Get to know Huyi District
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- Administrative area
- District · 市辖区
- Part of
- Xi’an
- Chinese name
- 鄠邑区
- Local areas
- District guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 1,282.00 km²
- Population · 2019
- 564,600
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
The district covers 1,279.43 square kilometres of the central Guanzhong Plain (关中平原), up to 53 kilometres north to south. Backed by the Qinling to the south, it borders Ningshan County (宁陕县) in Ankang (安康); across the Wei it faces Xingping (兴平). The Gaoguan (高冠河) and Feng (沣河) rivers mark the boundary with Chang'an District (长安区) to the east, and the Baima River (白马河) the boundary with Zhouzhi County (周至县) to the west. Thirty-six rivers rise in the mountains and gather into four systems, the Lao (涝河), Ganyu (甘峪河), Taiping (太平河) and Gaoguan; the Lao flows north into the Wei.
The district has two national forest parks, Zhuque (朱雀) and Taiping (太平), and the Jinlong Gorge (金龙峡) national water scenic area. The district also grows the "Huxian grape" (户县葡萄) on about 66,000 mu (亩) of vineyards.
History
Carbonised rice found in grain pits at the Zhangnan (丈南) and Ganhe (甘河) Neolithic sites shows farming here six to seven thousand years ago. The area was the Hu (有扈氏) state under the Xia and the Chong (崇) state under the Shang, and Hu County was set up after Qin moved its capital to Xianyang (咸阳) in 350 BC. In September 1964 the State Council approved a change in how the county's name was written (户 for 鄠), and the old form came back when the county became Huyi District in December 2016.
What to see
Caotang Temple (草堂寺), at the foot of Guifeng Mountain (圭峰山), was founded in 401 for the monk Kumarajiva (鸠摩罗什), who taught and translated sutras there; it is honoured as the ancestral temple of the Sanlun (三论宗) school. Kumarajiva's stupa, known as the Eight Treasures Jade Stupa (八宝玉石塔), became a national protected site in 2001, and the grounds keep the "Smoke Well" (烟雾井), whose mist was one of the Eight Views of Guanzhong.
At Zu'an (祖庵镇), Chongyang Palace (重阳宫) is where Wang Chongyang (王重阳), founder of the Quanzhen (全真) school of Taoism, practised and was buried, and it counts among Quanzhen's three ancestral temples. Its Zu'an stele collection, gathered in 1962, holds more than 40 steles, 31 of them large Yuan-dynasty steles, including imperial edicts in 'Phags-pa script, Persian and Chinese. The district government also names the Gongshu Hall (公输堂) for its craftsmanship and Meibei Lake (渼陂), where Du Fu (杜甫), Cen Shen (岑参) and Su Shi (苏轼) went boating.
Huyi calls itself a home of modern Chinese folk painting, of drum dance and of Go.
Highlights
- Caotang Temple 草堂寺: Founded in 401 for Kumarajiva; his stupa is a national protected site (2001).
- Chongyang Palace 重阳宫: Burial place of Wang Chongyang, founder of Quanzhen Taoism, with more than 40 steles.
- Zhuque National Forest Park 朱雀国家森林公园: One of the district's two national forest parks.
- Taiping National Forest Park 太平国家森林公园: The district's other national forest park.
- Huxian grape 户县葡萄: Grown on about 66,000 mu of vineyards.
Sources for this guide
鄠邑概况-西安市鄠邑区人民政府 · Huyi District People's Government, Xi'an
历史沿革-西安市鄠邑区人民政府 · Huyi District People's Government, Xi'an
自然地理-西安市鄠邑区人民政府 · Huyi District People's Government, Xi'an
草堂寺 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
重阳宫 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Huyi District
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Huyi District
Caotang Temple · 草堂寺. Photo: 2015-02-22 09:29:01.Caotang Temple草堂寺
Caotang Temple lies below Guifeng on the northern edge of the Qinling. It is associated with Kumārajīva’s early fifth-century Buddhist translation work. The small, elaborately carved relic stupa attributed to him contrasts with…
Read the place guide →
AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非该地点实拍）Taiping National Forest Park太平国家森林公园
Taiping National Forest Park (太平国家森林公园) lies within Taiping Gully in Huyi District, Xi'an, Shaanxi. It is a national 4A-grade tourist scenic area and a core scenic area of the Qinling Zhongnanshan Global Geopark, and is known for its waterfalls and for a spring display of Chinese redbud.
Read the place guide →
AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非该地点实拍）Zhuque National Forest Park朱雀国家森林公园
Qinling forest park in Xi'an's Huyi District, 26.21 km² in five scenic areas, core of the Zhongnanshan geopark, with a track to Bingjing Peak.
Read the place guide →Plan your visit
Getting there
Huyi District is about 35 km in a straight line from central Xi’an. Search for 鄠邑区 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Caotang Temple and Taiping National Forest Park are both listed here. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Xi’an →More in Xi’an
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 草堂寺 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 重阳宫 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Caotang Temple · Acstar · CC BY-SA 4.0. Converted to WebP and resized without changing the subject or cropping the source frame.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.