Yugan County 余干县

History

Yugan is usually dated to the Qin dynasty, when a county was set up in 221 BC; its name refers to the banks of the Yu River, the old name of the Xin. People's Daily recalls that after the Sui dynasty the rebel leader Lin Shihong (林士弘) fortified Shangmian Hill (上冕山) here after his defeat at Yuzhang. When Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元璋) fought Chen Youliang (陈友谅) on Poyang Lake at the end of the Yuan, the paper adds, Zhu chose Kangshan (康山) in Yugan for the Loyal Ministers' Temple (忠臣庙) in memory of his fallen commanders. The temple is still in use. In 1512 part of Yugan's land went to form the new county of Wannian (万年).

What to see

Pipa Lake (琵琶湖) in the county town is shaped like a pipa lute and hosts a national reserve training base for rowing and canoeing, with a lakeside running track open to residents when the athletes are not training. Near the town, Shenhu village (神湖村) has pavilions and arched bridges among willows, and at Yaopu Lijia (药铺李家) most of the 80 households trace their descent to the Southern Song general Li Xianzhong (李显忠), have lived by medicine for generations and grow dozens of herbs on the hills behind the village. In winter, migrant birds from Siberia, among them wild geese, white cranes and swans, come to Poyang Lake.

City-listed heritage sites include the tombs of Hu Juren (胡居仁墓) and Zhao Ruyu (赵汝愚墓), a Song-dynasty bridge at Gubu (古埠), the Loyal Ministers' Temple at Kangshan and cliff inscriptions at Xiaoshishan (小石山).

Food and local products

Yugan's best-known product is its chilli (余干辣椒), which People's Daily says was sent to the court as tribute in the Ming and Qing. The pods are small, thin-skinned and thick-fleshed, only moderately hot and slightly sweet when chewed. The most authentic are said to come from Lijia village at Fengshuxia (枫树下) in Hongjiazui township (洪家嘴乡), where the fields are built from sandy, mineral-rich silt laid down by the Xin River. Restaurants in Nanchang and Shanghai advertise stir-fried pork with Yugan chillies.

Getting oriented

Yugan borders Wannian to the east and Jinxian (进贤) and Nanchang counties to the west, with Duchang (都昌) across the lake. The Changwan highway (昌万公路), opened in 2004, puts the county 74 km by road from Nanchang. National road 206 runs through the east of the county, and national roads 236 and 353 also cross it.

Highlights

• Loyal Ministers' Temple, Kangshan 忠臣庙: Temple Zhu Yuanzhang chose to build at Kangshan for commanders killed in the Poyang Lake war; city-listed heritage site.
• Pipa Lake 琵琶湖: Lute-shaped lake in the county town with a national reserve training base for rowing and canoeing.
• Yaopu Lijia village 药铺李家: Village of families descended from the Song general Li Xianzhong, known for generations of herbal medicine.
• Yugan chilli 余干辣椒: Small, thick-fleshed, mildly hot chilli once sent as tribute; the most authentic is said to grow on Xin River silt at Lijia village.