Hanshou County 汉寿县

Setting and landscape

Plain makes up 49.07% of the county, hills 27.05% and water 23.88%. Each year more than 100 billion cubic metres of water pass through, most of it from the Yuan, while water from the Yangtze's Songzi and Taiping outlets crosses the county into West Dongting Lake (西洞庭湖), also called Muping Lake (目平湖). The county has 70 lakes, and its Nanhu flood-diversion channel (南湖撇洪河), 50.45 kilometres long, is described by the county government as the largest man-made flood-diversion channel in China.

Protected areas include the West Dongting Lake National Nature Reserve (西洞庭湖国家级自然保护区), the Xifeng Lake National Wetland Park (息风湖国家湿地公园) and the Zhuhai National Forest Park (竹海国家森林公园), along with the Qingshan Lake migratory bird park (青山湖候鸟公园) and the Changde Wildlife World (常德野生动物世界).

History

The area belonged to Chu in the Warring States period and to Qianzhong Commandery (黔中郡) under the Qin. In the Western Han it was part of Suo County (索县), which the Eastern Han renamed Hanshou. The county government counts the area among the heirs of Chu culture and as the birthplace of Canglang culture (沧浪文化), alongside a dragon-boat tradition, and notes that Qu Yuan (屈原), Li Bai (李白) and Liu Yuxi (刘禹锡) wrote poems here. The revolutionary Shuai Mengqi (帅孟奇) grew up here, and the county names it as the place where the astronaut Zhang Lu (张陆) began pursuing his dream.

Food and local products

Hanshou calls itself China's home of the soft-shelled turtle (甲鱼). Hanshou soft-shelled turtle and Hanshou Yubi lotus root (汉寿玉臂藕) are both national geographical-indication products, and turtle farming and vegetables are among the county's main industries.

Getting oriented

National Highway 319 runs north to south through the county, and two railways, the Shimen–Changsha Railway (石长铁路) and the Changde–Yiyang–Changsha high-speed line (常益长高铁), and two expressways, the Changsha–Zhangjiajie Expressway (长张高速) and a second Yiyang–Changde expressway (益常高速复线), cross it. Boats can reach the Yangtze by way of the Yuan and Li rivers.

Highlights

• West Dongting Lake National Nature Reserve 西洞庭湖国家级自然保护区: National nature reserve on West Dongting Lake, which takes in water from the Yangtze's Songzi and Taiping outlets.
• Xifeng Lake National Wetland Park 息风湖国家湿地公园: One of three protected natural areas in the county.
• Nanhu flood-diversion channel 南湖撇洪河: 50.45 km channel, described by the county government as the largest man-made flood-diversion work in China.
• Hanshou soft-shelled turtle 汉寿甲鱼: National geographical-indication product.
• Hanshou Yubi lotus root 汉寿玉臂藕: Lotus root that shares national geographical-indication status with the Hanshou turtle.