Jizhou District 蓟州区

Setting and landscape

The land steps down from north to south, from Jiushanding (九山顶) at 1,078.5 metres to Macaowa (马槽洼) at 1.8 metres. Mountains cover about 28 percent of the 1,590 square kilometres, water about 10 percent and the southern plain the rest. The Ji Canal (蓟运河), Zhou River (州河) and Ju River (泃河) cross the district, and Yuqiao Reservoir (于桥水库), begun in 1959, is known as Tianjin's "big water jar". The district government says the Middle-Upper Proterozoic strata here, 1.8 billion to 800 million years old, form a well-known standard section.

History

The place was the state of Wuzhong (无终) in the Spring and Autumn period, became Yuyang (渔阳) under the Sui and was made Jizhou prefecture in 730 under the Tang; it was renamed Ji County in 1913. The Qingchi site (青池遗址) on the Zhou River shows farming about 8,000 years ago. Ji County was part of Hebei province until September 1973, when it passed to Tianjin.

What to see

Dule Temple (独乐寺), on the north side of West Street in the old town, was rebuilt in 984 under the Liao. Its gate is the earliest surviving gate with a hip roof in China, and the Guanyin Pavilion (观音阁), 23 metres high, is the oldest surviving wooden multi-storey building in China. Inside stands a 16-metre clay Eleven-Headed Guanyin, rising through the upper floors, with murals of the Sixteen Arhats on the lower walls.

Mount Pan (盘山), 12 kilometres north-west of the town, is known for its five peaks and eight rocks. Temples were built there from the Wei and Jin dynasties onward. In the Qianlong reign the royal garden of Jingji Mountain Villa (静寄山庄) was laid out there, and the emperor stayed more than thirty times. Republican-era fighting left few of its historic sites; in the 1980s the Tianjin government restored the Tiancheng (天成寺), Wansong (万松寺) and Yunzhao (云罩寺) temples.

The district government lists Huangyaguan (黄崖关) on the Great Wall as World Heritage, Mount Pan as a national scenic area, the Proterozoic strata as a national geopark, Baxian Mountain (八仙山) as a national nature reserve and Jiulong Mountain (九龙山) as a national forest park. The White Pagoda Temple (白塔寺) is also in the town.

Food and local products

Mount Pan persimmons are prized for size and sweetness, and chestnuts have long been grown along the Great Wall. Gonglating (公乐亭) rice was once sent to the Qing court, as were golden-fin carp from the Zhou River.

Highlights

• Dule Temple 独乐寺: Rebuilt in 984; its Guanyin Pavilion is China's oldest surviving wooden multi-storey building.
• Mount Pan 盘山: National scenic area 12 km north-west of the town, with the Qianlong-era Jingji Mountain Villa.
• Huangyaguan 黄崖关: Section of the Great Wall listed as World Heritage.
• Yuqiao Reservoir 于桥水库: Begun in 1959; known as Tianjin's big water jar.
• Mount Pan persimmons 盘山柿子: Known for their size and sweetness.