Yangxin County 阳新县

What to see

Xiandao Lake (仙岛湖) holds 1,002 islands and takes its name from an old plaque reading "Lingtong Xiandao" (灵通仙岛, "immortals' island") hung on a cliff above the water. The Huangshi city government lists it as a provincial eco-tourism scenic area, with green hills along its shores and deep karst caves in them. The county also has the Lianhua Lake (莲花湖) national wetland park, the Qifeng Mountain (七峰山) provincial forest park, and Wang Lake (网湖), a wetland of international importance where more than 90,000 migratory birds of over 50 kinds spend the winter.

Longgang town (龙港镇) was a revolutionary base known as "Little Moscow", from which the struggle in 21 counties along the Hunan–Hubei–Jiangxi border was directed; the site of the South-east Hubei Lenin School (鄂东南列宁学校) is in the town.

History

The county dates from the Western Han, more than 2,200 years ago. The county government counts 184 successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations from here, and names the Jin scholar Meng Jia (孟嘉), the Song writer Wang Zhi (王质) and the Ming writer Wu Guolun (吴国伦), one of the Later Seven Masters (后七子), among its natives. Yangxin was an important birthplace of the Red Army's 8th and 15th Armies and the Third Army Corps.

Crafts and local products

Two traditions are on the national intangible-heritage list. Yangxin tea-picking opera (阳新采茶戏) became a distinct local form in the Daoguang reign of the Qing and has more than a hundred traditional plays; one of its fiddles, the chahu (茶胡), is a home-made instrument. Yangxin cloth appliqué (阳新布贴) is sewn mostly onto black or dark-blue ground for children's clothes, wedding textiles and temple cushions, with patterns such as Guanyin on a lotus and two dragons playing with a pearl.

Yangxin mandarins (阳新柑桔) and Fuchuan camellia oil (富川山茶油) are national geographical-indication products, and the county also names Wang Lake bighead carp (网湖鳙鱼) and Yangxin Baimaojian tea (阳新白毛尖) among its well-known produce.

Getting oriented

The Wuhan–Jiujiang passenger railway (武九客运专线) has three stations in the county: Baishapu (白沙铺站), Yangxin (阳新站) and Fenglin (枫林站). The Qipanzhou (棋盘洲) and Wuxue (武穴) bridges cross the Yangtze here.

Highlights

• Xiandao Lake 仙岛湖: Lake with 1,002 islands, named after an old cliffside plaque; provincial eco-tourism scenic area.
• Wang Lake 网湖: Wetland of international importance where over 90,000 migratory birds winter.
• Yangxin tea-picking opera 阳新采茶戏: National intangible heritage; formed in the Daoguang reign, over a hundred traditional plays.
• Yangxin cloth appliqué 阳新布贴: National intangible heritage; appliqué mostly on black or dark-blue cloth for children's and wedding textiles.