Nanxun () is a historic town in Nanxun District of

Huzhou Huzhou (, ; Huzhounese: ''ghou² cieu¹'') is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province (Hangzhou–Jiaxing–Huzhou Plain, China). Lying south of the Lake Tai, it borders Jiaxing to the east, Hangzhou to the south, and the provinc ...

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 ...

, China. As of the 2007 census it had a population of 119,300 and an area of .

Name

The name of Nanxun was coined by a combination of the initial Chinese characters of two place' names in the region: "Nanlin" () and "Xunxi" ().

History

Established in 1252 in the

Southern Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

(1127–1279), Nanxun is located in the northeast of Huzhou city. It was one of the richest towns in

Jiangnan Jiangnan or Jiang Nan (; formerly romanized Kiang-nan, literally "South of the River" meaning "South of the Yangtze") is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, incl ...

from mid-Ming down to mid-Qing dynasties. During this period, with the development of

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

industry and rise of commodity economy, it experienced unprecedented prosperity, and developed into the center of China's silk trade at the beginning of 20th century. It became the most prosperous town in

region, producing hundreds of magnates. As a popular saying went, "What counts as a city in Huzhou is barely half the size of Nanxun." ()

Religion

The introduction of Christianity into the Nanxun area began in 1860, belonging to the

American Methodist Episcopal Mission American Methodist Episcopal Mission (AMEM; also known as Board of Foreign Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church EFB was the missionary society of the Methodist Episcopal Church that was involved in sending workers to countries such as C ...

. The Nanxun Christian Church is a

Protestant church Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

in the town. It was built in 1927. The Guanghui Palace is a

Taoist temple A Taoist temple (, also called ''dàoguàn'' and , is a place where the Tao is observed and cultivated it is a place of worship in Taoism. Structure and function can vary according to the Taoist school the temple belongs to. For example, ''guàn ...

in the town. It was first established in the

Northern Song dynasty Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

(960–1127) and was destroyed and rebuilt many times. The present version was completed in 2003.

Tourist attractions

Nanxun once had a large number of gardens. From the Southern Song dynasty down to the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

(1644–1911) it had housed as much as 27 gardens. Among the survived ones are the Baijian Houses, Jiaye Library, Liu's Xiaolian Manor, (Chen's) Ying Garden and (Zhang's) Shi Garden. Nanxun is also the home to the

Former Residence of Zhang Shiming The Former Residence of Zhang Shiming (), also known as Hall of Yide () is located in Nanxun, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China. It was the former residence of Zhang Shiming, grandson of Zhang Songxian (). History It was built between 1899 and 1905, duri ...

and

Former Residence of Zhang Jingjiang The Former Residence of Zhang Jingjiang (), also known as Hall of Zunde (), is the birthplace and former residence of Zhang Jingjiang, one of the "Four Elder Statesmen" of the Kuomintang. History The Former Residence of Zhang Jingjiang was built ...

. Nanxun has more well-preserved ancient bridges of the

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

(1368–1644) and

Qing dynasties The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...

(1644–1911) with hundreds of years of history, such as

Tongjin Bridge The Guanyin Bridge () is a historic stone arch bridge in Nanxun, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China. It is the largest bridge in the town of Nanxun. History The original bridge dates back to the Song dynasty (960–1279). The current bridge was recons ...

Hongji Bridge The Hongji Bridge () is a historic stone arch bridge over the Dongshi River in Nanxun, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China. History The bridge was firstly mentioned in the ''Prefecture Topography of Huzhou'' () during the reign of Wanli Emperor in the Ming ...

Guanghui Bridge The Guanghui Bridge () is a historic stone arch bridge over the Nanshi River in Nanxun, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China. In is backed by the Taoist temple Guanghui Palace. History The current bridge was rebuilt in 1800, in the 5th year of Jiaqing per ...

, and Chuihong Bridge.

Notable people

* Zhu Guozhen, an official, historian, and scholar of the Ming dynasty. * * Zhuang Tinglong, historian. * , historian. * , a tycoon in Nanxun. * , a tycoon in Nanxun. * , philologist. *

Zhang Renjie Zhang Renjie (Chang Jen-chieh 19 September 1877 − 3 September 1950), born Zhang Jingjiang, was a political figure and financial entrepreneur in the Republic of China. He studied and worked in France in the early 1900s, where he became an early ...

, a political figure and financial entrepreneur in the Republic of China. * Jin Zhang, prominent painter and calligrapher

Gallery

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nanxun Traditional folk houses in China Ancient Chinese cities Huzhou