Yu County, also known by its Chinese name Yuxian, is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

under the jurisdiction of the

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

Zhangjiakou Zhangjiakou (), also known as Kalgan and by several other names, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hebei province in Northern China, bordering Beijing to the southeast, Inner Mongolia to the north and west, and Shanxi to the southwest ...

in northwestern

Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...

province, China. Yuzhou town () is the county seat.

History

The area was home to the capital of the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

of Dai during the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period () was a period in History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...

of the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...

. Under the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ) was the first Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China. It is named for its progenitor state of Qin, a fief of the confederal Zhou dynasty (256 BC). Beginning in 230 BC, the Qin under King Ying Zheng enga ...

, present-day Yu County was organized as , with its seat Daixian located northeast of present-day Yuzhou. Daixian also served as the capital of

Dai Commandery Dai Commandery was a commandery (''jùn'') of the state of Zhao established BC and of northern imperial Chinese dynasties until the time of the Emperor Wen of the Sui dynasty (r. AD581–604). It occupied lands in what is now Hebei, Shanxi, ...

,. overseeing 11 or 13 counties in what is now northwestern

and northeastern

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

. Under the

Eastern Han The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

, the commandery seat was moved west to Gaoliu (near present-day

Yanggao County Yanggao County is a CPRC, county in the northeast of Shanxi province, China, bordering Inner Mongolia to the northwest and Hebei province to the east. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Datong. History Yanggao was f ...

). It returned to Daixian near present-day Yuzhou under the kingdom of Wei during the

Three Kingdoms period The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Western Jin dynasty. Academically, the ...

before the commandery was abolished in 388. (A separate Dai Commandery was established by the

Northern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei ( zh, c=北魏, p=Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei ( zh, c=拓跋魏, p=Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei ( zh, c=元魏, p=Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei ( zh, t=後魏, p=Hòu Wèi), was an Dynasties of China, impe ...

in the 520s, with its seat at

Pingcheng Datong is a prefecture-level city in northern Shanxi Province, China. It is located in the Datong Basin at an elevation of and borders Inner Mongolia to the north and west and Hebei to the east. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of ...

, just northeast of present-day

Datong Datong is a prefecture-level city in northern Shanxi Province, China. It is located in the Datong Basin at an elevation of and borders Inner Mongolia to the north and west and Hebei to the east. As of the 2020 census, it had a population o ...

in Shanxi.) The city was a former garrison town during the Ming dynasty, serving as part of the defense system protecting the capital Beijing from Mongol

Northern Yuan The Northern Yuan was a dynastic state ruled by the Mongol Borjigin clan based in the Mongolian Plateau. It existed as a rump state after the collapse of the Yuan dynasty in 1368 and lasted until its conquest by the Jurchen people, Jurchen-led ...

invasion.

Administrative divisions

Towns: * Yuzhou (), Daiwangcheng (), Xiheying (), Jijiazhuang (), Baile (), Nuanquan (), Nanliuzhuang (), Beishuiquan (), Taohua (), Yangjuan (), Songjiazhuang () Townships: * Xiagongcun Township (), Nanyangzhuang Township (),

Baishu Township Baishu Township () is a rural township located in Ruyang County, Luoyang, Henan, China. According to the 2010 census, Baishu Township had a population of 23,294, including 12,046 males and 11,248 females. The population was distributed as follows: ...

(), Changning Township (), Yongquanzhuang Township (), Yangzhuangke Township (), Nanlingzhuang Township (),

Chenjiawa Township Chenjiawa Township () is a rural township located in Yu County, Zhangjiakou, Hebei, China. According to the 2010 census, Chenjiawa Township had a population of 5,832, including 3,008 males and 2,824 females. The population was distributed as follo ...

(),

Huangmei Township Huangmei may refer to: *Huangmei County (黄梅县), Huanggang, Hubei, China * Huangmei opera, Chinese opera originating from Anhui * Huangmei, Huangmei County (黄梅镇), a town in Huangmei County Huangmei County () falls under the administra ...

(),

Baicaocunc Township Baicaocunc Township () is a rural township located in Yu County, Zhangjiakou, Hebei, China. According to the 2010 census, Baicaocunc Township had a population of 11,913, including 7,563 males and 4,350 females. The population was distributed as f ...

(), Caogoubu Township ()

Climate

Landmarks

Though seldom visited by tourists, the Old City (the earthen rampart walls of which remain in some spots) is home to numerous temples, including the well-preserved

Caishen Caishen () is the mythological figure worshipped in the Chinese folk religion and Taoism. He has been identified with many historical figures, viewed as his embodied forms, among whom Zhao Gongming (, Wade–Giles: ''Chao Kung-ming''; also kn ...

Temple in honor of the Chinese money god. The restored city tower stands at the center of the old city.

Transportation

The county is accessible via bus from Beijing's Liuliqiao Bus Station.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* . County-level divisions of Hebei Zhangjiakou National Famous Historical and Cultural City {{Zhangjiakou-geo-stub