Songshan District 松山区

History

In 1013 the Liao set up Songshan County (松山县), with its seat at today's Chengzi village in Chengzi township (城子乡), and the Jin, Yuan and Ming kept it. Under the Qing the area belonged to the Ongniud Right Wing Banner (翁牛特右翼旗), whose seat moved to today's Wangyefu village in Wangfu (王府镇). Chifeng County was created in 1778, with its seat at Chifeng Street, now in Hongshan District. After being merged with and split from the city in 1947 and 1948, it became Chifeng's suburban district in 1983, and in 1993 it took the old Liao name Songshan.

The district's local-history office calls Songshan the core area and naming place of the Hongshan culture (红山文化), dated to about 4710 to 2920 BC: the Hongshanhou site (红山后遗址) at Xishuidi (西水地), then in Chifeng County, was excavated on a large scale in 1935 and gave the culture its name in 1954. Xiajiadian village (夏家店村), where a two-layered site was found in 1960, gave its name to two Bronze Age cultures: the Lower Xiajiadian culture of about 1900 to 1400 BC, known for stone-walled hill towns, and the Upper Xiajiadian culture of about 1000 to 300 BC.

What to see

Kuijia Mountain (盔甲山), at 1,498 metres, is listed by the district government as the second-highest peak in Chifeng. Its name, "armour mountain", comes from a story that the Kangxi Emperor, touring north in 1698, rode to the top and took off his armour. Secondary forest of birch, pine and linden covers nearly ten thousand hectares around it.

Huangjia Mandian (皇家漫甸), "imperial meadow", lies in Dafuyingzi township (大夫营子乡) 120 kilometres from the city; the district government describes it as the grassland closest to the city. Tradition holds that Kangxi hunted here as part of the Mulan hunting grounds (木兰围场). Dangpudi (当铺地) village, in the district's Manchu ethnic township, is a national model of forestry work, and its former Party secretary Chen Hongen (陈洪恩) was held up as a model of sand control; the township has developed it as a folk village with Manchu decoration and snacks.

Highlights

• Kuijia Mountain 盔甲山: 1,498 m peak named after a story of the Kangxi Emperor removing his armour in 1698.
• Huangjia Mandian 皇家漫甸: Grassland in Dafuyingzi, 120 km from the city, linked by tradition to the Mulan hunting grounds.
• Dangpudi Folk Village 当铺地民俗村: National model forestry village developed as a Manchu folk village.
• Xiajiadian 夏家店: Village whose 1960 excavation named the Lower and Upper Xiajiadian cultures.