Lanshan District 兰山区

History

The town began in 492 BC under Duke Ai of Lu (鲁哀公) as Qiyang (启阳). The Western Han made it a county and renamed it Kaiyang (开阳) to avoid the personal name of Emperor Jing, Liu Qi (刘启). From AD 80, when it became the capital of Liu Jing (刘京), Prince of Langya, it served as the seat of Langya (琅琊) commandery and kingdom. Under the Sui it took the name Linyi, "facing the Yi", because the river runs along the east side of the city. The Qing set up Lanshan County here as the seat of Yizhou prefecture (沂州府), and in 1914 Lanshan County was renamed Linyi County.

What to see

The Yinqueshan Han Tombs Bamboo Slips Museum (银雀山汉墓竹简博物馆) on Yimeng Road stands on the site where tombs 1 and 2 yielded a large find of bamboo slips in April 1972. The texts included Sunzi's Art of War (孙子兵法) together with Sun Bin's Art of War (孙膑兵法), which had been lost for more than a thousand years. The museum opened in 1989, and new galleries opened in September 2021.

Wang Xizhi's Former Residence (王羲之故居) on Xiyanchi Street is where the calligrapher was born in Langya Linyi (琅琊临沂) in 303 and where he lived until his family moved south. When his family moved south to Jiankang (建康, now Nanjing) in 315, the house was given up to become a Buddhist temple, later called Puzhao Chan Temple (普照禅寺). Expansion work in 2003 uncovered the Xiyanchi Jin tombs (洗砚池晋墓), listed among the ten major archaeological discoveries of that year and made a national protected site in 2006.

The East China Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery (华东革命烈士陵园), begun in April 1949, covers 15 hectares and faces south, with a memorial tower and hall on its central axis. It was in the first group of national key martyrs' memorials listed by the State Council in October 1986.

Food and local products

The district government compares Linyi fried chicken (临沂炒鸡) to Peking duck in Beijing. The chicken is stir-fried over high heat in a sauce, which some cooks sun-dry themselves and others make with Sichuan pepper.

Getting oriented

The Yanzhou–Shijiusuo railway (兖石铁路), the Rizhao–Lankao high-speed railway (日兰高速铁路) and the Beijing–Shanghai Expressway (京沪高速公路) pass through the district, which borders Fei County (费县) to the west, Luozhuang District (罗庄区) to the south and Yinan County (沂南县) to the north.

Highlights

• Yinqueshan Han Tombs Bamboo Slips Museum 银雀山汉墓竹简博物馆: Site museum of the 1972 find that brought Sunzi's and Sun Bin's texts on warfare to light together.
• Wang Xizhi's Former Residence 王羲之故居: Birthplace of the calligrapher Wang Xizhi; the Xiyanchi Jin tombs were found in its grounds in 2003.
• East China Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery 华东革命烈士陵园: Memorial cemetery begun in 1949, listed as a national key martyrs' memorial in 1986.
• Linyi fried chicken 临沂炒鸡: Chicken stir-fried over high heat in home-made sun-dried sauce or Sichuan-pepper paste.