4A scenic area tied to Xishui's sauce-aroma baijiu industry.