Chenxi, known as Chenyang in ancient times, has a history of more than 2,000 years. It was set up as a county in the second year of Gaozu (205 BC) of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-9 AD). Chenxi is the intersection of Xuefeng Mountain and Wuling Range as well as the Chen River and the Yuanshui River, which makes it an important political, economic and cultural center with military significance in Chinese history. Moreover, Chenxi also offers a rich variety of natural sceneries and cultural attractions.
Chenyang Ancient Town
1. Quixing Pavilion: the pavilion, locating at the eastern end of Zhongshan Road, was originally constructed to worship the Star of Wisdom in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) and was repaired many times in the following dynasties. The current one was built in the seventh year of Jiaqing (1802 AD) in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD). Being listed as a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit in 1996, the pavilion is the most well-preserved ancient building in Chenyang Ancient Town.
2. Ancient alleys and ports: Chenyang Ancient Town is home to many traditional alleys, including Mafang Alley, Yujia Alley and Zhaojia Alley. The town also preserves a dozen of ancient ports such as Shuangxikou Port, Zhongnanmen Port, Si Port, Xin Port, Lingguan Port, Liangshui Port, Da Port and Yuchuan Port.
3. Ancient temples: Famous temples at Chenyang Ancient Town include Dayou Temple, Jiangdong Temple, Guang’en Temple, Danshan Temple, Guishan Temple, Yuhua Cave, Shuiyun Temple, Jinya Temple, Nengren Temple, Shuifu Temple, Zushi Temple and Puji Temple.
4. Jinya Tower: Known as one of the “Eight Scenes of Chenxi”, the tower is located on Jinji Mountain, two kilometers west of the town. It was originally built by Cao Xingjian, the county magistrate, during the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The original tower stood seven stories high, facing southeast, which means the purple air comes from the east - a propitious omen, and was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.
5. The Former Residence of Yang Ren: Located in Liushuwan Street, the rectangular-shaped residence was originally built in the Ming Dynasty, containing two patios and over 30 wooden rooms and covering an area of more than 1,700 square meters. The residence was badly damaged and is being repaired now. It is a county-level cultural relics protection unit. Yang Ren (1880-1911, a martyr of the 1911 Revolution) went to Japan in 1905 and studied at the Japanese Physical Education School and the Army Officers’ School. In 1908, he was introduced by Song Jiaoren to join the United League of China. Yang Ren, Tan Renfeng and Jiao Dafeng are known as the “Three Heroes of Hunan Province”.
6. Former site of the headquarters of the Second Corps of the Red Army: On November 27, 1935, He Long, head of the Second Corps, and Gan Siqi, political director, led more than 8,000 soldiers to Chenxi after the march from Yuanling, and withdrew from Chenxi on December 1. The headquarters was located at the building No. 225, Oujia Alley, Zhongshan Road. It is now a county-level cultural relics protection unit.
7. Former sites of the compounds for wartime relocation: After the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression broke out in 1937, many government offices, schools and factories were moved to Chenxi from Japanese-occupied territories. Many former sites were well preserved and listed as provincial cultural relics protection units, including Zaojiaoping Airport, Dayoushan Anti-Japanese Martyrs’ Cemetery, the field hospital, Nanzhuangping Arsenal, the Fourth Front Army Headquarters, and the defense bunkers.
8. Former site of the CPC Chenxi Provisional County Committee: The former site of the CPC Chenxi Provisional County Committee was located at No.4, Mafang Alley (present-day No.297, Yujia Alley), Liushuwan. In August, 1938, the CPC Hunan Provincial Work Committee sent He Liang to Chenxi to carry out organization work. In December, after receiving the proposal submitted by the CPC Western Hunan Work Committee, the CPC Hunan Provincial Work Committee approved the establishment of the CPC Chenxi County Committee. Liang Chunyang, head of the Military United Front Work Department of the CPC Western Hunan Work Committee, presided over a meeting and set up the CPC Chenxi County Committee consisting of four members: He Liang, Mi Qingxuan, Cheng Jinwu, and Pan Duching.
9. Victory Park Honoring the Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Western Hunan: In 1952, Chenxi County built a memorial hall to cherish the memory of the martyrs who bravely laid down their lives in the Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Western Hunan in the Zhongshan Park, which was later renamed as the Victory Park. In 2001, the memorial hall was listed as a provincial cultural relics protection unit and is now a provincial patriotic education base.
Dayou Mountain
Dayou Mountain is located on the south bank of Yuanshui River, residing in the southwest, the You direction in the Bagua map (which literally means “eight trigrams” in Chinese), hence the name “Dayou Mountain”. It is also called Jiufeng Ridge for its layer-heaped huge mass and aged pines. It earns another name “Zhonggu Mountain” for its bell-shaped main peak. On the basis of its natural landscapes, it distinguishes itself with many historic remains.
1. Tomb of King Mu of Zhou (the fifth king of the Zhou Dynasty. The dates of his reign are 976-922 BC.): According to Complete Library in the Four Branches of Literature and local legend, the tomb of King Mu of Zhou is located at the Zhonggu Mountain of Chenxi County.
2. Tomb of Shanjuan/Shanjuan Shrine: In the era of the Emperor Yao (about 4,300 years ago), Emperor Yao visited Shanjuan during his southern tour and wanted to cede the throne to him, but Shanjuan declined the offer and then traveled to Dayou Mountain at Chenyang along the Yuanshui River and lived in seclusion until the end of his life, and was buried in the mountain. In the Ming Dynasty, Ouyang Zhi, vice governor of Chenzhou, reported Shanjuan’s stories to the government, and the then emperor ordered a shrine to be built to honor his deeds. According to Chenxi County Annals (revised during the reign of Daoguang (1821-1850) of the Qing Dynasty), Tomb of Shanjuan is located in the Dayou Mountain, woodcutting was forbidden according to the order issued by the then emperor during the years of Dazhong Xiangfu (1008-1016) of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). According the historic records in the County Annals revised during the reign of Kangxi (1662-1722) of the Qing Dynasty, Tomb of Shanjuan is located in the Dayou Mountain, woodcutting was forbidden during the years of Dazhong Xiangfu of the Northern Song Dynasty. It was said that grave robbers once tried to steal from the tomb of Shanjuan, and was scared aways by a thunderstorm which suddenly arrived shortly after they had started to dig.
3. Dayou Book Cave: As a Taoist holy place, it is also known as Huamiao Dongtian (In Taoist literature, Dongtian is a region where heaven and earth meet - the world of immortals), the 26th of the 36 smaller Dongtian (The world of immortals consists of 10 large Dongtian and 36 smaller Dongtian).
4. Danshan Temple: It was originally built in the 21st year of Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1683). “Evening bell ringing at the temple sitting on the top of the mountain cliff” was one of the ancient eight scenic spots. The design of the temple is very special, using a natural stone gap as the main gate, which is so narrow that only one person can pass at a time. The original temple was demolished in 1965 and rebuilt in 1990.
5. Dayou Daoist Temple: The two-story temple with a traditional Chinese brick-wood structure was originally constructed at the end of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and was named after the Dayou Mountain. The temple was famous in western Hunan, and in the old days, Taoists from neighboring counties came here to acquire the joss paper as a sign of securing the approval of the Jade Emperor to perform Taoist rituals.
6. Danshan Cliff Inscriptions: The inscriptions are on the cliffs facing the Yuanshui River with poems written by famous scholars such as Wang Yangming, Hu Song, Xu Ting, Tao Qinkui, Zeng Caihan and Zheng Zhushi craved on the cliff-face. The most recent one was the poem written by Tian Zhenfan, a lieutenant general of the Republic of China and security commander of the Ninth District of Hunan, in 1921. The Danshan Cliff Inscriptions were listed as Hunan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 2012.
7. Anti-Japanese Martyrs’ Cemetery: The Chinese 3rd Front Army (Tang Enbo as the Commander) and 4th Front Army (Wang Yaowu as the Commander) smashed the Japanese scheme and won victory in the Battle of Xiangxi, a 1945 confrontation in the central province of Hunan that was crucial to defending Chongqing, the wartime capital. More than 150 soldiers who died from serious wounds in the battle were buried in the cemetery.
Swallow Cave Scenic Area
Swallow Cave is located at Huomachong Township, Chenxi County, one kilometer away from Chenxi Railway Station and more than 50 kilometers away from Huaihua City. The scenic area was open to the public in March 1996. It was approved as a provincial scenic area by the Hunan Provincial People’s Government in May 1999 and was rated by the National Tourism Administration as a 2A tourist attraction in 2002. It was listed as a provincial water conservancy scenic area in 2010 and was upgraded as a national one in December 2012.
The scenic area features a karst landscape in the subtropical zone with several popular spots such as Yishen Garden and Swallow Cave. As the spotlight of the whole scenic area, the Swallow Cave has a total of nine layers from top to bottom with 4,800 meters of tunnel road. There are eight halls inside the cave, among which the biggest one is 120 meters high and 160 meters wide. With the cave as the hub, the scenic area fuses trees, mountains, water, and cave together.
Xiaoping Town
Located in the northern part of Chenxi County, Xiaoping borders Puyang Town in Luxi County, Banqiao Town and Tianwan Town in Chenxi County, with an area of 48.7 square kilometers and a population of 32,000 people. Surrounded by green mountains on three sides, the town has a unique landscape with a huge natural cave in the east leading to Changhuai highway, the only channel to the outside world in the old days. The town is called the land of Peach Blossoms because its topographical features are similar to those of the Peach Blossom Spring (a fable written by Tao Yuanming in 421 about a chance discovery of an ethereal utopia where the people led an ideal existence in harmony with nature, unaware of the outside world for centuries).
(Translated by Yang Hong)