Mengshan County () 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 ...

under the administration of

Wuzhou Wuzhou (, postal: Wuchow; za, Ngouzcouh / Ŋouƨcouƅ), formerly Ngchow, is a prefecture-level city in the east of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China. Geography and climate Wuzhou is located in eastern Guangxi border ...

City in northeastern

Guangxi Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...

, China. Its seat is located in Mengshan Town.

History

Battles were fought in Mengshan during the

Tai Ping Rebellion The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a massive rebellion and civil war that was waged in China between the Manchu-led Qing dynasty and the Han, Hakka-led Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. It lasted f ...

in 1851 and 1852. Taiping soldiers captured the walled city of Yongan()(now Mengshan Town) from Qing forces on September 25, 1851. The remains of sections of wall, replica cannons, other artifacts are preserved and now form a tourist attraction on the northern end of Mengshan Town.

Administrative divisions

Mengshan County has nine fourth-level administrative units: Six Rural

Towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

, One

Townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

and Two Yao

ethnic township The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

Activities

Tianshu Canyon () is located 5 kilometers east of Mengshan town. Tianshu Canyon has a has impressive stone formations and natural waterfalls.

Located 13 kilometers east of Mengshan Town is San Chong Historic Battle Ground () The site of a battle on April 8, 1852 during the

Taiping Rebellion The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a massive rebellion and civil war that was waged in China between the Manchu-led Qing dynasty and the Han, Hakka-led Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. It lasted fr ...

. In Mengshan county in 1968 during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

Cannibalism occurred. 500 people were killed in a five-day period in mid-June. Many Middle Schools were closed in Mengshan in 1968 and remained closed until 1974.

Transportation

Mengshan does not have an airport or railway. The closest airports to Mengshan are

Guilin Liangjiang International Airport Guilin Liangjiang International Airport is the airport serving the city of Guilin in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. It is located in Liangjiang, about southwest of the city center. In 2014, Guilin Liangjiang International Airport wa ...

and Wuzhou Airport. The main road which runs North-South through Mengshan is the G321 National Highway (). Mengshan town is 145 km by road south of Guilin, 82 km by road south of

Yangshuo Yangshuo County () is a county under the jurisdiction of Guilin City, in the northeast of Guangxi, China. Its seat is located in Yangshuo Town. Surrounded by karst peaks and bordered on one side by the Li River it is easily accessible by bus or by ...

, and 187 km by road north of Wuzhou. The G321 is a single carriageway with 2 lanes. There are direct bus services from Mengshan town to Guilin, Wuzhou and many cities in the Guangdong Pearl River Delta including Guangzhou and Zhongshan.

Economy

Although similar to Guilin and Yangshuo with attractive karst scenery, potential for outdoor activities, such as caving, rafting, climbing and mountain biking, Mengshan does not have any significant tourist industry or infrastructure. Agriculture and Forestry are the main Industries in Mengshan. Rice is grown primarily for domestic consumption. Crops and fruit such as butter tea, citrus fruit, apple, chestnut, pear, persimmon, passion fruit, star anise, sugar cane and ginger are grown for sale. Silkworms are also an important source of income for many villages. Vanilla is grown in Changping Yao Minority Village () and in other parts of Mengshan. Tea is grown in most villages for domestic use, as well as for sale. Mengshan's climate is ideal for growing tea. Coffee mainly of the Arabica variety grows well in Mengshan county in frost free areas but planting is on small scale. Mengshan has productive vineyards, and further vineyards are being developed.

Remittance A remittance is a non-commercial transfer of money by a foreign worker, a member of a diaspora community, or a citizen with familial ties abroad, for household income in their home country or homeland. Money sent home by migrants competes wit ...

s from rural migrant workers significantly contribute to the local economy.

Notable people

Liang Yusheng Chen Wentong (5 April 1924 – 22 January 2009), better known by his pen name Liang Yusheng, was a Chinese writer. Credited as the pioneer of the "New School" (新派) of the ''wuxia'' genre in the 20th century, Chen was one of the best known ...

(1926–2009) a famous Chinese wuxia novelist who spent his early years in Wenwei Village (文圩村 ; wén wéi cūn) Mengshan. *Chen Manyuan 陳漫遠(1911–1986) a member of the Central Committee of the CCP’s Eighth Congress (1956)

Climate

References

External links

Mengshan County Government Website
{{authority control Incidents of cannibalism Counties of Guangxi Wuzhou