Dongchangfu District 东昌府区

Setting and landscape

The district borders Dong'e (东阿) and Chiping (茌平) to the east, Yanggu (阳谷) to the south, Guan County (冠县) and Shen County (莘县) to the west and Linqing (临清) to the north. It is laced with 25 rivers, among them the Majia (马颊河), Zhougong (周公河) and Xixin (西新河), while the Grand Canal, the Tuhai River (徒骇河) and the eastern route of the South–North Water Diversion pass through the city. The district government calls Dongchang Lake, 6.3 square kilometres, the largest urban lake in northern China.

History

Liaocheng County was set up here under the Qin. In the Sui and Tang the town was the seat of Bozhou (博州); the Yuan made it the seat of Dongchang Circuit (东昌路), and under the Ming and Qing it was the seat of Dongchang Prefecture (东昌府). The county-level city of Liaocheng became Dongchangfu District in 1998. In 1372 the prefecture's earthen wall, inherited from the Song, began to be rebuilt in brick. Natives of the area include Fu Yijian (傅以渐), the Kangxi Emperor's first tutor, the book collector Yang Yizeng (杨以增) and the scholar Fu Sinian (傅斯年).

What to see

Guangyue Tower (光岳楼) stands at the very centre of the old town. It was built with timber left over from the new brick walls and first called the Leftover Wood Tower (余木楼); it took its present name in 1496. The four-eaved timber tower with a cross-ridged roof rises 33.38 metres including its base, and despite 17 repairs most of its main members are original. Qing records list it as one of the lodges used on the Qianlong Emperor's southern tours, and it became a national protected monument in 1988.

The Shan-Shaan Guild Hall (山陕会馆) on Dongguan Street (东关大街) was paid for by merchants from Shanxi and Shaanxi living in Liaocheng. Begun in 1743 and completed to its present extent by 1809, it faces east, with a gate, opera stage, offering hall, Guandi temple and Chunqiu Pavilion (春秋阁) on its axis. The district government singles out its openwork carving in wood, stone and brick; it was also listed nationally in 1988. Haiyuan Pavilion (海源阁), one of the four great Qing private libraries, once held more than 200,000 juan.

Getting oriented

Liaocheng Station is on the Beijing–Kowloon railway, while Liaocheng West Station serves the Jinan–Zhengzhou and Beijing–Hong Kong high-speed lines. The district is also known for carved gourds and is styled China's home of gourd-carving art.

Highlights

• Guangyue Tower 光岳楼: Ming timber tower at the centre of the old town, 33.38 m high with its base; national protected monument since 1988.
• Shan-Shaan Guild Hall 山陕会馆: Merchant guild hall of 1743–1809 on Dongguan Street, noted for openwork carving; national protected monument since 1988.
• Dongchang Lake 东昌湖: 6.3 sq km lake enclosing the old town.
• Haiyuan Pavilion 海源阁: One of the four great Qing private libraries, with more than 200,000 juan.