Dexing 德兴市

Setting and landscape

Kaihua County (开化县) in Zhejiang lies to the east, Wuyuan (婺源) to the north, Leping (乐平) to the west, and Hengfeng (横峰) and Yiyang (弋阳) to the south. Most of the land is mountainous, with the Huaiyu Mountains (怀玉山) across the south and a small area of low hills in the west; the Le'an River (乐安江) is the main river. The city government sits in Yincheng subdistrict (银城街道). Wikipedia describes the Dexing Copper Mine (德兴铜矿) as China's largest copper mine and Asia's largest open-pit copper mine; a freight line, the Le–De railway (乐德铁路), serves it.

History

People lived here in the Neolithic. The area belonged to Jiujiang Commandery (九江郡) under the Qin and Yuzhang Commandery (豫章郡) under the Han. Dexing County was created in 938 under the Southern Tang and placed in Raozhou (饶州), to which it belonged through the Yuan, Ming and Qing. Its name comes from a phrase meaning that the treasures of the mountains and rivers flourish only through virtue. The county came under the Shangrao region in 1949 and became a county-level city in 1990.

What to see

Sanqingshan (三清山), a Taoist mountain on the south-east border with Yushan County (玉山县), was inscribed on the World Heritage List in July 2008. Damaoshan (大茅山), in the Huaiyu range where Huaqiao (花桥镇), Longtoushan (龙头山乡) and Rao'er (绕二镇) meet, rises to 1,392 metres; it became a national scenic area in October 2012. Its scenic area has three parts: the main mountain, Wufeng Cave (梧风洞) south of the summit, known for oddly shaped rocks, clear pools and streams and revolutionary sites, and Shuangxi Lake (双溪湖), a reservoir south-west of the peak. Haikou (海口镇) is described as a thousand-year-old town, with an ancient camphor tree among its sights.

Getting oriented

Dexing station, near Longtoushan, is on the Hefei–Fuzhou high-speed railway, and Dexing East station, near Xingangshan (新岗山镇), is on the Jiujiang–Quzhou railway. The Jingdezhen–Wuyuan–Changshan expressway (景婺常高速公路) also passes Xingangshan.

Highlights

• Sanqingshan 三清山: Taoist mountain on the Dexing–Yushan border, on the World Heritage List since July 2008.
• Damaoshan 大茅山: 1,392-metre peak of the Huaiyu range; national scenic area since 2012.
• Wufeng Cave 梧风洞: Part of the Damaoshan scenic area, with unusual rocks, pools, streams and revolutionary sites.
• Haikou town 海口镇: Described as a thousand-year-old town, with an old camphor tree.