A name is a person's first business card, it not only carries a person's identity, but also may affect the first impression of others. The name of a city is equally important, as it not only represents the geographical location of a place, but also contains a rich history and cultural character.
On the vast territory of China, there are a few cities, and they all have a special character in their names - "country". This is not just a word, it carries countless historical memories and cultural meanings behind it, reflecting the expectations and blessings of the ancients for these places.
Today, let's walk into these three special cities: Anguo, Ningguo and Xingguo.
Anguo - the capital of medicinal materials
In the warm embrace of Hebei Province, there is such a place called Anguo. This is not just an ordinary county-level city, it is also the pride of Baoding City, covering an area of 486 square kilometers and home to a permanent population of about 382,000. If the geographical location tells us something about a place, then the story of Anguo is definitely about medicinal herbs and healing.
Let's go back a little bit to the ancient times, when Anguo was still called Qizhou.
It is the hometown of Guan Hanqing, a famous dramatist of the Yuan Dynasty, whose stories and works still occupy a place in the history of Chinese theatre. The changing of the ancient name reflects the city's rich history and cultural depth.
However, when it comes to Anguo, it has to be mentioned that it is its status as the largest distribution center of Chinese medicinal materials in China.
As early as the Ming and Qing dynasties, Anguo was already the largest and most famous traditional Chinese medicine distribution center in the north. It is not only a gathering place for pharmaceutical merchants in the country, but also attracts businessmen from all over the world.
Anguo City's Oriental Medicine City is now the country's largest professional market for Chinese herbal medicines, with a market area of up to 600,000 square meters, where thousands of medicinal materials are traded, forming the reputation of "grass to Anguo prescription medicine, medicine to Qizhou Shishengxiang".
Angola is not just a market, it is a bridge, connecting the past and the present, tradition and modernity, through pieces of herbs, bottles of decoction, the spread of Chinese medicine culture to the world.
Ningguo - the gateway of the blend of mountains and rivers
Located in the southeastern part of Anhui Province, Ningguo is a picturesque county-level city managed by Xuancheng City.
This place is not only a place where mountains and rivers blend, but also a necessary way for business travelers from the north and south. With a total area of about 2,487 square kilometers and about 399,000 people living here, it is a small town full of life and history.
The name Ningguo is derived from a sentence in the Book of Changes: "The first thing to come out, all countries are Xianning", which means that this land and its people can enjoy peace and prosperity. Since the establishment of the county in the thirteenth year of Jian'an in the Eastern Han Dynasty, this ancient land of Ningguo has a history of more than 1,800 years and has witnessed countless changes and development.
But the true charm of Ningguo lies not only in its rich history. It is deeply favored by the gift of nature, with three rivers of Dongjin, Zhongjin and Xijin passing through the city, and the natural scenery is beautiful. What is even more commendable is that the forest coverage rate of Ningguo is as high as 77.4%, the air here is fresh, the environment is pleasant, and it is known as "eight mountains and one water, half a field, half a road and a manor".
Ningguo is also the hometown of Chinese pecans, the hometown of Chinese Yuanzhu and the hometown of China's Qianhu, and its abundance of natural resources has made it one of China's outstanding tourist cities.
In addition, there are also Jiangnan peonies with the reputation of "Luoyang in the north and Ningguo in the south", and the peonies bloom every spring, attracting countless tourists to come and watch. In addition to flowers, Ningguo is also home to the last primeval forest in the northern subtropics and Qinglong Lake, a national forest park, which is a paradise for nature lovers and photographers.
Xingguo - the cradle of heroes
Xingguo, located in the south-central part of Jiangxi Province, is a county under the jurisdiction of Ganzhou City. With a vast land area of 3,215 square kilometers and a registered population of 856,500, this place is not only a land full of life, but also a land that breeds heroes.
The history of Xingguo can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms period, and the county was originally named Binh Duong when it was first established, and it is a place with a long history. In the Northern Song Dynasty, it was renamed Xingguo with the era name "Taiping Xingguo", and this name has been used to this day.
But when it comes to rejuvenation, what we are most proud of is its deep military culture and heroic tradition.
It is known as "General County" and "Red Army County", and has the reputation of "going out and entering the phase" since ancient times.
What is shocking is that since the founding of the People's Republic of China, a total of 56 generals have been rejuvenated, a number that is rare in the whole country. During the Soviet period, among the 230,000 people in Xingguo County, more than 93,000 joined the army and participated in the war, and more than 50,000 sacrificed their lives for the country, and the number of martyrs ranked among the best in the country.
The stories of these generals and martyrs are not only about the memory of the war, but also about the inheritance of courage, sacrifice and patriotism. On the arduous journey of the Long March, the soldiers of Xingguo left footprints in almost every kilometer.
Do you know any of the above three cities, and do you know any other cities named after the word "country", you may wish to share them with us in the comment area.