Qianshan District 千山区

History

The district government traces the area back to the Anshan post fort (鞍山驿堡), built in 1387 under the Ming. It stood midway along the chain of 12 post forts beyond the Shanhai Pass, and the district government calls it the cradle of culture in the Anshan area. The modern district began as Anshan's suburban district in 1960, was renamed Jiubao District (旧堡区) on 30 December 1983, and took the name Qianshan District in 1996. In 1997 three villages of Qianshan town (千山镇) were placed under the Mount Qian scenic area administration (千山风景区管理局).

What to see

The district government calls the Tanggangzi hot spring one of China's four great hot springs, and its hot mineral mud is billed as "Asia's finest mud". The Tanggangzi sanatorium was founded in 1904 and, in the district government's words, was the first hot-spring sanatorium of the new China. In the South Manchuria Railway and Manchukuo era, Chinese Wikipedia notes, the spring was known in the Japanese community as one of the "three great hot springs of Manchuria", and Puyi stayed at Tanggangzi in 1932 while waiting to become head of Manchukuo. Tanggangzi station on the Shenyang–Dalian railway dates from 1899.

Food and local products

The Nanguo pear is a national geographical-indication product, and the Anshan city government names Duizhuangshi village (对桩石村) in Qianshan as its place of origin. The Anshan–Mount Qian pear blossom festival has run for more than 30 years, and Datun town (大屯镇) is a national agricultural town for the pear. The district also calls itself China's largest base for growing and trading clivia (君子兰).

Highlights

• Tanggangzi hot springs 汤岗子温泉: Hot spring with a sanatorium founded in 1904; the district government says its hot mineral mud is billed as "Asia's finest mud".
• Anshan post fort 鞍山驿堡: Ming post fort of 1387, which the district government treats as its historical forerunner.
• Duizhuangshi village 对桩石村: Named by the Anshan city government as the home of the Nanguo pear.