Get to know Hua County
Photo adjustments
Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
- Administrative area
- County · 县
- Part of
- Anyang
- Chinese name
- 滑县
- Local areas
- County guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 1,784.00 km²
- Population · 2019
- 1,078,000
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
What to see
Daokou Old Town (道口古镇) stands in the northwest of the county on the bank of the Wei River and on the old Gun Dike (鲧堤). It is a national 4A scenic area and a national historic and cultural town. The riverside streets of Shunnan (顺南), Shunbei (顺北) and Yimian Street (一面街) run for about 3,000 metres, lined with more than a thousand old shops and houses, most of them two-storey buildings under grey tiles. The county government counts five old wharves, four old sluices, an old private bank and sixteen old lanes.
The Wei River here is the Yongji Canal (永济渠) section of the Grand Canal, listed as World Heritage in 2014. According to the Anyang cultural-relics bureau it runs 8,240 metres through the county from south to north past Daokou, and the surviving relics include wharves, sluices, the town wall and the Dawang Temple (大王庙).
In the Chengguan (城关) area stands the Mingfu Temple Pagoda (明福寺塔), a seven-storey octagonal brick pagoda 43 metres high, believed from its style to date from the early Song. The temple itself is gone. The pagoda was put on the national protection list in 2001.
History
The Sui set up Huazhou prefecture here in 596, and in 1374 the early Ming reduced it to Hua County. The name comes from the old Huatai (滑台) fortress. In November 1949 the county government moved to Daokou, and the county came under Anyang in 1986.
Food and crafts
Daokou roast chicken (道口烧鸡) dates from the Shunzhi reign of the Qing and is a national geographical-indication product. Laomiao beef (老庙牛肉) also has geographical-indication status. Hua County woodblock New Year prints (滑县木版年画) went on the national intangible heritage list in 2008. The national heritage register traces them to the reign of the Ming Zhengde emperor and more than five hundred years of practice. The blocks are cut from pear wood, and the range covers more than a hundred forms, including family-tree sheets, central hanging scrolls and couplets.
Highlights
- Daokou Old Town 道口古镇: National 4A scenic area and historic town on the Wei River, with about 3,000 metres of old riverside streets.
- Mingfu Temple Pagoda 明福寺塔: Seven-storey octagonal brick pagoda 43 metres high, nationally protected since 2001.
- Daokou roast chicken 道口烧鸡: Dates from the Shunzhi reign of the Qing; a national geographical-indication product.
- Hua County woodblock New Year prints 滑县木版年画: National intangible heritage since 2008, printed from pear-wood blocks.
Sources for this guide
道口古镇 · Hua County People's Government (Hua County Tourism Development Centre)
大运河（滑县段）简介_世界文化遗产_安阳市文物局 · Anyang Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics
木版年画（滑县木版年画） - 中国非物质文化遗产网·中国非物质文化遗产数字博物馆 - 中国非物质文化遗产网非遗 · China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
滑县 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
明福寺塔 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Hua County
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Hua County
Mingfu Temple Pagoda · 明福寺塔Mingfu Temple Pagoda明福寺塔
An octagonal seven-storey brick pagoda in Hua County, distinguished by its figurative bricks and hollow core.
Read the place guide →
AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非该地点实拍）Daokou Ancient Town道口古镇
Daokou is a canal town on the bank of the old waterway in the northwest of Hua County, Anyang, which grew up when the Sui and Tang Grand Canal carried heavy grain traffic across the North China Plain.
Read the place guide →Local life & food
Hua County local specialties
滑县特色美食 · 2 specialties to discover
Wangu lamb noodles 万古羊肉面AI dish illustration / AI 菜品示意图
The noodles provide a chewy staple against the warming lamb flavour. Pepper or chilli can be added without defining every bowl.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Hua County layered silk-thread buns 滑县缠丝火烧AI dish illustration / AI 菜品示意图
The surface is toasted and crisp, while the inside breaks into finer strands and layers rather than a uniform bread crumb.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →All dish names · 全部菜名 (2)
More dishes from across Henan are in the Henan food guide.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Hua County is about 60 km in a straight line from central Anyang. Search for 滑县 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Mingfu Temple Pagoda and Daokou Ancient Town are both listed here. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Anyang →More in Anyang
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 滑县 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 明福寺塔 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Mingfu Temple Pagoda · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.