Hejian 河间市

Setting and landscape

Hejian sits on a flat lake-and-river plain that falls gently from 12.4 metres above sea level in the southwest to 5.4 metres in the northeast. It was known for rivers on every side: the old Yang (古洋河), Zhang (漳河), Tang (唐河) and Hutuo (滹沱河) rivers all once crossed it, though several have since shifted away. Today the Ziya River (子牙河) and Ziya New River (子牙新河) carry flood water, and they and the Beipai River (北排河) run on to the sea.

History

Hejian Commandery was set up at the turn from Qin to Han, and over four centuries of Han rule Hejian was made a kingdom four times. In 487 the Northern Wei created Yingzhou (瀛州) here, the first use of that name. The Song raised it to Hejian Prefecture in 1107. The Han scholar Mao Chang (毛苌) taught the Book of Songs (诗经) here, the astronomer Zhang Heng (张衡) served as chancellor of Hejian and Bao Zheng (包拯) as its prefect. Hejian became a county-level city in 1990.

What to see

The Hejian Government Office (河间府署), a 4A scenic area, stands on the site of a prefectural office first built in the Northern Song. After it fell into ruin, it was rebuilt in its original form between 2010 and 2013, and the city calls it the most complete yamen compound in China. Guangming Theatre (光明戏院) is a national protected site, and provincial ones include the tomb of Mao Chang (毛公墓), the tomb of the Jin-dynasty physician Liu Wansu (刘完素), the former home of Feng Guozhang (冯国璋), acting president of the Republic, and the site of Norman Bethune's operating room (白求恩手术室旧址). The city describes the 108-hectare Yingzhou Park (瀛州公园) as the largest freshwater park of any county-level city in North China.

Food and local traditions

Hejian donkey-meat huoshao (河间驴肉火烧) is a traditional snack known across China, and the China Hotel Association has named Hejian the home of the dish. Hejian gesi (河间歌诗) singing and Xihe dagu (西河大鼓) drum-singing were among the first national intangible heritage items, and Hejian shadow puppetry is part of Chinese shadow puppetry on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.

Getting oriented

Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang (石家庄) are each within 200 kilometres, and the core of the Xiong'an New Area (雄安新区) is 50 kilometres away in a straight line. The Beijing–Kowloon (京九) and Shuozhou–Huanghua (朔黄) railways cross the city.

Highlights

• Hejian Government Office 河间府署: Prefectural office first built in the Northern Song and rebuilt on its original site in 2010–2013; a 4A scenic area.
• Guangming Theatre 光明戏院: Hejian's national-level protected heritage site.
• Tomb of Mao Chang 毛公墓: Provincial protected site; the Han scholar Mao Chang taught the Book of Songs in Hejian.
• Yingzhou Park 瀛州公园: 108-hectare freshwater park, described by the city as North China's largest freshwater park in a county-level city.
• Hejian donkey-meat huoshao 河间驴肉火烧: Hejian has been named the home of donkey-meat huoshao by the China Hotel Association.