Xi County, Shanxi

Xi County or Xixian ( zh, s=隰县 , t=隰縣 , p=Xī Xiàn) is a county in the southwest of Shanxi province, China. It is located in the northwest of the administrative area of the prefecture-level city of Linfen. The county spans an area of , and according to the 2010 Chinese census, Xi County had a population of 103,617.

Toponymy

The county was named after a definition in the Erya which stated "that which is wet shall be called ''xi''" (), in reference to the county's wet period during the spring.

History

During the Han dynasty, the area was organized as Puzi County ().

Under the Northern Wei, the northern portion of present-day Xi County was organized as part of , and the southern portion was part of Pingchang County ().

In 579 CE, the Northern Zhou established Changshou County () in the area, under the jurisdiction of .

In 585 CE, the area was reorganized as , which existed on and off until the area was reorganized as Xichuan County () in the mid 14th century.

In 1912, the area was reorganized as Xi County, as it is today, belonging to .

Under the People's Republic of China, the county was under the jurisdiction of , until it was reorganized as Linfen in 1970.

Geography

The county is located on the western edge of the Lüliang Mountains, with an average elevation ranging from to above sea level. Xi County's highest point is above sea level.

The , a tributary of the Yellow River, flows through the county.

Climate

Administrative divisions

Xi County administers three towns and five townships.

Towns

The county's three towns are , , and .

Townships

The county's five townships are , , , , and .

Demographics

The county's population per the 2010 Chinese census was 103,617, up from the 95,895 reported in the 2000 Chinese census. In 1999, the county's population was estimated to be 97,758.

Little West Paradise

The most famous cultural relic in Xixian is Xiaoxitian, also known as Little Western Paradise and Qianfo'an, it's a Buddhist Chan temple located atop Fenghuang Mountain, west of Xixian County in Linfen City, Shanxi Province. The temple was founded by the Chan Master Dongming during the second year of the Chongzhen period in the Ming Dynasty (1629). It was originally named Qianfo'an due to the presence of a thousand Buddha statues in the Mahavira Hall. Later, the temple was renamed Xiaoxitian (Little Western Heaven) to distinguish it from another Ming Dynasty temple, Daxitian (Great Western Heaven), located south of the city, and because the temple’s plaque was inscribed with the words “Dao Ru Xitian” (The Way Leads to the Western Heaven).

Xixian Xiaoxitian covers an area of over 1,100 square meters and includes various structures such as the Mahavira Hall, Manjusri Hall, Samantabhadra Hall, Amitabha Hall, Hall of Heavenly Kings, Weituo Hall, Ksitigarbha Hall, a bell tower, and a drum tower. The temple complex is divided into upper, middle, and front courtyards by a series of corridors, with two-thirds of its halls being double-story structures. The temple's suspended sculptures and colorful paintings are of significant scholarly interest for the study of Ming and Qing Dynasty art.

On March 5, 2013, Xixian Xiaoxitian was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council of the People's Republic of China, as part of the fourth batch of such sites. The temple is currently open to the public, with visiting hours from 8:00 AM to 7:30 PM daily, and an admission fee of 25 RMB per person.

References

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County-level divisions of Shanxi
Linfen