SHEXIAN COUNTY
Shexian County, the seat of ancient Huizhou Prefecture and one of China' s famous
historical and cultural cities, lies at the southern foot of Mt.
Huangshan. With a
population of 580, 000, it covers an area of 2,680km2 in the upper reaches of the Xin'an
River.
THE ANCIENT TOWN OF YANSI
Yansi (or Yanzhen), an ancient town, situated between Tunxi and
Shexian, is the southern
entrance to Mt. Huangshan. It was set up in the second year of
Shaoxing' s reign (1132) in
the Southern Song Dynasty. By the early Ming Dynasty it had developed into a town of
3 miles in circumference with 10 thousand households and hosts of merchants and
traders . Yansi is the seat of the Huizhou prefectural government. |
XIUNING
Xiuning County was set up in the l3th year of Jian'an (208) in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
With a population of 260,000, it covers an area of 2,125km2, only 15km away from the Qiyun
Mountain, a well-known Taoist sacred place.
YIXIAN COUNTY .A SMALL WONDERLAND
Yixian is so named because black rocks are scattered all over the place. (The Chinese word
for its name is a combination of many and black rocks.) As the
word is never used otherwise, many people can't pronounce it, so they simply say the two
parts of the word separately, calling the place Many-Black County , A particular
kind of stone found in the mountains, famed as Yixian Grey , is close-textured and
smooth, hence an ideal material for building and |
sculpture. The tables, chairs, stone lions and other carvings
made out of the local stone sell well at home and abroad. Surrounded by mountains, Yixian
is remote and  quaint for its ancient houses and old customs. Li Bai admired the place in
his famous lines,
Yixian boasts a wonderland,
And wonders see no end,
The land puts on rare plants,
And folks wear old-styled clothes.
In the tranquility of this haven of peace, one does forget all about his worldly cares.
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