() is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

prefecture-level city A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. During the Republican era, many of China' ...

of Huzhou, in the northwest of

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

province. As of 2020 census, its population was 548,568 all living in the built-up (or metro) area. Deqing is very close to

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...

and

Shaoxing Shaoxing (; ) is a prefecture-level city on the southern shore of Hangzhou Bay in northeastern Zhejiang province, China. It was formerly known as Kuaiji and Shanyin and abbreviated in Chinese as (''Yuè'') from the area's former inhabitants. ...

, so it is becoming de facto a suburb of the two cities. It is being conurbated soon and even a Metro Line is planned in the middle term to link both cities.

Geography

Located in the middle of the plain between the

Hangzhou Bay Hangzhou Bay, or the Bay of Hangzhou (), is a funnel-shaped inlet of the East China Sea, bordered by the province of Zhejiang and the municipality of Shanghai, which lies north of the Bay. The Bay extends from the East China Sea to its head a ...

and the

Taihu Taihu (), also known as Lake Tai or Lake Taihu, is a lake in the Yangtze Delta and one of the largest freshwater lakes in China. The lake is in Jiangsu province and a significant part of its southern shore forms its border with Zhejiang. Wit ...

, most of Deqing County is flat, criss-crossed by numerous canals. The western end of the county is mountainous. There, the popular tourist areas of Moganshan is located. Moganshan is a scenic mountain, an hour from

, with many pre-World War II villas built by foreigners, along with one of

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

Guomindang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Taiw ...

compounds. Zisiqiao () Village, located within Deqing County's Xinshi Town, is renowned as a center of

snake farm A snake farm is a facility that houses and breeds a wide variety of snakes, often for the purpose of research and the collection of venom for the creation of antivenom. Many snake farms are primarily tourist attractions. Notable snake farms exist ...

ing. The locals have been raising snakes since the 1980s; currently, about 800 people in Zisiqiao work in snake farming industry, raising some three million snakes a year. Live snakes are supplied to specialty restaurants; dried or preserved in

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

, they are sold to manufacturers of

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...

s; snake-infused wine is made as well.China's 'Snake Village' seeks New Year riches
AFP, 2013-02-10 The village is nicknamed "Snake Village" by the media, and Deqing Snake Culture Museum is a local tourist attraction.

Administrative divisions

Towns: * Wukang (武康镇), Qianyuan (乾元镇), Xinshi (新市镇), Luoshe (洛舍镇), Xin'an (新安镇), Leidian (雷甸镇), Zhongguan (钟管镇),

Yuyue Yue (, Old Chinese: ''*''), also known as Yuyue (), was a state in ancient China which existed during the first millennium BC the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods of China's Zhou dynasty in the modern provinces of Zhejiang, Sha ...

(禹越镇), Moganshan (莫干山镇)

Climate

Religion

Yunxiu Temple Yunxiu Temple () is a Buddhist temple located in Xiazhuhu Subdistrict, Deqing County, Zhejiang, China. History The original temple dates back to the year 1181, during the Song dynasty (960–1279). It was destroyed by fire during the Mongoli ...

is a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...

in Xiazhuhu Subdistrict.

Transportation

Deqing has two railway stations, normal trains serve through Deqing West railway station, which located on the Xuancheng–Hangzhou railway, with fairly frequent, although not particularly fast, passenger service to Hangzhou and

Hefei Hefei (; ) is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural center of Anhui. Its population was 9,369,881 as of the 2020 census and its built-up ( ...

.Deqing West schedule
High speed trains serve Deqing railway station, on the Nanjing-Hangzhou high-speed railway.

Notes

{{authority control County-level divisions of Zhejiang Huzhou