Profile of Yuxian

Overview of Yuxian County

Yuxian County is located in the south of Zhangjiakou City, due west of Beijing, with a total area of 3,220 square kilometers and a total population of 510,000. It has jurisdiction over 22 towns and 561 administrative villages. It is a culturally advanced county in China, a hometown of Chinese paper-cutting art, a national cultural industry demonstration base, the best folk culture tourism city in China and the founding unit of a national tourism demonstration zone. First, history goes back to ancient times. Yuxian is one of the birthplaces of oriental human beings 2 million years ago, an important part of Hongshan Culture, Yangshao culture and Hougang culture, the seat of the ancient country and county, one of the sixteen prefectures in Song and Liao Dynasties, with a continuous history of 6,000 years of civilization evolution, a thousand-year-old ancient county with a history of 3,000 years of establishment, and once a fork in the road of Chinese civilization. Second, the cultural heritage is profound. Thousands of years of civilization have continued, forming a unique Yu zhou culture. There are more than 1,639 cultural relics sites in the county, 22 national protection units, 23 provincial protection units and 104 intangible cultural heritages, making it the first national protection cultural relics county in China. The ancient castle in Yuxian, like Kaiping Diaolou and Fujian Tulou, is one of the wonders left by human history. At present, there are more than 300 preserved castles, which are known as the "Museum of Ancient Architecture Art in Hebei Province". Yuxian paper-cut is the intangible cultural heritage of the world, and it has become the cultural business card of three major cities (folk customs) representing China, along with Suzhou embroidery and Jun porcelain. Yuxian Yangko was praised by Mr. Guo Moruo as "a little red among hundreds of flowers" and was selected as the national intangible cultural heritage together with Baidengshan, and Da Shu Hua Show was called "a must in China and a must in the world".

Third, the location advantage star. Yuxian connects two provinces (Hebei Province and Shanxi Province) and reaches seven counties (Zhuolu County, Laishui County, Laiyuan County, Lingqiu County, Guangling County, Yangyuan County and Xuanhua District of Zhangjiakou City.). It is an important node of the two economic circles of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Shanxi-Hebei-Inner Mongolia and the metropolitan area around the Bohai Sea. It is 120 kilometers away from Beijing and 130 kilometers away from Baoding, Datong and Zhangjiakou.

Fourth, the traffic conditions are convenient. National Highway 109 and 112 run through the whole territory, and Zhangshi Expressway runs through the north and south. The planned transformation project of Shawei Railway will be changed from a dedicated coal line to a dual-purpose passenger and freight line. After completion, it will become the traffic artery connecting Datong in the west and Beijing in the east. After the Jingwei Expressway is completed and opened to traffic, it will further narrow the distance between our county and Beijing and Tianjin, and Yuxian will be integrated into the one-hour economic circle of the capital.

Fifth, the ecological resources are unique. The mountainous area in the south of Yuxian County accounts for one-third of the total area of the county, and it is a tourist attraction in the west of Beijing with beautiful natural scenery. Yuxian County is the roof of Hebei Province and the summit of Taihang Mountain. Xiaowutai Mountain, with an altitude of 2,882 meters, is the main peak of Taihang Mountain, the first peak in Hebei Province and a national nature reserve. It has national rare animals such as leopard, black stork and brown pheasant, and is a mountaineering resort, outdoor paradise and biological grand view garden. The original forest area in the deep mountain area of the county is 340,000 mu, with a total forest area of 1.89 million mu and alpine and subalpine meadows of 650,000 mu, with a forest coverage rate of 39.2% and a forest and grass coverage rate of 61.5%.

Sixth, the agricultural characteristics are distinct. Yuxian county is the earliest county in China where millet plants are domesticated by human beings and the whole grains are preserved. Yuxian Taohua rice is the first of the four famous rice in China. The planting area of apricot flat in the county is more than 600,000 mu, which is the "hometown of apricot kernel in China". Tobacco industry enjoys a good reputation both inside and outside the province, and "Jiwei" brand flue-cured tobacco won the title of provincial quality product. Chinese herbal medicines are stable at about 20,000 mu, which is the national demonstration planting base of Chinese herbal medicines. Yu zhou Gong Mi and Yu zhou Xingbian are national geographical indication protection products.

In 2024, the regional GDP increased by 5.4%, the investment in fixed assets increased by 33.4%, the general public budget revenue increased by 0.4%, the total retail sales of social consumer goods increased by 5.6%, and the per capita disposable income of urban and rural residents increased by 4.1% and 7.7% respectively.

Humanity History

Yuxian, known as Yu zhou in ancient times, was once one of the ancient "sixteen prefectures". The Shang Dynasty was an ancient land, which belonged to Jin in the Spring and Autumn Period, Zhao in the Warring States Period, Dai County in the Qin Dynasty and yu zhou in the Northern Zhou Dynasty when Emperor Xuandi was proclaimed.

Yuxian has a long history. The Shang Dynasty was an ancient land, the Warring States belonged to Zhao, the Qin Dynasty was a county, and Yu zhou, also known as Luochuan, was once one of the ancient "sixteen prefectures" in the Northern Zhou Dynasty (AD 579). During the Republic of China, the state was changed to a county.

Yuxian has a profound cultural heritage. Thousands of years of civilization have continued, and cities and countries have thrived and abandoned several times, bringing together the various cultural essences of nomadic people and farming people, forming a unique regional characteristic culture, which is the "fork of Chinese civilization" of Yangshao culture, Hongshan Culture culture and Hetao culture, the "three traditional cultures blending place" of farming culture, nomadic culture and military culture, and the "three characteristic cultures gathering place” of folk culture, religious culture and red culture. History and culture are profound, and there are numerous places of interest in China, including Nihewan site, the birthplace of human beings in East Asia 2 million years ago, Yangshao culture in Neolithic Age more than 6,000 years ago, the majestic ruins of Zhao Great Wall, the tall and graceful Nan 'an Temple Tower, the Jade Emperor Pavilion with arched eaves, the unique style of the warm spring west castle "Wengcheng", the ancient temple of Chongtai, the most complete preserved ancient city of Yu zhou in the west of Beijing, and the most famous castles and theaters. There is a saying of "eight hundred castles" in history, but now it has the reputation of "Fujian tulou in the south and Yu zhou Castle in the north". There are castles in every village, temples and theatres in the castles, and even the castles in Cheng Zhen. The towns and towns have merged into an ancient and bold Yu zhou. There are more than 1,610 sites of cultural relics in the county, with 10,644 cultural relics in the collection, including 22 in China and 23 in the province. It is the largest county of cultural relics under national protection in China and is known as the "Museum of Ancient Architecture and Art in Hebei Province". Yuxian county has one national historical and cultural city and two national historical and cultural towns. There are 8 national historical and cultural villages. The ancient city of Yu zhou is a famous historical and cultural city in China. The existing city of Yu zhou was built on the basis of the original city site in the fifth year of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty, and the bricks and stones were laid again in the tenth year of Hongwu, forming an "iron city with majestic armor on all sides". Nuanquan Town, with its unique ancient castles, ancient theatres, ancient temples, ancient dwellings, unique folk social fires, special snacks and folk culture, was rated as a famous historical and cultural town in China, and was jointly awarded the "Famous Town with National Characteristic Landscape Tourism" by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the Tourism Bureau. It is a national 3A-level tourist attraction. Beifangcheng in Yongquanzhuang Township is named after its "Wang"-shaped structure and equidistant architectural layout from east to west, north to south. The buildings in Ming and Qing Dynasties are well preserved and have typical Taoist style, and it is rated as a national historical and cultural village. Yuxian folk art has a unique style. It is "the hometown of Chinese folk art", "the hometown of Chinese paper-cutting art", "the research center of Chinese paper-cutting art", the demonstration county of cultural and creative industries in China, the best tourist city of folk culture in China, the TV documentary shooting and creation base of China Television Association, the national advanced cultural county and the national demonstration base of cultural industry, and it has been praised by netizens as "the top ten most interesting places in China". Yuxian paper-cut inherits and absorbs the characteristics of local traditional folk art forms such as sculpture, embroidery, printing and dyeing, opera, etc., and forms the only stippling paper-cut art in China, which is mainly based on negative engraving and supplemented by positive engraving.It was listed as a world intangible heritage by UNESCO, included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list, and identified as a national gift by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It has become a characteristic art product deeply loved by people at home and abroad, selling well in more than 100 countries and regions, and was once rated as the three business cards of China's creative city culture together with Su embroidery and Jun porcelain. There are 30,000 paper-cutting employees in Yuxian County, with an annual production of more than 6 million sets of paper-cutting and an output value exceeding 400 million Yuan, which has become a pillar industry in the county. There are many intangible cultural heritage projects in Yuxian County, which is the largest intangible cultural heritage county in Hebei Province. There are as many as 112 intangible cultural heritage projects in the county, and Baidengshan and Yuxian Yangko are listed as the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists. Eleven items, including Da Shu Hua Show (declared as a national intangible heritage, to be approved), celadon ware, black pottery, stilt opera, and the architectural art of Yuxian ancient dwellings, have been listed as provincial intangible cultural heritages, and ancient murals of ancient castles, ancient theatres, Da Shu Hua Show, Changpingcang and temples have been selected into the Guinness Book of Records of Shanghai World. There are many famous historical figures, including Feng Tang, who dared to criticize Emperor Wendi in the Western Han Dynasty; Wang Min, the minister of the Ministry of Industry in Yuan Dynasty; Hao Jie, the minister of war in bring peace and stability to the country in the Ming Dynasty, Ma Fang, the general commander of Xuanda, who was famous for his frontier defense, and Yin Geng, a poet and strategist; Wei Xiangshu, an honest official and a minister of punishments in the early Qing Dynasty; Wang Pu, a wealthy businessman in the late Qing Dynasty. In 2019, it was rated as the first national top 100 cultural counties.

Yuxian folk custom has a long history. Yuxian's folk customs are unique, and the colorful and diverse Spring Festival folk social fires can be called the wonderful work of Chinese folk culture. Among them, Da Shu Hua Show, Baidengshan, Yu zhou Daoqing, drums for the country, boat lanterns, stilts, dragon fighting, single-pole sedan chair, swinging, carrying, lifting, fighting tigers, lion dance, live horse dance, pole-clicking, lantern festival and other forms are widely spread in our county, which is really refreshing. The Yuxian Folk Culture Tourism Festival, with the theme of "Flaming Yu zhou, a Prosperous Year", has been held for nine times in a row by 2019, representing a "Chinese Carnival" and becoming an important part of the "Zhangjiakou Prosperous Year of China".

Yuxian snacks are well known. Bean jelly, spiced dried bean curd, buckwheat noodles, eight bowls, fried cakes, Yu zhou coffee (bean paste) and other special snacks have become the traditional food that must be served or selected on the table for receiving VIPs and tourists. Unique basin regional characteristics, arid climate, 1.28 million mu of cultivated land in Guang Mao, and long-term extensive cultivation and poor harvest have made Yuxian "Yu zhou Gong Mi", "miscellaneous grains and beans" and "apricot flat" and other natural pollution-free varieties, and coarse grains are carefully cultivated, which have become rare health foods for urban people. Yuxian paper-cutting, warm spring lanterns, clay sculptures, green sand vessels and other local products and folk handicrafts have also become popular tourist souvenirs for tourism consumers.

Administrative Divisions

Yuxian County is located at the southernmost tip of Zhangjiakou City, northwest of Hebei Province and west of Beijing, with a total area of 3,220 square kilometers, governing 22 townships and 561 administrative villages with a total population of 500,000. It is an advanced county in national culture, a hometown of Chinese folk art, a hometown of Chinese paper-cutting art, a research center of Chinese paper-cutting art, the best tourist city of folk culture in China, the hometown of apricot kernel in China, the top 100 counties of small and medium-sized cities with the most investment potential in China, a national cultural industry demonstration base, a national standardized planting base of Chinese herbal medicines and the first flue-cured tobacco county in Hebei Province. The county government is located in Yu zhou Town. Postal code: 075700. Code: 130726. Area code: 0313. Pinyin: Yu Xian.

Yuxian county governs 11 towns and 11 townships: Yu zhou Town, Daiwangcheng Town, Xiheying Town, Jijiazhuang Town, Baile zhen, Nuanquan Town, Nanliuzhuang Town, Beishuiquan Town, Taohua Town, Yangjuan Town, Songjiazhuang Town, Xiagong Village Township, Nanyangzhuang Township, Baishu Township, Changning township Township, Yongquanzhuang Township, Yangzhuangke Township, Nanlingzhuang Township, Chenjiawa Township, Huangmei Township, Baicao Village Township and Caogoubao Township.

Geographical Environment

Yuxian County is located in the northwest of Hebei Province, with a county boundary of 74.55 kilometers from east to west and 71.25 kilometers from north to south. It is located at the intersection of three mountains (Hengshan Mountain, Taihang Mountain and Yanshan Mountain) and belongs to an intermountain basin in the northwest of Hebei Province. The remaining veins of Hengshan Mountain run from Jin to Wei, and the Huliu River runs across the west and east, forming three obvious natural ecological regions, namely, deep mountains in the south, rivers in the middle and hills in the north, with an altitude of 835-2,882 meters. The southern mountainous area covers an area of 1,114 square kilometers, which is the ecological barrier of the county. Xiaowutai Mountain is a national nature reserve, and Dongtai is the first peak in Hebei at an altitude of 2,882 meters. The central river area covers an area of 988 square kilometers, with flat terrain, fertile land and abundant water resources, and is known as the famous "Miliangchuan" in the west of Beijing. The shallow mountains in the north and the hilly areas around them cover an area of 1,118 square kilometers, with gentle slope and wide area, which is suitable for developing fruit industry and planting industry.
Yuxian has a temperate continental monsoon climate. The annual average temperature in the county is 6.5℃, which is about 6℃ lower than that in Beijing, and about 2℃ lower than that in Zhangjiakou. The frost-free period is 152 days. The county's annual precipitation is 400 mm, with an average annual sunshine of 2894 hours. The sunshine is sufficient and the temperature difference between day and night is large, which is beneficial to the formation of carbohydrate and the accumulation of dry matter. Therefore, Yuxian's grain and oil crops are full, with high starch content in potatoes, high sugar content in fruits and melons (the sugar content of papaya and apricot is 13.1%) and good quality. Rain and heat are in the same season, summer is short, the relative humidity is relatively small compared with other cities, and the number of days with air quality above Grade II remains above 230 days, which is a good place to escape summer and haze. The terrain is complex and the climate is diverse. Due to the great difference between the region (north-south span of 0.63 latitudes) and the terrain (elevation difference of 2052 meters), the annual average temperature difference between the hottest and coldest places is 8 degrees (Beijing and Nanjing span 8 latitudes, and the annual average temperature difference is only 3.8 degrees). Therefore, the difference between cold and warm in Yuxian in the same season will be great, especially in the southern mountainous areas in summer, which is very cool and pleasant.

Yuxian county is located in the south of the intermountain basin in northwest Hebei province, belonging to Yongding River basin, with abundant water resources. There are three perennial rivers, namely Huliu River, Ding 'an River and Qingshui River, and a medium-sized reservoir in the county. It is a graben basin in geological structure, surrounded by ancient impermeable strata. Nanshan is nearly 100 kilometers long from east to west, with lush vegetation and high vegetation coverage. Due to the supply of mountains around the basin and the supply of atmospheric precipitation in the basin, groundwater resources are abundant and runoff is smooth. The total water resources in Yuxian County is 198 million m3. The surface water resources are 147 million m3, and the available amount is 110 million m3. The groundwater resources are 108 million m3, and the exploitable amount is 82 million m3. The county's average annual industrial and agricultural production water consumption is about 100 million m3, and there is still nearly 100 million m3 of water resources utilization space. Huliuhe Reservoir, located in the west of the county, is a medium-sized reservoir with a storage capacity of 87 million cubic meters and a control basin area of 1,717 square kilometers.

Source: Hebei Provincial Foreign Experts Bureau