Review the Ancient Maritime Silk Road in Hepu

Last year， a popular saying“there is such a lot of world to see”shared on Moments of WeChat became a matter worth concerning. For a short while， a go-with-feel travel and a desperate love were on the tip of our tongue.

But the truth is， the real love is a love with her tender eyes looking at you， and the go-with-feel travel is a travel that will come sooner or later.

Su Dongpo：

A famous wordsmith

Su Dongpo （1037-1101）， also known as Su Shi， a literary giant of the Northern Song Dynasty （960-1127）， and one of the eight masters of the Tang （618-907） and Song （960-1279） Dynasty， spent the rest of his life on this land--Hepu County.

In May 1100， Su Shi was pardoned when Emperor Huizong （1082-1135） of Song Dynasty ascended the throne and declared a total amnesty. In June 20 of that year， he moved from Qiongzhou to Lianzhou and received a nice welcome here.

Go and visit today’s Lianzhou Middle School in Hepu， the time-honored Haijiao Pavilion stands still here， with an eye-catching plaque which reads： a stretch of cloudless and broader sky. Written by this great poet in that summer， the plaque also retains a flavor of ink through nine hundred years.

More importantly， Su Shi held deep feeling towards the Hepu people， and left many articles and poems to describe the life of the local people and his mood at the time. Many of the popular tales on Su Shi such as “making fun of the magistrate by poems”， “a well dug by Su Dongpo” and “Dongpo straw hat” have been handed down from generations to generations.

Fresh water， for a coastal city， is a scarce resource. Among the 18 historic wells， Dongpo Well is located in the Hepu Normal College. Legend has it that the Hepu People cooked tea for Su Shi with the water from Qianjiang Great Well， and then Su Shi praised it as a “sweet spring”. Even in the 1980s， people had to pay for the water from these historic wells， which has been a unique memory for the last generation with the popularization of tap water.

When Su Shi left Hepu， he wrote a piece of poem which reads： his poems will be recited through successive generations in Hepu； with a pot of good drink， he was drunk in the charming natural landscape. Just like the poem， Su Shi is to Hepu what flower is to tree. For nine centuries， Hepu， has let every celebrity and poet gasp in admiration.

Beauty unveils everywhere， enjoy it all

Hepu has shown you its beauty and marked it into your heart： Ancient City Sites in the Village， historical relics with a long history， century-old bridge， Qilou （Chinese arcade houses）， relics and inscriptions of scholars and poets...however， they are nothing special for locals. Actually， beauty unveils everywhere， enjoy it all. Look！ A harmonious picture， just as it had always been， was formed： students in school uniforms are reading in the Haijiao Pavilion； people are hurrying through the old street； the nearby villagers are pasturing and feeding ducks.

On the Ximen River， there is the Huiai Bridge， also called the old bridge， built during Zhengde reign （1506-1521） in the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644）. The bridge has no piers and is supported entirely by two sets of wooden logs on either bank in the shape of an inverted V， a kind of structure rarely seen elsewhere. In our bustling city， such experience will rejuvenate us after a tiring day， a depressed moment or a happy time. But in this county， even a night with a fragrance of magnolia flower， is good enough to extend your heart and soul.

As night falls， a new scene is brought to life. With the gentle sea breezes， residents are recovering from the tiredness of the whole day. Not far from the old bridge， food stalls with fresh seafood and beers in busy markets are common places in Hepu. Time flies， Hepu’s glory past and legends have left the locals a simple and true life. On this land， rhythm of life is the mood on the stage and taste of life is the food on the table. As a vital artery at one time， the old bridge remains intact and available.

The beauty of Hepu may mean different things to different people， and I also cannot sum up in a word. Please come and share your days with her and give your love to her. It’s always worth taking a look down every corner of this land since you never know what you’ll find there， Hepu， is a land waiting to be discovered.

Tips

Hepu County is a well-known “Huanzhu （Return of the pearl） County”， with a long history. It belonged to Luoyue （a district in Lingnan， South of China） during the Pre-Qin period （21 BC -221 BC）， and was under the jurisdiction of Xiang Prefecture in Qin Dynasty.

Hepu Prefecture was set up in the sixth year of Yuanding reign （111 BC） in the Han Dynasty. （Hepu is a place where rivers meet， hence its name.）

Hepu Prefecture renamed itself as Pearl Prefecture in the seventh year of Huangwu reign （228） of the Wu Kingdom of the Three Kingdoms Period （220-280）， and resumed its former name later.

Hepu Prefecture changed its name into Lianzhou Prefecture in the eighth year of Zhenguan reign （634） of the Tang Dynasty （618-907） and still used this name during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

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With the cancel of Lianzhou Prefecture after the Revolution of 1911， Hepu was under the jurisdiction of Qinzhou Prefecture， Guangdong.

Hepu was under the jurisdiction of Qinzhou Prefecture， Guangxi since 1952.

Hepu was under the jurisdiction of Guangdong since August 1955. And Hepu’s Office of Commissioner was set up here.

Hepu Prefecture was cancelled and under the jurisdiction of Zhanjiang， Guangdong since January 1959.

Hepu Prefecture was under the jurisdiction of Qinzhou， Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region since June 1965.

Hepu was under the jurisdiction of Beihai， Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region since July 1987.

Hepu was approved as one of open counties along the coast by the State Council of China since March 1988.

Hepu was given the name“Southern Pearl”by the then Prime Minister of the State Council Li Peng in November 1992.

Tourist routes

Wenchang Pagoda--Dongpo Pavilion--Haijiao Pavilion--Arcade Houses in Fumin Road--Huiai Bridge

Attractions：

Wenchang Pagoda：

It is situated in No.2 Qingyun Road， Lianzhou Town， Hepu County. This pavilion-style Pagoda， about 284.96 square meter in area， is three rooms wide and three rooms deep， which was built during mid-times of Emperor Qianlong in Qing Dynasty and reconstructed for several times.

Dongpo Pavilion：

In the 38th year of Qianlong reign （1774） of the Qing Dynasty， Dongpo Pavilion was rebuilt by the Prefecture Kang Jitian in honor of Su Donpo.

Haijiao Pavilion：

It is located in Hepu Normal College， Lianzhou Town， with an eye-catching plaque written by Su Shi. This ancient building was built in honor of a Prefecture of Hepu Meng Chang.

Arcade Houses in Fumin Road：

The ancient buildings are the largest well-preserved architectural complex with western style， which were built in the 22th year （1932） of the Republic of China （1912-1949）. The Fumin Road is 1， 000 meters long and 5 meters wide， with 132 arcade houses.

Huiai Bridge （Old Bridge， Ximen Bridge）：

The smartly designed truss bridge was finished in 1911， the third year of Xuantong reign of the Qing Dynasty， crossing over the Ximen River， Huiai Road， Lianzhou Town， Hepu.