In ancient China, Zhongxian was the critical passageway between the Yangtze River plains and the state of Ba, the group of tribes that dominated the mountains east of the Szechuan Basin. It is also the only “half flooded county” after the construction of the Three Gorges Dam.
In Chinese, “Zhong” means loyal, and was given to Zhongxian by the Tang Tai Zong Emperor of the Tang Dynasty in AD634. This land of loyalty has bred heroes throughout the ages: Ba Manzi ( A great general of Ba State, around 4th century BC), Gan Ning ( A famous general of Wu State during Three Kingdoms period, AD220-AD280), etc.
These heroes are stars in a grand constellation that shines in the sky of Zhongxian, adds to the brilliance of its history and has attracted the poetic luminaries of Chinese history to come here and record this great land and its people into the annals of eternity.
The Chinese say that “loyalty is the highest virtue under heaven”. Here in the county of loyalty, Zhongxian, the people use their words and actions to live up to their counties name. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, Zhongxian has made great efforts to take that grand tradition of loyalty and integrate into the system of Socialist Core Values, as well as carry forward a creative transformation and new development of our great Chinese traditional culture. In this new era, Zhongxian has further redefined their culture of “loyalty”: loyalty to the Party, to the motherland, and to the people - loyalty to the cause and the rule of law.
Zhongxian - the hometown of tangerines
For over one thousand years, the culture of loyalty and honor has traveled far under heaven. Loyalty flows through the blood of the proud people of Zhongxian and is the soul of the beauty and civility that this county has become known for. Let’s take a closer look at some of the shining heroes sown in the stars about the scintillating sky above the county of loyalty: Zhongxian.
Ba Manzi - The First Hero of the State of Ba
Among the 200 historical celebrities in the History of Chongqing Hall of Fame, Ba Manzi is ranked first. During the Warring States Period (BC475-BC221), internal strife erupted in the State of Ba.
When State of Ba's national strength was weak, the king of Ba ordered General Ba Manzi to be stationed in Zhongzhou to borrow troops from Chu, a neighboring power. The King of Chu said, "Soldiers are key to a state, they are not to be lent easily. If Chu must send troops to quell the chaos, the condition is to cede three cities of State of Ba. "
Ba Manzi had no choice but to give "three cities" to the state of Chu. The king of Chu asked again, "how do I know that you will fulfill your promise?" Ba Manzi with deep feeling said, "I'll cut off my head if you don't get three cities. What Ba Manzi says, he does!"
Wuyang Que - a ceremonial gate tower in traditional Chinese architecture
The king of Chu agreed to send troops. Civil unrest subsided, Chu made moved to take the cities, Ba Manzi didn`t need to take orders from the king since he was stationed outside, but as a dutiful official, he could not give up the cities. Manzi said, "Give my head to thank the King of Chu, because the cities cannot be given away." So he drew his sword and slit his neck, having his head given to a Chu envoy. Chu had to take General Ba's head back, and when the king of Chu saw it, with a sigh he said: "If Chu couldn’t get such a loyal general as Ba Manzi, what is the use of those cities?" He ordered the minister to bury the general's head. In the 8th year of Tang Zhenguan (634), Emperor Taizong Li Shimin remembered Ba Manzi's spirit of never giving up, as well as keeping his promise. He was named "Zhongzhou" for his "loyalty and loyalty to the land". Today, historical reminders of Ba Manzi can be found everywhere in Zhongxian County, including the Temple of the King of State of Ba, Manzi Road, etc., attracting Chinese and foreign tourists to dig deeper into the legend of Ba Manzi. The traditional temple fair "March Meeting" in Zhongzhou, which commemorates Ba Manzi on 4th March in the lunar calendar, has always been commemorated by the people in Zhongxian County.
One of China's Most Famous Female General
In Zhongxian County, if a new baby girl is added to her family, she will proudly say to her relatives and friends who come to visit: a "female general" has been added to her family! The title of "female general", full of lofty sentiments, comes from Qin Liangyu, a favorite daughter in the history of Zhongxian County. She won the honor of being a marquee by virtue of her military service and is the only female hero since the Ming Dynasty who has been listed as a dynasty general in the official history to be listed in inside. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Qin Liangyu was born in a scholarly family in the western part of Zhongzhou city. She had four siblings and studied with her father and brother during childhood. She used to say, "Only if you can fight and protect your country can you be a true man." When Qin Liangyu was 24 years old, she was married to Ma Qiancheng, an official from a family of officials. The couple trained a team of crack soldiers, “the white pole soldiers”, that could fight well in battle. Qin Liangyu was elegant in appearance, strict in running the army and deeply loved. After her husband was framed, imprisoned taken away by illness, Qin Liangyu tearfully endured the pain and took the torch of responsibility for his job with great honor in her heart. Later, the Qing army surrounded Shenyang and Liaoning, and Qin Liangyu's brothers Qin Bangbing and Qin Minbing fought a bloody battle with the Qing army in Hunhe River. After Qin Bangping and thousands of his men died in battle, Qin Liangyu and his son Ma Xianglin headed 3,000 soldiers to guard Yuguan, a critical pass. After the "Hunhe bloody battle", The Emperor named her the second wife and the commander-in-chief. He also wrote the golden plaque "Loyalty is commendable". In the third year of the current dynasty(AD1630), the Qing army launched a full-scale attack, and the four cities of Qian 'an, Zunhua, Luanzhou and Yongping were lost. With the enemy closing in on the capital, the Emperor called upon all the kings in the land for help, and Qin Liangyu took all her property as pay for her soldiers and led her troops to the north. After the war, the Emperor named her the highest rank of Chinese female nobility and gave her a small castle and personal insignia. In her 50-year military career, Qin Liangyu went through hundreds of battles, resisting outside invading tribes from the north of China that made up the later Qing and Jin Dynasty. Emperor Chongzhen wrote four poems praising Qin Liangyu: "She learned the fighting strategy of old masters, a pair of ducks hold a military symbol" and “There are many strange men in this world, but who will travel 1000 miles for a battle?"
Shibaozhai - A Miracle Village of Yangtze River
When crossing the territory of Shi Bao (Water Margin) Town in the east of Zhongxian City by boat, you can see a huge rock about 108 meters long and 20 meters wide standing by the river. Here because of its isolated peak, the four walls are cut like jade seals, thus it is called jade seal mountain. As an ancient poem says
"I've heard for a long time that imperial jade seal has been lost. Perhaps it is Jade Seal Peak?"
Legend has it that Yuyin Mountain is a colorful gem left over from the Chinese goddess Nuwa's mending the sky, also known as "Shi Bao (Water Margin)". According to "Sichuan Tongzhi (a history of Szechuan)", during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Tan Hongceng, leader of the peasant rebel army, led his army to set up camp on this basis, hence the name "Shibaozhai" (this literally means protecting rock village in Chinese).
Shibaozhai is a protected national key cultural relic, AAAA grade tourist attraction and national scenic area. It is also the best preserved and highest all-wood tower in China. Shibaozhai was founded in the Kangxi period of Qing Dynasty (about A.D. 1662A.D) and has a history of more than 300 years. The tower has 12 floors and is shaped like a pagoda. The top of the tower has four corners that soar into the sky. It is said that the top of the village is a temple, and Buddhist worshipers have to go up by a stone path and a pair of iron chains. There was a skillful craftsman who saw an eagle soaring up with wings and suddenly realized how to construct the tower. There is a poem saying,
"The twelve-story building is perched on a cliff. I hope The Mountain Eagle can solve my doubts." "Climbing high will make you feel so small."
From the bottom of the building to the top of the building, the wood and stone are connected together. On each floor of the rock wall in Shibaozhai are carved figures and ancient poems. Ba Manzi, Yan Yan (of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms), Qin Liangyu, etc - you can really get to know each person through history.
"Slowly walking on the stone, the wind blows through my heart. This scene is like a picture, not a single day. "
Stepping out of the temple, you will reach a flat stone, which is the highest point in Shibaozhai and overlooks the whole of Shibao town. After the Three Gorges Reservoir was filled with water, the Yangtze River flooded to the center of the main gate of the Zhai Lou, and the four floors of Shibaozhai were surrounded by water, becoming "the world's unique charming bonsai in the river". The beauty of Shibaozhai is the perfect combination of nature's uncanny workmanship and human intelligence. It's the kind that makes you look amazing at first sight. If you look back and look at it, you'll be shocked even more. If you taste it carefully, you'll be blown away by its unforgettable beauty.
Baigong Temple: A Must-See For Cultural Tourists
There are many places of historic interest in Zhongxian County. The Baigong Temple in Zhongxian County, built in the Ming Dynasty, commemorates the famous Tang dynasty poet Bai Juyi. Bai Juyi served as the governor of Zhongzhou (ancient Zhongxian) and encouraged farmers to work hard and build roads. Since then, Zhongzhou has had good harvests. Bai Juyi won great popularity among the people. Bai Juyi can be called the "first marketing officer" of Zhongzhou's image promotion. As one of the three great poets of the Tang Dynasty who enjoyed the same fame as Du Li, Bai Juyi was a celebrity at the time. He constantly wrote poems and prose. In a short period of two years, he wrote more than 100 poems praising Zhongzhou, trying his best to promote the local culture and customs of Zhongzhou and agricultural products.
Bai Juyi was the first "ecological protector" in Zhongzhou. In Zhongzhou "giving money to buy flowering trees and planting them on the eastern slope of the city" More than two hundred years later, Su Shi, a great literary giant, passed by Zhongzhou and came to Dongpo (eastern slope in Chinese) to pay his respects to Bai Juyi, hence his name "Dongpo Jushi". There is a poem saying:
"The source is vaguely like happiness. I dare to compare my decadence with that of my predecessors." "I stayed in the river for two years, and the grass, trees, birds, and fish were all in love."
Because he had left so many memories in Zhongzhou Bai Juyi was reluctant to leave. He wrote in one of his memoirs "I hope the new prefect next year might as well be a flower lover." I hope the next prefect can also like him, plant flowers and trees, and support and love the people. The White Gong Temple, which will be fully renovated and opened in 2016, consists of many scenic spots. It is definitely worth a visit for those wishing to learn more about Chinese culture and poetry.
The Gorges Orange Orchards
Coming to the orange township of Three Gorges you will see green trees, canola flowers blooming, and new farmhouses. The "Three Gorges Orange Village" in Zhongxian County is in the orange harvest season. Standing on a hilltop, one can see clearly that the terraced fields are full of oranges and have been soaking up the sunshine. In fact, more than 2,000 years ago, citrus was planted in Zhongxian County. The 18.6-square-kilometer "Three Gorges Orange Village" core area is located in Xinli Town and Shuanggui Town. It is the only national-level pilot project in this rural complex. It has become one of the world's three largest orange juice processing bases and an important destination for leisure agriculture and rural tourism in the country. Here, you can taste oranges straight from the orchards and drink fresh fruit juice. The people of this township are warm and friendly, strolling in the fields while children play in the streets. Marathon lovers can also smell the spring breeze, with hints of fresh orange flavor while they run beside the orchards.