Guangyang District 广阳区

History

Under the Qin dynasty, central Langfang, including the land of today's Guangyang and Anci, belonged to the Guangyang Commandery (广阳郡), whose name the district shares. The modern district is young: the State Council approved it in March 2000, and in October that year it took over the Beidajie, Beimenwai, Xiaolangfang and Xinkailu subdistricts and several towns and townships from Anci. It now has seven subdistricts, three towns and one township.

What to see

On Heping Road (和平路) stands Only the Dream of the Red Chamber · Theatre City (只有红楼梦·戏剧幻城), an immersive theatre complex built around the novel Dream of the Red Chamber (红楼梦). It was conceived, written and directed by Wang Chaoge (王潮歌) and has four large and eight small indoor theatres, 108 themed spaces and an outdoor stage. One of the large houses recreates Beijing No. 35 Middle School in 1987, the year the television adaptation of the novel was first broadcast; laid out on a grid, the complex can also be walked as a garden without seeing a play. On the way out lies the Shuiyunjian (水云间) culture street, made up of Shuiyue Street, Yunjin Street and the Shuiyun courtyard, with food outlets, courtyard guesthouses and evening light shows.

Farmland and research

Guangyang also has a farming side. Guangming Daily reported in 2012 that dairy cattle, vegetables and fruit trees were its three main agricultural industries, and that scientists at the Langfang science park of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences had worked on farms since 2008, among them a dairy farm in Beiwang (北旺) and vegetable greenhouses in Buying (卜营村) village.

Highlights

• Only the Dream of the Red Chamber · Theatre City 只有红楼梦·戏剧幻城: Immersive theatre complex by Wang Chaoge with 12 indoor theatres and 108 themed spaces.
• Shuiyunjian culture street 水云间文化商街: Street of food outlets and evening light shows beside the theatre city.