Suichuan County 遂川县

Setting and landscape

Wikipedia describes the county as having many mountains and little farmland, its ground shaped like a winnowing basket open to the northeast: middle mountains in the southwest give way to low mountains, hills and river-valley plains towards the northeast. The Wanyang (万洋山脉) and Zhuguang (诸广山山脉) ranges run northeast from the western edge, with five peaks above 2,000 metres. Nanfengmian, at 2,120.4 metres, is the county's highest point; the county government calls it the highest peak on the Hunan-Jiangxi border. The two largest rivers, the Suichuan River (遂川江) and the Shu River (蜀水), flow northeast into the Gan River (赣江).

The county government lists three national protected areas: Nanfengmian National Nature Reserve, Luoxiao Mountain Grand Canyon National Forest Park (罗霄山大峡谷国家森林公园) and Wudoujiang National Wetland Park (五斗江国家湿地公园). It also describes a bird migration corridor through the county, the "thousand-year bird path" (千年鸟道), as the second largest in China.

History

The county government dates the first county here to 199, in the Jian'an era of the Eastern Han; earlier names include Suixing, Xinxing, Longquan and Quanjiang. In 960 the Southern Tang raised the Longquan outpost to Longquan County (龙泉县), and the name Suichuan dates from 1914. Suichuan formed part of the Jinggangshan (井冈山) revolutionary base, and Mao Zedong set up the Suichuan County Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Government (遂川县工农兵政府) here; according to Wikipedia its former site is a Jiangxi provincial protected site.

What to see and eat

The Taoyuan terraces (桃源梯田) are high mountain terraces at Taoyuan village (桃源村) in Zuo'an town (左安镇). People's Daily Online reported in 2022 that the county repaired 72 old houses in the village left after relocation, decorating them with old steamers, stone rollers, roof tiles and straw rain capes, and planted cherry, red maple and peach trees along channels and paths.

The county calls itself a home of famous Chinese tea, and Gougunao tea is a Chinese geographical indication product.

Highlights

• Nanfengmian 南风面: 2,120.4-metre peak, the county's highest point and a national nature reserve.
• Taoyuan terraces 桃源梯田: High mountain terraces at Taoyuan village in Zuo'an town.
• Gougunao tea 狗牯脑茶: The county's tea, a Chinese geographical indication product.
• Suichuan County Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Government site 遂川县工农兵政府旧址: Site of the revolutionary county government set up by Mao Zedong; provincial protected site.