Tiedong District 铁东区

What to see

Yehe Manchu town (叶赫满族镇) lies 30 kilometres from the Siping urban area. The district government describes it as one of the homelands of the Manchus and the birthplace of Empress Xiaocigao (孝慈高皇后), mother of Hong Taiji (皇太极), and as the ancestral home of the Empresses Cixi (慈禧) and Longyu (隆裕) and of the poet Nalan Xingde (纳兰性德). The Kangxi emperor passed through Yehe twice on his eastern tours; a well used on those tours survives, and the villages of Yingpan (营盘村) and Wolong (卧龙屯) take their names from where his troops camped and where he stayed.

Yehe Nala City (叶赫那拉城) is a 4A scenic area that the district government also lists as a national protected site. Its halls include an empress hall, a Cixi exhibition, a Nalan Xingde culture hall and halls for trying on Manchu dress, sand writing and paper-cutting. At Shanmen town (山门镇), Erlang Shanzhuang (二郎山庄), a 3A scenic area, sits on Banla Mountain (半拉山), 293 metres above sea level; legend says the deity Erlang split the hill with his whip. On the hill a 150-metre corridor in old style runs between pavilions and a gate, and an altar holds a white jade statue of Erlang with his whip and hound. Zhuanshan Lake (转山湖) is ringed by hills and was named one of 100 natural forest parks by the national forestry ministry, and the district also holds the Shanmen Mesozoic national nature reserve (山门中生代国家级自然保护区).

History

Tiedong District was approved by the Jilin government on 22 December 1983. Its factories were known nationally for combine harvesters, blowers and special vehicles, and the district government states that China's first large self-propelled grain combine harvester was built here.

Getting oriented

The district borders Lishu County (梨树县) to the north and Liaoyuan (辽源) to the east. The Beijing–Harbin, Siping–Meihekou and Siping–Qiqihar railways meet here, and the Harbin–Dalian high-speed railway and the Changchun–Dalian expressway pass through the district.

Highlights

• Yehe Nala City 叶赫那拉城: 4A scenic area with halls on the empresses, Cixi and Nalan Xingde.
• Erlang Shanzhuang 二郎山庄: 3A scenic area on Banla Mountain (293 m above sea level) at Shanmen town, with a 150-metre old-style corridor and a white jade statue of Erlang.
• Zhuanshan Lake 转山湖: Hill-ringed lake named one of 100 natural forest parks by the forestry ministry.