In the south of Henan, there is a county with a very thick history and culture, named Xi County, which belongs to Xinyang City. This county was the seat of the state capital of the State of Shi (Marquis) during the Western Zhou Dynasty. In 682 BC, Chu extinguished the state of The county, the county is one of the earliest places in Chinese history to set up a county, the name of the county is still used today, it has been nearly three thousand years, so the county is known as "the first county in China" reputation.
During the Western Han Dynasty, XiXian was renamed Xinxi County, and during the Eastern Han, Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, it was the rule of the State of Runan, and the county of Runan.
After the establishment of the Western Jin Dynasty, Xinxi County was ruled by the State of Runan. During the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, it was successively owned by the later Zhao, Former Yan, Former Qin, Eastern Jin, And Later Qin regimes, all of which were ruled by Runan.
During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Southern Dynasty Liu Song and Xiao Qi Dynasties were still ruled by Runan. The Northern Wei Dynasty added Eastern Yu Prefecture. The Southern Dynasty Xiao Liang first set up Runan County in Yuzhou, and later changed its name to Huaizhou. During the Eastern Wei Dynasty, it was restored to the seat of the eastern Yu Prefecture of Runan. During the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the prefecture was changed to a prefecture, and all of them were the seats of the prefectures.
Ma Yuan, a famous general of the Eastern Han Dynasty, a native of Fufeng Maoling (in present-day Xingping, Shaanxi), wrote the Book of Yan Dun, a commandment to his brother, which was recited by later generations. In his lifetime, he made many bold remarks, including "the old should be stronger", "the ma ge shroud", "the boy should die in the border field, and the ma ge shroud should be buried with the ear", these heroic words have inspired countless benevolent people in later generations. General Ma Yuan spent his life fighting in the south and the north, and made great contributions to the stability of the Eastern Han Border County. In the seventeenth year of Jianwu (41 AD), the Guangwu Emperor Liu Xiu worshiped Ma Yuan as a general of Fubo and went south to put down the rebellion. In the first month of the nineteenth year of Jianwu (43 AD), Ma Yuanping was made the Marquis of Xinxi by Emperor Guangwu, with 3,000 households.
After Ma Yuan came to XiXian County, he built water conservancy, developed agriculture, attached importance to moral education, loved the people like a son, and was deeply loved by the people of Xi County.
In the twenty-fourth year of Jianwu (48 AD), a riot broke out in the southern Wuling Wuxi Man. Ma Yuan, who was sixty-two years old at the time, took the initiative to ask for help and expedition to Wuling. When the people of Xixian County learned of the news that Xinshihou was leaving, they all gathered together and stopped Ma Yuan's carriage and horse, hoping to save it. Ma Yuan, facing the tearful people, felt a thousand emotions and could not speak... In the twenty-fifth year of Jianwu (49 AD), Ma Yuan finally died for the country on the way, the brave soldiers were killed in battle, and Ma Ge's body was returned. In order to commemorate the great general who had lived a long life, the people of Xixian County held a solemn funeral for him.
Today, the Mayuan Cultural Square in the county seat of Xixian County has become a place for the people of Xixian County to commemorate this great patriotic general.