When I was traveling in Anhui, I accidentally found a county that amazed me with its historical heritage, envied me with its pace of life, and lingered with its food: Shou County.
If you are not from Anhui, you have never heard of this county. Many great things have happened here. For example, the famous "Battle of the Interwar" took place here; for example, the Chinese specialty "tofu" was born here; and the best surviving ancient city wall of Song Dynasty in China is also located here.
Located in central Anhui Province, Shouxian is under the jurisdiction of Huainan City and is a county with a population of 1.39 million. Although it is a county city, it has a deeper history than many provincial capitals.
Shouxian, known as Shouzhou in ancient times, has been the capital four times and the county 10 times in history. It is the birthplace of Chu culture and is one of the first three cities in Anhui selected as a national historical and cultural city.
First acquaintance with Shouxian, you will feel like a prosperous town, no high-rise buildings, no dense traffic lights, buildings on both sides of the road are about three floors of small buildings, bicycles, electric cars everywhere, the city does not look as good as some of the towns in Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions.
Stay for a long time you will find that this slightly rustic original, but more flavorful, more highlight the historical heritage of Shou County for thousands of years, those hidden in the alleys of the monuments are no longer abrupt, Shou County as if not for the young, here is the middle-aged and elderly living in retirement paradise.
The most famous monument in Shouxian is the towering ancient city wall, and it is no exaggeration to say that I have only seen such a magnificent and complete ancient city wall in Xi'an. Many people can't believe that the best preserved ancient city wall of Song Dynasty in China is located in an unknown small county.
Shouxian Ancient City was built in the Song Dynasty (1068-1224), and was originally built as a military defense site, with four gates, each with an urn city, and perfect regulations, and a moat outside the walls. Since Shouxian's economy was not well developed, tourism was an important local industry, and the wall also served as part of flood control, it has survived and basically maintained its Song Dynasty structure, and many of the bricks on the wall were repaired during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Touching the grey bricks of the ancient city walls, you can feel the vicissitudes and changes over the millennia flowing between your fingers. These ancient city walls are not high up, but can be climbed at will, and the city gates are free to climb.
It is very quiet in the old city of Shou County. Almost all the young people have run to the new district in the south, leaving only the middle-aged and elderly to guard the place. Strolling through the streets, you can see people playing cards, singing and playing chess everywhere, the whole ancient city is like a large retirement home, and time seems to have slowed down here.
In the evening, I returned to the hotel and learned after chatting with the owner that the ancient city of Shouxian is fast becoming a retirement resort. Many elderly people do not like the climate of the south, like the humanistic atmosphere of the small town, specially come here for retirement, and there are heating facilities in the recreation apartment, so it will not be cold in winter.
Shou County prices are low, the hotel I stayed at was 80 yuan a night with a bathtub and free fruit on check-in, which is unbelievable in a big city. Locals like to eat beef soup, there are a variety of soup restaurants on the street, no large luxury restaurants, are mainly small stores, delicious and cheap.
When I went out to take pictures in the morning, I found many people running on the wall, some with children exercising, some couples chatting while running, and under the wall were dancing groups, the local people's love for life, the impact of the ancient city wall on life, all these things fascinated me.
Climatically speaking, Shou County is not a pleasant city to live in with warm winters and cool summers, but life is never only about climate, but also culture, history, food, prices, etc. In terms of living, Shou County is indeed a livable city, and I hope to retire here, even for a short time.
Not to mention that this is "Shou County", named after "Shou", I wonder if it will become long-lived after living here for a long time. Do you like this kind of Shou County?
Author: Lin Qinglu, more scenic spots, free, pension travel information, follow me to get
