Yongxing County 永兴县

History

The Western Han set up Bian County (便县) here in 202 BC, naming it after the Bian River. It was merged into Chen County (郴县) in 420, restored in 559 and merged again in 589. In 725 the Tang created Anling County (安陵县) from four districts north of Chen County; later renamed Gaoting (高亭), it became Yongxing in 1073, under the Song, on the proposal of the Chenzhou prefect Li Shixie (李士燮).

What to see

Banliang Ancient Village (板梁古村) in Gaotingsi town (高亭司镇) was founded in 1358, under the Yuan dynasty, and grew in the Ming and Qing. All its families share the surname Liu (刘) and claim descent from the Han founder Liu Bang (刘邦). The village backs onto Xiangshan hill (象山) and faces the Ban stream (板溪), and is laid out around three ancestral halls, the lower, middle and upper village halls. More than 360 old houses of grey brick and dark tile survive, together with a pagoda, temples, pavilions, an old private school, an old shopping street and an old money shop, and rich wood, stone and brick carving.

Banliang was named in the first batch of Chinese traditional villages in 2012. Its middle village hall (中村宗祠) is a national key cultural relic protection unit, and the village is a national 4A-level scenic area. It keeps the Zhou-rite banquet (周礼古宴), a provincial intangible heritage item: a welcoming ceremony and feast held for weddings and funerals that combines ritual, music, singing and food.

The Bian River is a national water-conservancy scenic area, and the county's plan for a Danxia landform leisure town (便江丹霞地貌休闲度假小镇) is built around it. Yuelai Hot Spring (悦来温泉), a national 3A-level scenic area, is described in a study published by the Hunan Department of Finance as Chenzhou's first paired hot spring, with water emerging at 55°C.

Food and local products

Yongxing brands itself China's silver capital. Bailin town (柏林镇) is the centre of its gold and silver refining. In Huangni town (黄泥镇), rock-sugar oranges (冰糖橙) are the leading crop; Yongxing rock-sugar oranges are a national geographical-indication product, and the town has a theme park devoted to them.

Getting oriented

The Beijing–Guangzhou Railway, the Beijing–Zhuhai Expressway, National Highway 107 and Provincial Highway 212 cross the county, and the Bian River is navigable all year. Banliang is 12 kilometres from the Matian (马田) interchange of the Beijing–Hong Kong–Macau Expressway.

Highlights

• Banliang Ancient Village 板梁古村: Liu-clan village founded in 1358 with over 360 old houses and three ancestral halls; national key protected middle hall and national 4A-level scenic area.
• Zhou-rite banquet 周礼古宴: Provincial intangible heritage: Banliang's ceremonial feast for weddings and funerals.
• Bian River 便江: National water-conservancy scenic area on the upper Lei River; gave the first county its name in 202 BC.
• Yuelai Hot Spring 悦来温泉: National 3A-level scenic area; paired hot spring with water at 55°C.
• Yongxing rock-sugar oranges 冰糖橙: National geographical-indication product, the leading crop of Huangni town.