Fuchun and Xin’an Rivers

Overview

About

The scenic area covers the Xin’an and Fuchun rivers in Zhejiang from Chun’an down to Fuyang, across the counties and cities of Fuyang, Tonglu and Jiande.

Both rivers are the upper Qiantang. The Xin’an rises in Xiuning County, Anhui, flows through Huangshan city, then Chun’an, Jiande and Tonglu into Fuyang. Below its junction with the Lan River it is called the Fuchun, in Tonglu the Tong River, and from Wenjiayan in Xiaoshan the Qiantang.

There are three routes: the south, centred on the Lingqi caves and the Daci Rock “hanging temple of the south”; the west, on the Xin’an River dam and Thousand Island Lake; and the east, on the Qililong stretch of the Fuchun and the Fuchun River national forest park.

It is in the first batch of national parks of China (national scenic areas) named by the State Council in 1982.

Travel tips

Fuchun River: in Tonglu, Yan Ziling's Fishing Terrace stands by the river in the Qili Long gorge, reached by boat inside the scenic area; Yaolin Wonderland cave is in Yaolin township, a little over 20 km from Tonglu town. In Fuyang, Guanshan Hill is on the riverfront in town.

Where to stay: Qiandaohu town has the most places to stay; Tonglu and Jiande towns also have hotels.

The Fuchun and Xin’an

The 30 km from Meicheng in Jiande to Lucibu in Tonglu is the Qililong gorge, called a Lesser Three Gorges, with the sights of Qili Sails, Yan Ziling’s fishing terrace and the Gourd Waterfall.

Tonglu has the Yaolin Cave, rafting on the Tianmu Stream and the Daqi Mountain national forest park.

Fuyang, “first city on the spring river”, has the Guan Hill and the “first tower on the spring river”; the Yuan painter Huang Gongwang painted his famous Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains while living in retirement here.

Local products

The rivers are known for red-lipped shad and Ziling fish. Other specialities: Wushan bean-curd skin and Longyang gingko from Fuyang; hickory nuts, Yanqiao jujubes, Houyan chestnuts, torreya nuts and Zhongshan dried bean curd from Tonglu; lotus seeds, Qiandao silver-needle tea and Yandongguan wujiapi liquor from Jiande. Tonglu’s teas Xueshui Yunlü, Tianzun Gongya and Wuyun Quhao were imperial tribute.

Events

On 31 March 1994 robbers attacked and set fire to the tour boat Hairui on Thousand Island Lake, killing 24 Taiwanese tourists and 8 crew; three men were sentenced to death that June.

In literature

Wu Jun’s “Letter to Zhu Yuansi”, of the Southern dynasties, describes drifting down the river from Fuyang to Tonglu and calls its hills and waters without equal under heaven.

Meng Haoran wrote of the clear river where it enters Xin’an, and Su Shi called the scenery of Tonglu the loveliest he had seen in all the hills and waters of Wu.

Yan Ziling

Yan Guang, courtesy name Ziling, of Yuyao in Kuaiji, was a schoolfellow of Liu Xiu, who became the Eastern Han emperor Guangwu. He repeatedly refused the emperor’s offers of office and lived as a hermit on the Fuchun River. Once, sharing a bed with the emperor, he rested his foot on the imperial belly; next day the court astronomer reported a wandering star intruding on the emperor’s seat. Fan Zhongyan praised his integrity as lofty as the mountains and lasting as the rivers.

Map

Photo credits: Thousand Island Lake: Pauloleong2002 (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)

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