Xishui County 浠水县

Setting and landscape

The land tilts from northeast to southwest, from Sanjiao Mountain (三角山), a Dabie spur whose summit at 1,055 metres is the county's highest point, down to alluvial plain along the river; locals sum it up as three parts mountain, six parts hills and one part plain. The Yangtze runs 41 kilometres along the county, and the Xi River (浠河), Ba River (巴河), Qi River (蕲河), Ce Lake (策湖) and Wangtian Lake (望天湖) make up its five water systems. Ce Lake, the largest lake, lies 40 kilometres south of the county seat, and the Bailianhe Reservoir (白莲河水库) sits in the northeastern hills on the upper Xi River. The seat, Qingquan (清泉镇), is 40 kilometres from Huangzhou (黄州) and 100 kilometres from Wuhan (武汉).

History

A county named Xishui (希水县) was set up here in 448 under the Liu Song; the Liang renamed it with the present characters (浠水) in 520. In 1082 Su Shi (苏轼) visited Qingquan Temple (清泉寺) with the local physician Pang Anshi (庞安时). In 1351 rebels made Xu Shouhui (徐寿辉) emperor of a state called Tianwan (天完) with its capital in the county town. Xishui is the home town of the poet Wen Yiduo (闻一多), who returned to Bahe (巴河) in 1937. In October 1947 Liu Bocheng (刘伯承) and Deng Xiaoping (邓小平) climbed Sanjiao Mountain to survey the ground before the Battle of Gaoshanpu (高山铺).

What to see

The county government lists a spring that the tea sage Lu Yu (陆羽) ranked the 'third spring under heaven', Doufangshan Temple (斗方山禅寺), founded in the Tang, and Tianran Temple (天然寺), where the third Chan patriarch Sengcan (僧璨) preached. Sun Ce (孙策) trained his navy on Ce Lake. Other sights are a Ming and Qing Confucian temple complex, Sanjiao Mountain National Forest Park, the Bailianhe Reservoir scenic area and the Wen Yiduo Memorial Hall (闻一多纪念馆).

Food and local products

Maoshan crabs (茅山螃蟹) from Ce Lake were sent to court as tribute from the third year of the Hongwu reign; Bahe lotus root (巴河莲藕), Maoshan crabs and Lüyangqiao sealed-jar rice wine (绿杨桥封缸酒) are national geographical-indication products. The Zhima Lake (芝麻湖) lotus root of Bahe has thick, squarish, white-skinned sections about two chi long and does not discolour when stir-fried; it goes into honeyed lotus root and steamed lotus root with rice flour. Bahe fish noodles (巴河鱼面) are made from Wangtian Lake fish, flour and starch with egg and salt, and are fried or boiled. The sealed-jar wine is a yellow wine brewed from glutinous rice, brownish and sweet-sour.

Highlights

• Sanjiao Mountain 三角山: Dabie spur, 1,055 metres, the county's highest point and a national forest park.
• Ce Lake 策湖: Largest lake in the county, where Sun Ce trained his navy; source of Maoshan crabs.
• Wen Yiduo Memorial Hall 闻一多纪念馆: Memorial to the poet and scholar from Xishui.
• Bahe fish noodles 巴河鱼面: Noodles made from Wangtian Lake fish with flour and starch.