We spent the weekend of September 13 and 14 in Langzhong, a smaller city that lies north of Nanchong, further up the Jailing River Valley about an hour and half by bus. Most of the city is of modern construction, like Nanchong. However, the traditional heart of Langzhong preserves houses and streets of the eras of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is considered one of the four best-preserved old cities in all of China and draws many Chinese tourists, as well as foreign visitors.
Given all the construction, demolition, and rebuilding that marks the contemporary Chinese urban skyline, a preserved ancient city is a remarkable thing. Unfortunately, it rained hard most of the day Saturday. Despite the rain, we walked around in the old city and saw a number of historic places, including two old city watch towers, the imperial examination rooms, a temple memorializing a local military hero named Zhang Fei, and more.
When Langzhong was briefly the capital of Sichuan Province, an imperial examination hall was constructed here and it has survived the years and been restored. Students sat for nine days in small cubicles, isolated from one another to discourage cheating, and worked to complete detailed essay tests that demonstrated their mastery of language, ethics, and handwriting.
Other parts of the hall included the rooms where exams were scored and where candidates were interviewed and, if they scored well enough, sent on to be instructed for their new public positions. The Zhang Fei temple recognizes a local hero whose name and image is now widely associated with its use as a commercial logo for a kind of spicy beef!
Legend says that Zhang Fei had darker skin tone, and Zhang Fei Beef is known for its deep coloration. Sunday the rain let up. After a big breakfast at our hotel, we had a bit of free time to wander the old city again, and then left by bus for the mountain across the Jialing River.
