Lulong County 卢龙县

Setting and landscape

Twenty-four rivers in the Luan (滦河), Yang (洋河) and Yinma (饮马河) systems drain the county, and the Qinglong River (青龙河) runs through it from north to south. Since the 1960s the county has built the Yinqing irrigation canal (引青灌渠), 1,748.83 kilometres long, and 121 reservoirs, and it has been approved for a national wetland park named "One Canal, a Hundred Reservoirs" (一渠百库). Hot springs are tapped at Cuizhuang (崔庄), Zhaoguanzhuang (赵官庄) and Liujiakou (刘家口).

History

The Northern Wei carved Xinchang County (新昌县) out of Feiru (肥如县), and the Sui renamed it Lulong in the Kaihuang era. The town was the seat of Pingzhou (平州) under the Tang, Liao and Jin, of Yongping Circuit (永平路) under the Yuan and of Yongping prefecture under the Ming and Qing; it passed to Qinhuangdao in 1983. The county government says the Yongping old city (永平古城) was founded in the Han, flourished most in the Ming and Qing, and was known as "the first prefecture east of the capital" (京东第一府). Lulong is also named as the home of Guzhu culture (孤竹文化) and of the proverb "an old horse knows the way" (老马识途).

What to see

The county lists 12 relics protected at city level or above, among them a Dharani sutra pillar (陀罗尼经幢), sections of the Ming Great Wall and the walls of the Yongping prefectural city (永平府城墙). Its intangible heritage includes Lunpai ground yangge dance (伦派地秧歌) and Longcheng paper-cutting (龙城剪纸); a county notice of July 2025 proposes traditional New Year prints (卢龙传统年画), boluo-leaf crystal dumplings (桲椤叶水晶饺) and steamed flower buns (花馍) for its ninth county-level heritage list.

Food and local products

Sweet potatoes have been grown here for more than 160 years, and Lulong was the first county named a "Hometown of Chinese Sweet Potato". Lulong vermicelli (卢龙粉丝) is protected as a product of origin, while Lulong sweet potato and Lulong starch noodles (卢龙粉条) hold national geographical-indication trademarks. Shimen walnuts (石门核桃) are known for large, thin-shelled nuts with thick kernels. The county also grows wine grapes, carries the title "Hometown of Chinese Wine", and plants about 11,000 mu of yellow peaches.

Getting oriented

The county government sits in Lulong Town (卢龙镇). National Roads 102 and 205 cross the county, the Beijing–Shenyang Expressway has an exit at the county town, and the Tianjin–Qinhuangdao high-speed line runs through alongside the Beijing–Harbin, Beijing–Qinhuangdao and Datong–Qinhuangdao railways.

Highlights

• Yongping old city 永平古城: Han-founded prefectural city, called "the first prefecture east of the capital" in the Ming and Qing.
• Yinqing irrigation canal 引青灌渠: 1,748.83 km of canal built with 121 reservoirs across the county since the 1960s.
• Lulong vermicelli 卢龙粉丝: Protected as a product of origin and listed as a Chinese geographical-indication product.
• Shimen walnuts 石门核桃: Large, thin-shelled walnuts with thick kernels; a Chinese geographical-indication product.