Xiuyan Manchu Autonomous County 岫岩满族自治县

History

The Liao set up Daning town (大宁镇) north of the present county seat in 1115, and the Jin made it a county in 1193 under a name written with different characters (秀岩). The Ming gave it today's characters in 1375, the Qing made it a subprefecture in 1772, and it became a county again in 1913. The State Council created the Manchu autonomous county on 17 January 1985, and Xiuyan moved from Dandong (丹东) to Anshan in January 1992. The ruins of the mountain fortress on Wolong Mountain (卧龙山山城遗址), in Yangjiabao town (杨家堡镇), are a national key protected site.

What to see

Yaoshan (药山), the "medicine mountain", is a scenic area of 67.38 square kilometres 60 kilometres north of the county seat. More than forty peaks rise to Shihuading (石花顶) at 888.7 metres. A national survey recorded 486 kinds of medicinal herb here, and county tradition says Emperor Taizong of Tang renamed it in 645 after herbs cured his sick troops. Its temples include the Qinghua Temple (青华观) and Miaofeng Temple (妙峰寺). The Fengtian Gazetteer (奉天通志) records that in the Qing dynasty Yaoshan was counted among the four famous mountains of Fengtian (奉天).

Qingliang Mountain (清凉山), a national AAAA scenic area in Tanggou town (汤沟镇) in the northeast, rises to 1,141.5 metres at Maokui Mountain (帽盔山). It has a Liao-dynasty pagoda, an ice cave and a water cave with an underground river that visitors enter by boat.

The Xiuyan meteorite crater (岫岩陨石坑), in Gulong village of Suzigou town (苏子沟镇古龙村) 16 kilometres in a straight line from the county seat, is 1.8 kilometres across and 150 metres deep. In 2007 Professor Chen Ming (陈鸣) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences showed that a meteorite 60 to 100 metres wide made it about 50,000 years ago.

Crafts and local products

Xiuyan jade carving (岫岩玉雕) has been on the national intangible heritage list since 2006. Carved jade from Xiuyan has been found at Hongshan culture sites of five thousand years ago, and the local specialty is plain vessel work with linked rings and movable chains; a 3.15-metre jade incense tower from Xiuyan is kept in the Great Hall of the People. Xiuyan Manchu paper-cutting (岫岩满族剪纸) began when Manchu settled here in the early 17th century, and Xiuyan shadow puppetry (岫岩皮影戏) arrived in the Ming and Qing; both were listed in 2008. Xiuyan schisandra (岫岩辽五味子) is a national geographical-indication product.

Highlights

• Yaoshan 药山: Scenic area of forty-odd peaks and waterfalls, with 486 recorded medicinal herbs and old temples.
• Qingliang Mountain 清凉山: AAAA scenic area with a Liao pagoda, an ice cave and a boat-accessible water cave.
• Xiuyan meteorite crater 岫岩陨石坑: Crater 1.8 km across, made about 50,000 years ago, confirmed in 2007.
• Xiuyan jade carving 岫岩玉雕: National intangible heritage since 2006, known for linked rings and movable chains.
• Xiuyan Manchu paper-cutting 岫岩满族剪纸: Paper-cutting brought by Manchu settlers in the early 17th century.