Tanghe County 唐河县

Setting and landscape

The county sits where the northern subtropics give way to the warm-temperate zone. The mean annual temperature is 15.2°C, and about three-quarters of the 910 mm of yearly rain falls between April and September. The Tong River (桐河), a main tributary, flows into the Tang River (唐河), which carries on to the Han and the Yangtze. The Nanjing–Xi'an Railway (宁西铁路), the Shanghai–Shaanxi Expressway (沪陕高速) and national highways G312, G234 and G328 cross the county.

History

The county government traces the area to the ancient Tang state first enfeoffed under the legendary Emperor Yao, and to the Zhou-era states of Liao (蓼), Shen (申), Xie (谢) and Tang; Yangshao and Qujialing culture sites survive. The Liao capital stood at Huyang (湖阳镇), 40 km south of the county town. The Tanghe County Soviet (唐河县苏维埃) was set up here, which the county calls the first revolutionary government in the Central Plains. Natives include the philosopher Feng Youlan (冯友兰, 1895–1990), his brother the geologist Feng Jinglan (冯景兰), the literary scholar Feng Yuanjun (冯沅君), the writer Zong Pu (宗璞) and the archaeologist Xu Xusheng (徐旭生).

What to see

Two brick pagodas face each other across the county town. The Sizhou Temple Pagoda (泗洲寺塔), begun in 1095 under the Song, is an octagonal, 11-storey tower 49.75 metres high with a spiral stair inside and carved dragon heads hung with bells at its corners; midges gathering at the top like smoke gave it a place among Tanghe's eight Qing-era views. The nine-storey, 30-metre Wenbifeng Pagoda (文笔峰塔) was raised by local scholars to encourage learning. The Feng Youlan Memorial Hall (冯友兰纪念馆) recreates his family courtyard house at Qiyi (祁仪镇). Puhua Temple (普化寺) on Baiyu Mountain (白玉山), founded in the late Yuan, holds a temple fair on the third day of the third lunar month, and Shizhu Mountain Forest Park (石柱山森林公园), 35 km east of the county town, has two stone pillars about 14 metres tall on its summit.

Food and local products

Tanghe mung bean jelly (唐河凉粉) is made by soaking mung beans for 12 hours, grinding them on a stone mill, straining the paste through fine cloth two or three times and boiling the liquid and leaving it to set; it is eaten cold with ginger water, garlic, vinegar and sesame paste, or stir-fried. Guotan braised chicken (郭滩烧鸡) uses free-range roosters that are marinated, fried, dried and braised in an old master stock with more than twenty herbs, leaving meat that falls from the bone. Tonghe Township (桐河乡) is known for Tongdan (桐蛋) duck eggs with deep-red yolks, about six to the jin (500 grams).

Highlights

• Sizhou Temple Pagoda 泗洲寺塔: Song-dynasty brick pagoda begun in 1095, 11 storeys and 49.75 m high.
• Wenbifeng Pagoda 文笔峰塔: Nine-storey, 30 m brick pagoda built by local scholars to encourage learning.
• Feng Youlan Memorial Hall 冯友兰纪念馆: Courtyard house recreating the philosopher's family home at Qiyi.
• Tanghe mung bean jelly 唐河凉粉: Stone-ground, cloth-strained mung bean jelly eaten cold with ginger water, garlic, vinegar and sesame paste.
• Guotan braised chicken 郭滩烧鸡: Free-range rooster fried and then braised in an old master stock with herbs.