Yanjiang District 雁江区

History

A human skull found in 1951 under a bridge over Huangshan Creek (黄鳝溪), known as Ziyang Man (资阳人), dates from the late Pleistocene; the district government puts it at 35,000 years ago and says the Mengxi River sites (濛溪河遗址群) push the origins of the Shu people (蜀人) of ancient Sichuan back 50,000–100,000 years. A county was set up here in 135 BC under Emperor Wu of Han. The district counts among its natives Chang Hong (苌弘), the Eastern Zhou astronomer remembered as a teacher of Confucius, and the Western Han poet Wang Bao (王褒).

What to see

The Banyue Mountain cliff carvings (半月山摩崖造像), on a hillside at Beiji (碑记镇), were begun in the Tang and hold six niches with ten figures; niche 6 is a Maitreya Buddha 20.29 metres tall, known as the Banyue Mountain Great Buddha. They became a national key cultural relics site in 2013. The district government also names the Danshan White Pagoda (丹山白塔) and the hydrological stone inscriptions at Dongwanggou (洞王沟水文石刻). Along the Tuo it is developing a riverside strip around Yanjiaba rural culture park (晏家坝乡村文化公园), Matiwan (马蹄湾) and the Laojun hot springs (老君温泉).

Food, crafts and local products

Local performing and folk arts include the 'Ziyang River' (资阳河) school of high-pitched Sichuan opera, Dongfeng paper-cutting (东峰剪纸) and the Kanjia lion dance on high platforms (堪嘉高台舞狮). Yanjiang grows citrus on a large scale and styles itself China's home of early-ripening mandarins; it also raises crayfish in rice paddies and holds a crayfish food week. Danshan jelly noodles (丹山凉粉) are one of 17 heritage food techniques that Ziyang city encourages restaurants to serve, according to Sichuan Online.

Getting oriented

The district government gives distances of 78 km to central Chengdu, 18 km to Tianfu International Airport and 230 km to central Chongqing. The Chengdu–Chongqing railway and high-speed line, the Chengdu–Zigong high-speed line and the S3 Ziyang metro line serve it.

Highlights

• Banyue Mountain Great Buddha 半月山大佛: Tang-era Maitreya 20.29 m tall in niche 6 of the Banyue Mountain cliff carvings, a national key site since 2013.
• Ziyang Man 资阳人: Late Pleistocene human skull found in 1951 under a bridge over Huangshan Creek.
• Danshan White Pagoda 丹山白塔: Named by the district government among its historic sites.
• Dongfeng paper-cutting 东峰剪纸: One of the district's intangible heritage crafts.
• Danshan jelly noodles 丹山凉粉: One of 17 heritage food techniques promoted by Ziyang.