Yifeng County 宜丰县

Setting and landscape

The land slopes from the Jiuling range in the northwest towards the southeast, where the Jin River (锦江) crosses the south of the county, with Gao'an (高安) to the east, Shanggao (上高) to the south, Wanzai (万载) to the west and Tonggu (铜鼓) to the northwest. Guanshan (官山), a national nature reserve closed off for more than 400 years, now serves as a site for releasing giant pandas to the wild. Yifeng was among the first ten counties named a home of bamboo in China, and groves of golden-thread nanmu (金丝楠木) grow in several townships.

History

Yifeng became a county under the Wu state between 222 and 229. From 981 it was called Xinchang (新昌), and in 1914 it took back the name Yifeng because Zhejiang already had a Xinchang. The Northern Song poet-monk Huihong (惠洪) wrote "Lengzhai Yehua" (冷斋夜话), a collection of notes that is the source of many Chinese idioms. The former home of Xiong Xiong (熊雄), head of the political department at the Whampoa Military Academy, stands at Fangxi (芳溪) and is a provincial protected site.

What to see

At Dongshan (洞山), the monk Liangjie (良价) founded Guangfu Temple (广福寺), later renamed Puli Temple (普利寺), between 847 and 859; the name Caodong joins Dongshan with Caoshan, where his disciple taught. Fengqu Bridge (逢渠桥) marks where Liangjie is said to have reached enlightenment on seeing his reflection while wading a stream; it is a Song bridge, one of three left in Jiangxi, and a national key cultural relic.

Huangbo Mountain (黄檗山) is where the Tang master Xiyun (希运, died 850) taught; his pupil Linji Yixuan (临济义玄) later founded the Linji school at Zhengding in Hebei. Tianbao (天宝), a provincial historic and cultural village, has over a hundred clan halls and 17 stone archways; a Shang-dynasty bronze nao bell found at Xinhui village (辛会村) in 1985 was the first large Shang bronze discovered in Jiangxi. Jingjue Temple (净觉寺) on Wufeng Mountain (五峰山) dates from the Liu Song period of the Southern Dynasties.

Food and local products

Yifeng's bamboo shoots are a national geographical-indication product, and the county is listed as a Chinese home of honey. Root carving, bamboo work and wool embroidery (绒绣) are its three signature crafts.

Highlights

• Dongshan Puli Temple 洞山普利寺: Founded by Liangjie in 847–859; founding temple of the Caodong school.
• Fengqu Bridge 逢渠桥: Song-dynasty bridge at Dongshan; national key cultural relic.
• Huangbo Mountain 黄檗山: Where Xiyun, teacher of the Linji school's founder, taught.
• Tianbao village 天宝: Provincial historic village with over a hundred clan halls and 17 stone archways.
• Guanshan Nature Reserve 官山: Forest closed off for over 400 years; a giant panda release site.