Qingxian 青县

Setting and landscape

The county's rivers belong to the Hai River (海河) system and the basin of the Heilonggang River (黑龙港河). The South Canal (南运河) and the Ziya New River (子牙新河) are its flood channels, while the Beipai River (北排河) and the Heilonggang carry drainage water. The climate is a temperate, semi-humid continental monsoon type with four distinct seasons.

History

The county archive traces Qingxian back to Canhu County (参户县), set up under Emperor Gaozu of the Han. It later went by names including Changlu (长芦县), Qianning (乾宁军) and Huichuan (会川县), and has been called Qingxian since 1375, the eighth year of the Ming Hongwu reign. The county was liberated on 14 June 1947. On 1 November 1958 it was abolished and merged into Jinghai County (静海县) under Tianjin prefecture; it was restored on 1 June 1961 as part of Cangzhou prefecture.

What to see

The Hebei Department of Culture and Tourism lists Qingxian's Pangu culture among its heritage items and places the Pangu relic group about 3 kilometres southwest of the county seat, in Pangu village. The Pangu temple fair is said to have begun more than 4,000 years ago with sacrifices held by Yu the Great (禹王). On the morning of the rites, four bearers carry "Little Lord Pangu" (小盘古爷) in a sedan chair to Pangu's tomb for incense, then around the main streets of the fair, while visiting folk troupes perform.

The county government names Pangu Temple (盘古寺), the Pangu Gully (盘古沟), the Pangu Pavilion (盘古亭) and the Minbing Canal (民兵渠) among the landmarks of Pangu culture in Pangu town (盘古镇). Spring brings pear blossom: Xinhua reported on the ten-thousand-mu pear orchards of Pangu village at the first Pangu Pear Blossom Festival in April 2015, and the county's guide to the 2026 festival directs visitors to a century-old pear orchard (百年梨园) in Xiao Pangu village (小盘古村). Xinhua also lists Machang Fort (马厂炮台), the Liuhe Ming and Qing Furniture Museum (流河明清家具博物馆) and the Zhao Bingbu tomb at Liuhe (流河赵兵部墓) among the county's cultural sites.

Getting oriented

Xinhua notes that Qingxian has long been called "the first county south of Tianjin" (津南第一县). Farmers beside the Grand Canal (大运河) here have turned to organic vegetables, sold under the Da Sima (大司马) brand. The Beijing–Shanghai Railway (京沪铁路) has a Qingxian station, and national highways G104, G105 and G337 pass through the county.

Highlights

• Pangu Temple and Pangu Gully 盘古寺、盘古沟: Named by the county government among the landmarks of Pangu culture in Pangu town.
• Pangu temple fair 盘古庙会: A fair the Hebei culture department says is traditionally dated to sacrifices by Yu the Great; "Little Lord Pangu" is carried to Pangu's tomb.
• Pangu pear orchards 盘古梨园: Pear orchards in Pangu town, the setting of the Pangu Pear Blossom Festival, first held in 2015 and staged again in 2026.
• Liuhe Ming and Qing Furniture Museum 流河明清家具博物馆: Listed by Xinhua among Qingxian's cultural sites.