Hanyin County 汉阴县

Setting and landscape

The county government describes a "three mountains, two valleys" structure. From north to south come the Qinling, the Yue River valley, Phoenix Mountain, the Han valley and the Daba range. Altitude runs from 290 metres, where the Han leaves the county at Xuanwo (漩涡镇), to 2,128 metres on the main peak of Phoenix Mountain; the county town sits in the middle of the Yue valley at 360 metres. Neighbours are Hanbin (汉滨区) to the east, Ziyang (紫阳) to the south, Shiquan (石泉) to the west and Ningshan (宁陕) to the north.

History

The Western Han set up a county here called Anyang (安阳). The name Hanyin dates from 757, when the seat stood on the south bank of the Han: by old convention the south side of a river is its yin side. In 1132 the seat moved to Xindian (新店) on the north bank of the Yue, the present site, and the name was kept. Hanyin is the home county of Shen Shiyuan (沈士远), Shen Yinmo (沈尹默) and Shen Jianshi (沈兼士), who were all professors at Peking University in 1917. The Three Shens Memorial Hall (三沈纪念馆) in the county town displays their writings and calligraphy.

What to see

The Fengyan terraces at Xuanwo cover more than 12,000 mu (about 800 hectares) in their core area. The terraces lie at 500 to 650 metres, run to about 300 steps on a single slope and are watered by gravity from four mountain streams. Qing houses and forts such as the Wu family's Flower House (吴家花屋) and the Feng family fort (冯家堡子) survive among them. The site is a national key cultural relics protection unit and joined the World Heritage Irrigation Structures list in September 2024.

Shuanghekou Ancient Town (双河口古镇) grew up in the early Ming where the Loufang (楼房河) and Lishu (梨树河) rivers meet, and served as a trading post on the route between Xi'an and Ankang. Its flagstone streets, wooden shopfronts and courtyard houses keep a Ming and Qing street plan.

Food and local products

Blood tofu (血豆腐干) is made in the twelfth lunar month: fresh tofu is crumbled, mixed with minced pork and fresh pig's blood, shaped into balls and smoked over cypress branches and orange peel for about half a month until it is black outside and red inside. It is sliced and dressed with sesame oil, vinegar and garlic, or stir-fried with cured pork, dried tofu and peppers.

Highlights

• Fengyan terraced fields 凤堰梯田: Gravity-watered terraces at Xuanwo; World Heritage Irrigation Structure since 2024.
• Shuanghekou Ancient Town 双河口古镇: Early-Ming trading town at the meeting of the Loufang and Lishu rivers.
• Three Shens Memorial Hall 三沈纪念馆: Museum in the county town for the brothers Shen Shiyuan, Shen Yinmo and Shen Jianshi.
• Blood tofu 血豆腐干: Tofu, pork and pig's blood smoked over cypress and orange peel for about half a month.