Shiping County 石屏县

History

The area was first named Shiping (石坪邑) in 752 under the Tang dynasty, became Shiping Prefecture (石坪州) in 1270, took the name Shiping Zhou (石屏州) under the Ming and was renamed Shiping County in 1913. Its scholarship flourished under the Ming and Qing, producing more than ten Hanlin academicians and over a hundred jinshi degree-holders. Yuan Jiagu (袁嘉谷), who came first in the special economics examination of the late Qing, came from Shiping and is described by Chinese Wikipedia as the only zhuangyuan (top examination graduate) in Yunnan's history. The county calls itself a "文献名邦" (a famed land of letters). Yunnan listed it as a provincial historic and cultural city in 1999, and in 2015 the historic quarter of the old town was among the first China Historic and Cultural Streets. Yi traditions such as the haicai qiang (海菜腔) folk song and the women's dragon dance have reached national stages; the 2004 film The Huayao Bride (花腰新娘) portrays the women's dragon dance of Shaochong (哨冲).

What to see

The Shiping county government lists the museum, the former residence of Yuan Jiagu (袁嘉谷故居) and the Confucian temple (文庙) among the sights of the old town, together with the railway station and a railway museum. The Gejiu–Bisezhai–Shiping Railway (个碧石铁路), which the county describes as one of China's early privately built narrow-gauge lines, was begun in 1915 and completed in 1936 over 177 km; today the county promotes rides on the "Zhuangyuan" (状元号) metre-gauge train, with many traditional villages along the line. Yilong Lake is one of Yunnan's nine large plateau lakes. The Yilong Lake National Wetland Park (异龙湖国家湿地公园) is planned at 3,749 hectares, 97 percent of it wetland; its named views include Mushu Morning Mist (末束晓雾) and the Nine Bends of Green (九曲叠翠). The Huilan Bridge Pavilion (洄澜桥阁) is a site under national protection.

Food and local products

Shiping is called the "home of tofu" (豆腐之乡). Xinhua reports that tofu stalls fill its streets and that makers set the curd with water from wells in the county rather than with gypsum or brine, which is why Shiping tofu is called "a patent you cannot take away" (带不走的专利). Grilled tofu (烧豆腐), dried tofu (豆腐干) and tofu skin (豆腐皮) are the best-known snacks made from it.

Highlights

• Yilong Lake National Wetland Park 异龙湖国家湿地公园: Plateau-lake wetland park planned at 3,749 hectares, 97 percent wetland.
• Former Residence of Yuan Jiagu 袁嘉谷故居: Home of Yunnan's only zhuangyuan, one of the old-town sights.
• Shiping Confucian Temple 文庙: Listed by the county among the old-town sights.
• Zhuangyuan metre-gauge train 状元号: Tourist train on the line of the 1915–1936 Gejiu–Bisezhai–Shiping Railway.
• Shiping tofu 石屏豆腐: Set with local well water instead of gypsum or brine.