Overview of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture—Urban and Rural Construction (Part 2)
Section 2 County Town Construction. Construction of the Prefecture Seat Jishou. The seat of Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture, Jishou, is located in Jishou urban area. It was originally the seat of the Zhenxi Military-Civilian Thousand-Household Office, called Suoli. In 1950, Qiancheng County moved from Qianzhou to Suoli. In August 1952, the Xiangxi Miao Autonomous Region was established with its seat at Suoli. In March of the following year, it was renamed Jishou, and Qiancheng County was accordingly renamed Jishou County. In 195...
This article has been compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · City Overview section). Some administrative divisions, population, socioeconomic data, and policy information may be outdated and are for reference only; for the latest situation, please refer to official releases by the local government and scenic areas.
Section 2 County Seat Construction
Construction of the Prefectural Seat Jishou Mountain City. Jishou, the seat of the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture, is located in the urban area of Jishou. It was originally the administrative seat of the Zhenxi Military and Civilian Thousand-Household Office, known as Suoli. In 1950, Qiancheng County was moved from Qianzhou to Suoli. In August 1952, the Xiangxi Miao Autonomous Region was established, with its seat at Suoli. In March of the following year, it was renamed Jishou, and Qiancheng County was accordingly renamed Jishou County. In 1957, the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture was established, with its seat still in Jishou. In 1982, Jishou was upgraded from a county to a city, with its seat also in Jishou. Today Jishou has merged with Qianzhou into one continuous area, collectively known as the Jishou Mountain City.
The Jishou Mountain City consists of two alluvial basins among hills formed by the Dong River and the Wanrong River, with a total area of 38 square kilometers. Tuanjie Road and Wuling Road, built in the 1950s, are lined with shops and shaded by green trees, and constitute the commercial center and most bustling area of Jishou. Renmin North Road, built in the 1970s, leads directly to the railway station; Renmin South Road, built in the 1990s, extends to Shaziao and was later extended to the Qianzhou New District, thus becoming the main street of the Jishou Mountain City. At the same time, projects including the Xihuan Road renovation, the water supply expansion, the Wuling Mountain pedestrian overpass, and the greening and lighting of Renmin Road were completed.
In 2000, in accordance with the requirements of "high-standard planning, high-level construction, and high technological content," the development of the Qianzhou New District was fully launched. During the "Tenth Five-Year Plan" period, the construction of the Qianzhou New District had basically taken shape in four major areas: the administrative office area, the South District, the East District, and the Qianzhou Ancient City Protection Area. The built-up area of the new district expanded to 20 square kilometers, and the platform for industrial development began to take shape. The Party and government leading organs of Jishou City have moved into the Qianzhou New District.
Today's Jishou Mountain City concentrates the Party, government, and military leading organs of the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture and Jishou City; it concentrates well-known enterprises such as the Xiangquan Distillery, Laodie Company, Hesheng Raw Tobacco, and Xiangquan Pharmaceuticals; it concentrates well-known educational institutions such as Jishou University and the Prefecture Nationalities Middle School; and it concentrates scenic spots and historic sites such as Dehang Canyon, Baxian Lake, Yixin Pavilion, and the Qianzhou Ancient City. The Zhicheng-Liuzhou Railway runs north-south through it, and National Highways 319 and 209 intersect here. What was once a small mountain town of fewer than ten thousand people has developed into an emerging mountain city of nearly 300,000 people, becoming the transportation center, commodity circulation center, capital financing center, information exchange center, science and technology culture center, ethnic exchange center, and tourism service center of the border region of the four provinces and municipalities of Hunan, Hubei, Chongqing, and Guizhou, and the political, economic, and cultural center of the eight counties and cities of the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture.
Construction of Fenghuang Ancient City. Fenghuang Ancient City is the collective name for the seat of Weiyang County in the High Tang, the Wuzhai Si City of the Tusi era, the Chen-Yuan-Yong-Jing Military Defense Circuit City and Fenghuang Ting City of the Qing Dynasty, and Fenghuang County seat as the seat of the Xiangxi Garrison Commissioner during the Republic of China period. Nanhua Mountain serves as a screen to the south, the Tuo River winds around the north of the city, and numerous scenic spots and historic sites are dotted throughout. Urban construction strives for newness, while cultural relic protection strives for preserving the old; the wise and farsighted people of Fenghuang have achieved the unity of new and old in urban construction.
During the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" period, Fenghuang County newly built or renovated Hongqiao West Road, Fenghuang Road, and Shuitian Road, totaling 2,600 meters in length. During construction, attention was paid to protecting and maintaining ancient buildings such as the former residence of Xiong Xiling, the Hongqiao Wind-Rain Tower, the ancient city wall from the North Gate to the East Gate, the gate towers, and the North Gate River stepping stones.
In 2001, after inspection of Fenghuang by relevant departments including the Ministry of Construction and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Fenghuang county seat was officially listed as a National Historical and Cultural City. Taking this opportunity, Fenghuang County signed a contract with Zhangjiajie Huanglongdong Investment Co., Ltd. for the transfer of operating rights to eight scenic areas (sites) in Fenghuang; the other party invested 85 million yuan within two years after the transfer for the restoration of these cultural relics and historic sites and the construction of supporting projects. Fenghuang County, in turn, focused on the renovation of the ancient city's stone-slab streets and the construction of the "four lines" and eight locations within the city as well as street lighting facilities.
In September 2002, Minister Wang Guangtao of the Ministry of Construction visited Fenghuang for inspection, earnestly implemented Premier Zhu Rongji's directives on the rectification of Fenghuang Ancient City, and helped secure 10 million yuan in funding for the rectification and renovation of buildings in the ancient city area that were inconsistent with the ancient city's character, thereby accelerating the pace of construction of Fenghuang Ancient City. That year, the fried-sand renovation of Nanhua Road, the repair of the city walls and gate towers from the East Gate to the South Gate and the West Gate, the rectification of stilted houses from Shuimenkou to the North Gate, the tourist roads of the Qifeng Temple scenic area, and the renovation of five historical streets were completed. In the following years, the protection and rectification of the ancient city was comprehensively advanced; the construction of the Tuo River Avenue, Chengbei Avenue, Chengxi Hongqi New District, and Chengdong Tuotian Residential Area was fully launched; and key projects such as Dongsheng Square, the Folk Custom Park, the Tourism and Commerce City, Qifeng Hotel, the Second Fenghuang Bridge, and the Fenghuang-Daxing Secondary Highway were successively started.
Today's Fenghuang Ancient City has new buildings changing with each passing day, ancient buildings restored to their original appearance, and the ancient city takes on a new look of magnificent splendor.
Construction of Huayuan County Seat. The Huayuan county seat was originally the Yongshui Ting City built after the Qing Dynasty's "replacing hereditary local rulers with appointed officials" policy. It is the "Border Town" of the border region of the three provinces and municipalities of Hunan, Guizhou, and Chongqing, and was an extremely impoverished county seat that was "begging for food while holding a golden bowl," such that more than 250 years after its founding, the landscape remained the same and its appearance unchanged. The spring breeze of reform and opening up has greened the vast Miao territory, and the spring rain of poverty alleviation has nourished the sacred Tujia land. Under the conditions of the socialist market economy, the economy of Huayuan County seat has developed rapidly, and urban construction has advanced by leaps and bounds.
In 1994, Hengyang City paired with Huayuan County for poverty alleviation and that year allocated funds to build Hengyang Road in the southern suburbs of the county seat, with a total length of 5,640 meters. On this basis, over five years, the Chengnan New District was built into an economic development zone integrating industry, commerce, housing, culture and education, and tourism. During the "Tenth Five-Year Plan" period, Huayuan County began building the Chengbei Development Zone, first constructing Fenghua Road, Liangfeng Road, and Zhongfoshan North Road, and successively building Chengbei Avenue, Biancheng Senior High School, Biancheng Pedestrian Street, Biancheng Square, Biancheng Forest Park, Zizhuyuan Market, and the Commerce and Trade Building. At the same time, the renovation of the old streets of the county seat and the hardening of back streets and alleys also achieved remarkable results. In 2005, the built-up area of the Huayuan county seat reached 10 square kilometers, and the urban population increased to 100,000, powerfully promoting the development of the county economy.
In the 1930s, a Miao literatus of Border Town once wrote the first line of a couplet: "The pointed mountain is like a brush, writing upside down on a sheet of blue sky." However, no matter how much was written, it remained a blank sheet of paper, and so there was no second line. Today's Huayuan Border Town is resplendent with gold and color, as beautiful as a poem or painting; its county economy is among the fastest growing, ranking at the forefront of all counties and cities in Hunan Province, and it has written a glorious page in the history of national poverty alleviation and development. Thus the people of Huayuan today can proudly complete the couplet: "The You River is like a flower, tracing along and depicting the myriad mountains of the red land."
Construction of the Luxi Baisha New City. The Luxi Baisha New City is a product of reservoir resettlement. In the 1990s, when the Wuqiangxi Hydropower Station was completed and began storing water and generating electricity, the old county seat of Luxi County, Wuxi Town, became a submerged dragon palace, and the county seat was relocated and rebuilt at Baisha.
Baisha was originally a sandbank on the south bank of the Yuan River, named because the sand was rich in placer gold and diamonds that sparkled in the sunlight. Since ancient times, people had panned for gold and fished here, forming a small village. When Qu Yuan was exiled to the Yuan and Xiang regions, he traveled up the Yuan River to Xu, and his boat passed Baisha, leaving behind the legend of "Quwang Village." The Yuan Dynasty literatus Cai Ming wrote in a poem: "The gold-panning household, pans for gold by the great river; the water is deep and the sand shallow, so no gold can be panned. At night they hear calls and knocks at the door; the government presses for taxes as if chasing souls." This is a miniature portrait of gold panning at Baisha.
More than two thousand years passed, and Baisha was still a sandbank and barren hills. In the 1990s, the Baisha New City rose from the ground. The new city is located on the banks of the Yuan River, surrounded by water on three sides and backed by mountains on one. The riverside flood dike and the Yanjiang Avenue leisure tourism landscape belt shield the urban area. Zhuzhou Avenue and Chaoyang Avenue, built with poverty-alleviation assistance from Zhuzhou City, have become the main streets of the urban area; Jianshe South Road and the Baisha-Pushi Highway extend outward; and the scenery on both banks of the Yuan River, including Quwang Village, Xinnü Cliff, Panhu Cave, hanging coffins, and the Tieshan River Bridge, can be taken in at a glance. Although the new city occupies only 1.56 square kilometers, it shines like a dazzling pearl cast upon the banks of the Yuan River.
Construction of the Longshan-Longfeng Twin City. The county seat of Longshan County of the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture and the county seat of Laifeng County of the Hubei Enshi Autonomous Prefecture are separated by only a single river, with the centers of the two urban areas about 7 kilometers apart and a broad flat plain in between with no obstruction. In 1994, Changsha City paired with Longshan County for poverty alleviation, and urban construction flourished. During the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" period, Changsha Road (3,280 meters long), Minzu Road (1,550 meters long), and Xiang'e Road (1,253 meters long) were built, all 34 meters wide, becoming the main streets of the county seat. At the same time, more than 20 streets of varying widths were built, including Chaoyang Road, Chengdong Road, Jianshe Road, Longfeng Road, Guangming Road, Huilong Road, and Xinjian Road. National Highway 209 was also jointly renovated with Laifeng County. Thus a transportation network with smooth internal and external connections was formed. At the same time, urban hardening, greening, lighting, beautification, and sanitation construction kept pace. During the "Tenth Five-Year Plan" period, the county seat intensified its expansion and quality improvement, and key construction projects such as the Ring Road, Changsha Bridge, urban water supply pipeline network, and the Film and Television City were successively completed. Today the Longshan county seat and the Laifeng county seat stand side by side on the border of Hunan and Hubei provinces, towering on both banks of the You River, displaying the auspicious bearing of dragon and phoenix bringing prosperity.
Construction of the Guzhang Tea City. Guzhang's famous tea has long enjoyed a high reputation. In the 1950s, He Jiguang's song "Carrying Tea to Beijing" already won fame throughout China, and today Song Zuying's "Guzhang Tea Song" has become renowned overseas. Guzhang Tea City is located by the Guyang River, with the Zhicheng-Liuzhou Railway and Provincial Highway S229 running through the entire city. During the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" period, 8 million yuan was invested to build Hunan Province's only standard weightlifting hall and weightlifting training room. During the "Tenth Five-Year Plan" period, 36 million yuan in national bond funds was secured to implement old city renovation and the development of the Chengnan Residential Area, build Heping Commercial Square and the Private Economy Residential Area, adding 1 square kilometer to the county seat area and nearly 10,000 people to the county seat population. Changde City's paired poverty alleviation renovated the urban streets and commercial facilities. Strolling through the Tea City, entering a tea art house, watching tea art performances, and tasting "Guzhang Three Courses of Tea," "Miao King Oil Tea," and "Tusi Lei Tea," one will have the feeling that "if Lu Yu (the Tea Sage) judged by fair opinion, this should be the finest tea in the world."
Construction of the Baojing Qianling Ancient City. Qianling Ancient City was the seat of Qianling County in the Han Dynasty, Santing County in the Tang Dynasty, the Baojing Tusi in the Song, Yuan, and Ming Dynasties, and Baojing County since the Qing Dynasty. Among the county seats in the prefecture, Baojing Qianling is the most ancient, and the great changes in Qianling Ancient City have occurred in the contemporary era. During the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" period, Yueyang City paired with Baojing County for poverty alleviation. More than 40 million yuan was attracted through investment to build a square commercial center covering 200,000 square meters; more than 2 million yuan was invested to build a resettlement wharf; and more than 50 million yuan was invested to build the Weizhu Road High-Tech Development Zone and complete the National Highway 209 rerouting project. During the "Tenth Five-Year Plan" period, the construction of the Shizian Private Economy Development Zone, the Second You River Bridge, the Baiyan Cave Water Diversion Project, the old city road renovation project, and the urban "greening, lighting, hardening, sanitation, and beautification" projects were launched and completed. Qianling Town has beautiful scenery and many scenic spots and historic sites, including the Han Dynasty Sifang City ruins, the cliff inscription "Heaven Opens Literary Fortune," the Zhongling Mountain Pagoda, the You River hanging coffins, Shizian, Jiangxi Temple, Lüzu Temple, Chenghuang Temple, and the You River Forest Park. Today's Qianling Ancient City is full of vitality and is radiating youth.
Construction of the Yongshun Lingxi Prefectural City. Lingxi Town, the seat of Yongshun County, is the Yongshun Prefecture and Yongshun County seat built after the Qing Dynasty's "replacing hereditary local rulers with appointed officials" policy, and was the seat of the Eighth Special Administrative Region during the Republic of China period and the Yongshun Special Administrative Region in the early years of New China. During this period, it was always the political, economic, and cultural center of the six counties of Yongshun, Baojing, Longshan, Sangzhi, Dayong, and Guzhang in northwestern Hunan. Since the "Ninth Five-Year Plan," Xiangtan City has provided poverty alleviation assistance here, successively renovating six streets, establishing the Bu'ermen Forest Park, and developing the Chengxi New District, all achieving good results. In recent years, Lingxi Town has intensified industrial restructuring around urbanization and industrialization, vigorously implemented the town-prospering strategy of "six fine-quality bases and one private economy residential area," and raised huge funds to build the Gaojiaba Flood Control Reservoir to ensure the safety of the county seat.