Zizhong County 资中县

Setting and landscape

Most of the county is low hill country, higher in the southwest and lower in the northeast, with the Tuo, Qiuxi (球溪河) and Mengxi (濛溪河) as its main rivers. The county town sits against Chonglong Mountain (重龙山) above the Tuo, a layout the county's culture and tourism bureau calls the "boat city" look: mountain inside the town, town on the river.

History

A Zizhong County was created in 135 BC under the Western Han, with its seat at today's Ziyang. A Panshi County (盘石县) was founded just outside the present town's north gate between 561 and 565, and in 587 the seat of Zizhou (资州) moved there from Ziyang. The prefecture was reduced to Zi County in 1371, raised again in 1727 and renamed Zizhong County in 1914. The county government lists Chang Hong (苌弘), remembered as a teacher of Confucius, among the people born here, and counts two top-ranked imperial examination graduates, Zhao Kui (赵逵) and Luo Chengxiang (骆成骧).

What to see

The Confucian temple and the military temple (资中文庙与武庙), a national heritage monument, stand below Chonglong Mountain on the northern edge of town. They date back to the Northern Song and keep a standing statue of Confucius, which Chinese Wikipedia describes as the only one in any Confucian temple in China, along with plaques inscribed by eight Qing emperors. The cliff carvings on Chonglong Mountain, also nationally listed, were begun in 783 and number 1,713 figures in 172 niches; the mountain also holds Yongqing Temple (永庆寺) and the Junzi Spring (君子泉). At Luoquan (罗泉镇), a 4A-rated national historic town, the Salt God Temple (盐神庙), another national monument, was built by salt merchants in 1868 to honour Guan Zhong (管仲). Luoquan was the site of the Luoquanjing meeting (罗泉井会议), which turned Sichuan's railway-protection movement from petition to armed revolt. Zizhong's medium rod puppetry is national intangible heritage.

Food and local products

Zizhong catfish (资中鲶鱼), especially fish from the Qiuxi River, Luoquan tofu (罗泉豆腐), made from local soybeans and spring water, set with brine, Zizhong blood oranges (资中血橙), grown from Tarocco stock introduced from Italy in 1992, Zizhong loquats and Zizhong dongjian (资中冬尖), a cellar-fermented preserved vegetable, all carry national geographical-indication status.

Getting oriented

The county borders Neijiang's central district to the south and Ziyang's Yanjiang District to the north. The Xiamen–Chengdu expressway and the Chengdu–Chongqing and Chengdu–Yibin high-speed lines cross the county, which has stations at Zizhong, Zizhong North and Zizhong West.

Highlights

• Zizhong Confucian and military temples 资中文庙与武庙: National heritage site founded in the Northern Song, with a standing statue of Confucius.
• Chonglong Mountain cliff carvings 重龙山摩崖造像: Begun in 783; 1,713 figures in 172 niches.
• Luoquan Ancient Town 罗泉古镇: 4A historic town with the Salt God Temple of 1868.
• Zizhong catfish 资中鲶鱼: GI product, best known from the Qiuxi River.
• Luoquan tofu 罗泉豆腐: GI tofu made with local soybeans and spring water, set with brine.