Xinjin District 新津区

Setting and landscape

Xinjin borders Shuangliu (双流区) to the east, Qionglai (邛崃市) and Dayi (大邑县) to the west, Chongzhou (崇州市) to the northwest and Pengshan (彭山区) in Meishan to the south. About three quarters of the land is flat, the rest hills and water, at 442 to 673 m above sea level. Its rivers are the Jinma (金马河), the main stream of the Min, and the West (西河) and South (南河) branches. Irrigated by the Dujiangyan system, the flatland grows rice in summer and rapeseed and wheat in winter.

History

The Baodun site (宝墩遗址), a late Neolithic walled town, is one of the main sites of the Baodun culture (宝墩文化), dated about 2500 to 1750 BC and regarded as the earliest known archaeological culture of the Chengdu Plain. The name Xinjin, "new ford", dates from AD 216, when Li Yan (李严), governor of Qianwei (犍为郡), opened a new ferry crossing between the Chengdu Plain and the Meishan area after floods at Jiangkou (江口). Xinjin County was created in 557 and became a district in June 2020.

What to see

Guanyin Temple (观音寺), in Baoqiao village (宝桥村) of Yongshang town (永商镇), was founded in 1181 and became a national key heritage site in 2001. Its Vairocana Hall (毗卢殿), built in 1462, holds seven fine-brush murals painted in 1468; China Radio International reports 653 surviving statues and the nickname "little Dunhuang of Shu" (蜀中小敦煌).

Laojun Mountain (老君山) rises to only 617 m but stands alone above the flat plain; China Radio International calls it the birthplace of the Taoist "twenty-four parishes" (二十四治). Chunyang Temple (纯阳观), begun in the Xianfeng reign of the Qing, has 48 statues of loyal officials and filial sons, and the Xinjin Yellow Crane Tower (黄鹤楼), a provincial heritage site since 1991, houses a digital display on Baodun and Guanyin Temple. The Zhi Art Museum (知美术馆), a 2,353 sq m building designed by Kengo Kuma (隈研吾), lies on the way down from Laojun Mountain.

Food and local products

Local fruit includes Jiangwan (姜湾) pears from Yongshang, plums from Shizishan (狮子山) in Dengshuang, pomelos from Caiwan (蔡湾) and red tangerines from Mumashan (牧马山). The Xinjin white goose (新津白鹅) is a local breed.

Getting oriented

The Chengdu–Guiyang high-speed railway serves Xinjin and Xinjin South stations.

Highlights

• Guanyin Temple 观音寺: National key heritage site with seven murals painted in 1468 in its Vairocana Hall.
• Baodun site 宝墩遗址: Late Neolithic walled town, one of the main sites of the Baodun culture of about 2500–1750 BC.
• Laojun Mountain 老君山: 617 m peak standing alone on the plain, linked with the Taoist twenty-four parishes.
• Chunyang Temple 纯阳观: Qing temple with 48 statues of loyal officials and filial sons.
• Zhi Art Museum 知美术馆: 2,353 sq m building by Kengo Kuma.