Xifeng County 西丰县

Setting and landscape

The land is high in the east and low in the west, and the county describes itself as seven parts hills to half a part water and two parts fields. More than 180 rivers and streams cross it. The largest, the Kou River (寇河), and the Nianpan River (碾盘河) in the south belong to the upper Liao River (辽河) system, while the Zhuzui River (猪咀河) in the north joins the East Liao. Winters are severe: snow lies for about 130 days, and the recorded low is −43.4 °C.

History

The Xichagou tombs (西岔沟古墓群) show that the area was an important centre of the northern Xiongnu in the early Western Han; weapons, horse gear and clothing from the site are displayed in the national history museum in Beijing. After Nurhaci (努尔哈赤) destroyed the Yehe (叶赫) in 1619, the area was closed off as part of the Qing imperial hunting grounds. It was reopened in 1896, settlers were invited to farm from 1897, and the county was created in 1902.

What to see

Chengzishan (城子山), 27 km south-east of the county town, has a mountain fortress built in the early-to-middle Western Han, important for the history of the Goguryeo and Fuyu (夫余) peoples. It became a national heritage site in 2013 and a national 4A scenic area in 2022; its 760-metre main peak is the second highest in northern Liaoning. Binglashan National Forest Park (冰砬山国家森林公园), where Liaoning's Xifeng and Qingyuan meet Jilin's Dongfeng, rises to 870.2 metres, the highest peak in northern Liaoning. Longhushan (龙虎山), 3 km from the county town, is a ski area with three runs.

Food and local products

Sika deer have been bred here for 300 years, and the Qing court made Xifeng the site of its royal deer park. Xifeng deer antler velvet (西丰鹿茸) is a protected geographical-indication product, and the county holds a large market for deer products, ginseng, forest frogs and herbs. Xifeng is also a centre of tussah (oak) silkworm rearing. Manchu dishes appear on tables from homes to hotels, and a folk rhyme handed down since the late Qing lists dishes such as blood sausage (血肠), and pork stewed with sour cabbage and glass noodles.

Highlights

• Chengzishan fortress 城子山山城: Western Han mountain fortress, national heritage site since 2013, inside a national 4A scenic area.
• Binglashan National Forest Park 冰砬山国家森林公园: Forest park on the Liaoning–Jilin border; its 870.2-metre summit is the highest in northern Liaoning.
• Xichagou tombs 西岔沟古墓群: Western Han cemetery linked to the northern Xiongnu, with finds shown in Beijing.
• Xifeng deer antler velvet 西丰鹿茸: Protected geographical-indication product from the county's 300-year sika deer tradition.