Dawu County 大悟县

History

Until 1932 the area was split between Luoshan (罗山) in Henan and Xiaogan, Huangpi (黄陂) and Huang'an (黄安) in Hubei. On 1 January 1933 the Nationalist authorities cut the border lands of these four counties into a new Lishan County (礼山县). The county government records that in 1930 local Red Guards captured a Nationalist trainer aircraft, which became the Red Army's first plane, the "Lenin". From 1942 to 1945 the headquarters of the New Fourth Army's 5th Division sat in the Dawu Mountain area, and in January 1946 the Central Plains Military Region moved to Xuanhuadian (宣化店), from where its troops broke out of encirclement on 26 June. In 1952 Lishan was renamed Dawu to honour the people of the Dawu mountain area. The county counts 37 founding generals among its natives, including Xu Haidong (徐海东) and Liu Huaqing (刘华清).

What to see

At Xuanhuadian, Zhou Enlai (周恩来) met American and Nationalist representatives on 8 May 1946 in part of the old Hubei Guild Hall (湖北会馆), 20 metres from the west bank of the Zhugan River (竹竿河). Its lattice doors carry carvings of scenes from Journey to the West, the Eight Immortals and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. With the former military region headquarters and leaders' residence, the building became a memorial hall in 1974 and is a provincial protected site.

The Hubei–Henan Border Region Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery (鄂豫边区革命烈士陵园), on the east bank of the Huan River (澴河) at the county seat, was completed in 1984. Its 21.8-metre monument copies the Monument to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square, and a second monument of 1998, shaped like a military map, marks the Central Plains breakout. The State Council listed the cemetery in 1986 among the first nationally protected martyrs' memorials.

Dawu Mountain (大悟山) rises to 813 metres; the county dates the old temple on its summit to the Tang. In autumn, Chinese tallow trees colour the Dabie Mountains (Dawu) Red Leaf Scenic Area (大别山（大悟）红叶景区) at Beishan village, Sigu (四姑镇), a 4A scenic area since 2023.

Food and local products

Dawu peanuts, Dawu tea and Dawu loach are national geographical-indication products. The county's pumpkin and loach soup (南瓜泥鳅汤) fries the loach until lightly golden, simmers it with ginger, then cooks sliced pumpkin in the broth until soft.

Highlights

• Xuanhuadian negotiation site 宣化店谈判旧址: Where Zhou Enlai met American and Nationalist representatives on 8 May 1946; a memorial hall since 1974.
• Hubei–Henan Border Region Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery 鄂豫边区革命烈士陵园: Completed 1984 on the Huan River; national protected martyrs' memorial since 1986.
• Dawu Mountain 大悟山: 813-metre mountain with an old summit temple dated by the county to the Tang.
• Dabie Mountains (Dawu) Red Leaf Scenic Area 大别山（大悟）红叶景区: Chinese tallow trees in autumn colour; 4A scenic area since 2023.