Decheng District 德城区

History

Under the Western Han this was Ande County (安德县). In 583 the Sui renamed the commandery Dezhou, the first use of the name, and from 758 under the Tang it kept the name through later dynasties. It became Dexian (德县) in 1913 and a county-level Dezhou city in 1946; on 17 December 1994 that city became Decheng District of the new prefecture-level Dezhou. Old roads to Jinan (济南), Shijiazhuang (石家庄), Beijing and Tianjin and the canal earned it the nickname "nine roads to the heavenly thoroughfare, gateway to the capital" (九达天衢、神京门户).

What to see

The Tomb of King Sulu (苏禄王墓), in Beiying (北营) community, is the grave of the Eastern King of Sulu, from today's Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines. He led a mission of more than 340 people to the Yongle Emperor in 1417, fell ill on the way home and died at Anling (安陵), north of Dezhou; he was buried with princely rites, and a memorial stele composed by the emperor stands at the tomb. His consort and two sons stayed on, and in 1731 his descendants, surnamed Wen (温) and An (安), were registered as Dezhou residents. The tomb, with its shrine, stone figures along the spirit way and a mosque, has been a national key protected site since January 1988.

Other sites date from the Song and Yuan. The Dezhou kiln site (德州窑址), about 100 metres east of the old canal bed on Yingbin Road (迎宾路), has yielded Song and Yuan painted porcelain figures, ewers and pillows, and in 2006 a kiln with a horseshoe-shaped floor was found there. At Beichang (北厂) a sunken boat carrying Song and Yuan porcelain and copper coins is a city-level protected site.

Food and local products

Dezhou braised chicken (德州扒鸡) is the district's famous speciality. The district government describes Cui's version (崔记扒鸡), made since 1982: free-range chickens are trussed with the legs folded and the wings drawn out through the beak, brushed with sugar water, fried golden and then simmered slowly in a long-used master stock. Yongshengzhai (永盛斋) five-spice boneless chicken uses 16 seasonings, including amomum, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, star anise and cloves. Street foods include mutton-intestine soup (上汤羊肠子), said to come from the rations of Manchu banner garrisons, and soft tofu eaten from a bamboo slip under a sauce.

Getting oriented

Dezhou station on the Beijing–Shanghai railway and Dezhou East station on the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed line both serve the district, and National Road 104 passes through. Dezhou University (德州学院) is also here.

Highlights

• Tomb of King Sulu 苏禄王墓: Tomb of a Sulu king who died near Dezhou in 1417; national key protected site since 1988.
• Dezhou kiln site 德州窑址: Song–Yuan porcelain kiln near the old canal bed, with a kiln chamber found in 2006.
• Dezhou braised chicken 德州扒鸡: Trussed chicken fried and then simmered in a master stock.