Xiaochang County 孝昌县

Setting and landscape

The land is high in the north and low in the south. Low mountains of 500 to 1,000 metres fill the north-east, gentle low hills cover the south-west, and only a narrow alluvial plain follows the Huan River. Huangpi District (黄陂区) of Wuhan lies to the east, Yunmeng (云梦县) and Anlu (安陆市) to the west, Xiaonan District (孝南区) to the south, and Dawu County (大悟县) and Guangshui (广水市) to the north. The plum-rain season usually runs from mid-June to mid-July and is often followed by hot, dry weather.

History

The county was created in AD 454 by the Liu Song emperor Liu Jun (刘骏), who named it Xiaochang, "flourishing filial piety", to honour a district known for devoted sons. Local stories of Dong Yong (董永), Huang Xiang (黄香) and Meng Zong (孟宗) were later collected in the Yuan-dynasty Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars (二十四孝). In 924 the Later Tang renamed the county Xiaogan to avoid the name of the emperor's grandfather, Li Guochang (李国昌); this is the origin of the name of today's prefecture. In May 1949 the Hubei provincial Communist Party committee and provincial government were set up at Huayuan. The present county was formed in 1993 from the northern part of the former county-level city of Xiaogan.

What to see

The Ming–Qing old street of Xiaohe (小河镇明清古街) runs for 1,600 metres and keeps 328 Ming and Qing buildings; it was entered on the list of Chinese traditional villages in 2013. Along it stand the Huizhou-style Hu family compound (胡家大院), the Zhang family compound (张家大院), which was the home of the scholar Zhang Liming (张立民), and the Dongyue Temple (东岳庙), where the Communist Party's Xiaogan central county committee was founded. Zhang Yuyi (张玉义), a provincial-level heritage bearer, keeps a studio on the street where visitors try carved paper-cutting.

Food and local products

Xiaohe is known for hongzui ("red-mouth") spinach (红嘴菠菜), mutton hotpot and a traditional sixteen-bowl banquet (十六大碗). Around the county, Huayuan braised pork (花园红烧肉) is the dish that anchors the New Year table.

Highlights

• Xiaohe Ming–Qing old street 小河镇明清古街: 1,600-metre street with 328 Ming and Qing buildings; listed as a Chinese traditional village in 2013.
• Dongyue Temple, Xiaohe 东岳庙: Where the Communist Party's Xiaogan central county committee was founded.
• Xiaohe hongzui spinach 红嘴菠菜: Signature vegetable of Xiaohe town.
• Huayuan braised pork 花园红烧肉: The centrepiece dish of the New Year meal in Xiaochang.