Fucheng County 阜城县

History

The county dates from the Western Han, when it belonged to Bohai commandery (渤海郡) and was governed from a site now inside Gucheng town (古城镇), east of the present seat. In 556, under the Northern Qi, the county town moved to where it stands today. It was briefly folded into Dongguang (东光县) as a town in 1063 and restored in 1077.

In the early Yuan period Fucheng was one of five counties placed under Jingzhou (景州), the prefecture centred on today's Jingxian; in the Ming and Qing it answered to Hejian prefecture (河间府). In 1958 it was merged into Jiaohe County (交河县), and it was re-established in June 1962 as part of the Hengshui prefecture.

What to see

The Fucheng Confucius Temple (阜城文庙) was founded in the Hongwu reign at the start of the Ming, and its main hall, the Dacheng Hall (大成殿), became a provincial protected site at the end of 2008.

The Grand Canal crosses the county, with its most important stretches in Xiakou (霞口镇) and Matou (码头镇). The Xiakou pumping station and the canal remains at Matou count among the important relics of the canal's Hengshui section.

Food and local products

Fucheng has long been known as the home of the Ya pear (鸭梨), a crisp, juicy variety. The county government traces pear growing here back to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods and says Fucheng's Ya pears went to the imperial court as tribute under the Ming and Qing. Xiakou town has some 30,000 mu of pear trees, and the county government describes its stand of old trees as the largest in China.

The Liu Laoren century-old orchard (刘老人百年梨园) in Xiakou opens for picking in autumn and offers pear juice and pear paste as well. Xiakou also holds a pear-blossom festival, and the town promotes its orchard year with the line "snow-white pear blossom in spring, tribute pears in autumn".

Highlights

• Fucheng Confucius Temple 阜城文庙: Founded in the Hongwu reign of the Ming; its Dacheng Hall was listed as a provincial protected site at the end of 2008.
• Grand Canal at Xiakou and Matou 京杭大运河: The Xiakou pumping station and the Matou canal remains are among the relics of the canal's Hengshui section.
• Xiakou century-old pear orchard 霞口百年梨园: An old Ya pear orchard in Xiakou town that opens for autumn picking and offers pear juice and pear paste.