Located in the centre of He'nan Province, 80 kilometers away from Zhengzhou to its north, Xuchang City has an area of 4,996 km2, with Yuzhou City, Yanling County, Xiangcheng County, and Weidu District under its administration. It has been awarded a variety of honors, as “China's Excellent Tourism City”, “National Garden City”, “China's Glamorous City with Unique Charms”, to name only a few.
Xuchang boasts of a long history and a vast number of celebrities and talents born here, all of which lend enormous glory to her: one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilizations.
In the reign of Tang Yao, many tribes settled here, historically termed Xudi, literally the place of Xu. During the Shang Dynasty, a tribe called the Kunwu moved to this place. In the year of 221 A.D, Cao Pi, the emperor of Wen of Wei Kingdom established a new state to replace the previous Han Dynasty. Due to the fact that the Xudi was the base of the new state from which it developed and prospered, the little town's name was changed into Xuchang (a word meaning prosperity), a name that has been used till now.
Xuchang lies in what is geographically called “The Central Plains” and historically has been an important strategic point. In 196 A.D. (the first year of Jian'an of Eastern Han Dynasty), Cao Cao, the prime minister then, welcomed Emperor Xian to move the capital to Xu (the present Xuchang). This is a famous strategy to “Command the disobedient officials and accumulate military supplies by promoting cultivation”, which finally led to Cao Cao's successful ascension to the throne. Hence, Xuchang had become the political, economic and cultural centre in the north of China. Over the past several thousand years, Xuchang has witnessed many great people on the historical stage. Numerous celebrities were born in this place, such as Lv Buwei (the prime minister of the Qin Dynasty), Chao Cuo (the prime minister of Western Han Dynasty), Xun Shu (a reputed intellectual in Eastern Han Dynasty), Zhong Yao (the father of styled Calligraphy), Guo Jia (a top adviser to Cao Cao) and Wu Daozi (the painter sage of Tang Dynasty).
Reputed statesmen and literary giants such as Ouyang Xiu, Fan Zhongyan, Su Zhe, had visited this place for sightseeing and lecturing. Xuchang is also a very important place of origin of Chinese family names and roots. Deeply rooted in Xuchang, family names such as Xu, Chen, Zhong, Fang, serve as a blood bond connecting the Chinese at home and abroad.
Xuchang's tourism has its unique charms. It is rich in cultural resources of Kingdom of Wei in the period of “Three Kingdoms”. In the period between 196 and 221, the Cao family had ruled Xuchang for 25 years, leaving a brilliant amount of cultural heritage and places of interest. In “A Romance of Three Kindoms”, an ancient Chinese literary classic, Xuchang was mentioned in its 51 chapters out of the total 120 chapters, therefore granting Xuchang a worldwide reputation as one of the important cities on the Three Kingdoms tourism route. Attractions as the Tower of Spring and Autumn, where Guan Yu read the Book of Spring and Autumn at night, the Baling Bridge, where Guan Yu refused Cao Cao's offer and bid farewell, have enabled Xuchang a famous town of Three Kingdom's culture.
The cultivation history of flowers and plants has extended for more than 1,000 years in Yanling, which has won honors and accolades as “the birthplace of Chinese flowers and plants” and “Winter sweet in Yanling tops the world”. Presently the cultivation area has reached over 26,000 hectares. It has become a rare and valuable green SPA not only in He'nan Province, but also nationwide. Particularly the water in this area contains numerous elements which are good for human health. With attractions completed as The National Exposition Garden of Flowers and Plants and Huadu Spring Holiday Area, Yanling has become a good option for holiday and traveling. |
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