Nancheng County 南城县

Setting and landscape

Hills rise on the eastern and western sides of the county, with a river valley running north to south between them; the Xu River crosses the whole county from south to north and passes the county town. Hongmen Lake (洪门湖), a reservoir in Hongmen town (洪门镇) 16 km from the county town, holds 1,086 islands and is a national wetland park; the county government calls it the third-largest reservoir in Jiangxi. Its shores show Danxia landforms, which the Ming traveller Xu Xiake (徐霞客) described as sheer rock cliffs standing like screens above the fields.

History

A county was set up here in 202 BC, and the county government lists Nancheng among the 18 oldest counties in Jiangxi. The Northern Song made it the seat of Jianchang Military Prefecture (建昌军) in 978, and in 1369 the Ming made it the seat of Jianchang Prefecture (建昌府). Zhu Youbin (朱祐槟), Prince Duan of Yi (益端王) and a sixth-generation descendant of the Ming founder, held his fief here. The Song educator Li Gou (李觏) and the Ming educator Luo Rufang (罗汝芳) taught in Nancheng, and the county counts more than 620 imperial degree holders (进士) since the Song.

What to see

Mount Magu, west of the county town, is a national 4A scenic area. The legends of Magu offering birthday wishes and of the sea turning into mulberry fields are set here. Visitors can see the twin waterfall known as Yulian Shuangfei (玉练双飞, 'two jade ribbons flying'), the Lugong Stele (鲁公碑), the Banshan Pavilion (半山亭) and the Xiandu Taoist temple (仙都观). Nancheng's heritage also includes the Tang calligrapher Yan Zhenqing's (颜真卿) record of the Magu immortal altar, praised as the finest regular-script calligraphy under heaven. Elsewhere in the county are the Wannian Bridge (万年桥), the Juxing Pagoda (聚星塔), the tomb groups of the Ming princes of Yi, and the Beijie (北街) and Jiangjunling (将军岭) historic blocks.

Food and local products

Nancheng rice noodles (南城水粉) are thin and translucent like silver thread. Local legend says Magu offered them to the Queen Mother of the West, so they are also called longevity noodles and are served at housewarmings, weddings and above all birthday banquets. Magu wine (麻姑酒) is brewed from Mount Magu glutinous rice and spring water with more than 20 herbs, including heshouwu (首乌) and lingzhi mushroom (灵芝), and is sealed for at least three years.

Getting oriented

The Xiangtang–Putian railway (向莆铁路), the Fuzhou–Yinchuan (福银高速) and Jinan–Guangzhou (济广高速) expressways and national highways 206 and 316 all cross the county.

Highlights

• Mount Magu 麻姑山: National 4A scenic area west of the county town, with the Yulian Shuangfei twin waterfall and the Lugong Stele.
• Hongmen Lake 洪门湖: Reservoir with 1,086 islands and Danxia cliffs; a national wetland park.
• Juxing Pagoda 聚星塔: Listed with the Wannian Bridge among the county's historic sights.
• Nancheng rice noodles 南城水粉: Fine rice noodles served at birthday banquets as longevity noodles.
• Magu wine 麻姑酒: Glutinous-rice wine brewed with Mount Magu spring water and over 20 herbs, aged at least three years.