Fancheng District 樊城区

History

In 1949 Fancheng and Xiangyang were joined as the city of Xiangfan (襄樊), and the present district was created in 1992; Niushou (牛首) and Taipingdian (太平店) towns moved in from Xiangyang County in 2001.

What to see

The Mi Fu Memorial Temple (米公祠) on Yanjiang Road (沿江路) honours the Northern Song calligrapher Mi Fu (米芾). It began as a Yuan-dynasty hermitage called Mijia'an (米家庵), was enlarged under the Ming and rebuilt in the Kangxi reign, when it became a memorial temple. Four courtyards run along a south-facing axis; the worship hall dates from 1693 and the Baojin Hall (宝晋殿) from 1866. The temple keeps 58 inscribed steles and 45 stones carved with copies of Mi Fu's calligraphy, and has been a national key protected site since 2006.

In the Tuanshanpu (团山铺) area of north-west Fancheng lies the Deng State Site (邓国故址), the old city of Deng (邓城), listed nationally in 2006. Wikipedia describes it as the battlefield where Guan Yu (关羽) flooded seven of Cao Cao's (曹操) armies, and notes more than 3,000 finds, among them a sword of King Fuchai of Wu (吴王夫差). Qing-era guild halls are protected too: the Fuzhou Guild Hall (抚州会馆) at the mouth of Chenlao Lane (陈老巷), and the Shaanxi-Shanxi, Huangzhou, Little Jiangxi and Zhongzhou guild halls. The Shuixing Terrace (水星台) stands on the base of the old city wall near Dingzhongmen (定中门), and remains of the Ming–Qing wall are a provincial site. The Qing Xiangfan wharf site (襄樊码头遗址) joined the national list in its eighth batch.

Food and local crafts

The district's entries in Xiangyang's ninth batch of municipal intangible heritage are the making of Xiangyang bound trotters (襄阳缠蹄), wine-starter making at Liangpo (梁坡酒曲), knotwork and Xiangyang full-form rubbing (襄阳全形拓).

Getting oriented

The district government places Fancheng on the middle Han in north-west Hubei, bordered by Xiangzhou District (襄州区) to the east and north and by Gucheng (谷城) and Laohekou (老河口) to the west. Xiangyang railway station (襄阳站) is on Qianjin Road (前进路) in Fancheng. It opened in 1960 as Fancheng station and is where the Xiangyang–Chongqing, Jiaozuo–Liuzhou and Hankou–Danjiangkou railways meet.

Highlights

• Mi Fu Memorial Temple 米公祠: Memorial to the calligrapher Mi Fu with 58 steles and 45 carved copies of his writing; national key protected site since 2006.
• Deng State Site 邓国故址: The old city of Deng around Tuanshanpu, national protected site since 2006, with more than 3,000 finds.
• Fuzhou Guild Hall 抚州会馆: Qing guild hall at the mouth of Chenlao Lane on Yanjiang Road, a provincial protected site.
• Shuixing Terrace 水星台: Qing building on the base of the Fancheng city wall near Dingzhongmen.