There are seven dragon cities in China, namely Puyang Tianshui, Zhucheng, Taiyuan, Changzhou, Liuzhou and Chaoyang.
1. Dragon City Puyang
The 6,400-year-old clam dragon-shaped pattern unearthed in Puyang in 1987 caused a sensation in the archaeological circles at home and abroad, and was known as "China's first dragon" " Based on this, the Chinese Yanhuang Culture Research Association named Puyang "Chinese Dragon Township." Today's Dragon Township is like a crystal girl opening her sleepy eyes, filled with the fragrance of youth, and welcoming the joint of life with cheerful and light steps.
2. The origin of Dragon City Taiyuan
Longxing Jinyang Group Sculptures Taiyuan was called Jinyang in ancient times and was founded in 497 BC. At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, in the 15th year of Duke Dinggong of Jin Dynasty (497 BC), the world-famous ancient city of Jinyang was built on the banks of Fenhe Jinshui. It has a history of 2,500 years. Taiyuan is the ancient capital of the Nine Dynasties and the land of Longxing. Since the city was built, it has been the capital of three regimes: Zhao, the former Qin, and the Northern Han Dynasty, and the companion capital of six regimes: the Eastern Wei, the Northern Qi, the Tang Dynasty, the Later Tang, the Later Jin, and the Later Han. In 565 (the fourth year of the Heqing Dynasty), Gao Zhan, Emperor Wucheng of the Northern Qi Dynasty, changed Jinyang County in western Fen to Longshan County because Jinyang City was located under Longshan. In the tenth year of Emperor Kaihuang of the Sui Dynasty (590), Longshan County was renamed Jinyang County.
Taiyuan, with a history of more than 2,500 years, is the land of dragons. Many emperors in history had a particularly close relationship with this city, so it was called Dragon City.
3. Longcheng Tianshui
According to legend, around 7,000 years ago, Emperor Taihao Fuxi was born in Chengji (Tianshui, Gansu) and was active in the Central Plains all year round. He established his capital as King Mu De Yu Wanqiu (Huaiyang, Henan). Fuxi was wise, brave, and powerful and conquered many tribes in the Central Plains. He concentrated on the characteristics of several animals that people loved at that time and created a combination of a horse's head, a snake's body, a chicken's claws, and many other animals. He called himself "Dragon Master" "The dragon was used as the emblem of the Chinese people - the totem. For this reason, the Chinese nation was first called the descendants of the dragon. Another achievement of Fuxi is that he corrected his surname, and his surname was Feng; he made marriages between men and women; he made nets and bamboo baskets to teach the people to fish and hunt; he drew eight trigrams instead of knotting ropes; he made harp and harp, and he was successful in making music; and he appointed official positions. , divided within the sea... From then on, our ancestors transitioned from barbarism to early civilization. Dragon is the symbol of the Chinese nation. Every descendant of Yan and Huang is a "descendant of the dragon", and the dragon has become a kind of culture. In the hearts of Chinese people, it occupies an irreplaceable position. Dragon, an illusory mythical creature, has been in people's hearts for thousands of years.
4. Zhucheng Dragon City
Zhucheng City is located in the southeast of Shandong Peninsula, more than 50 kilometers away from Jiqing Expressway and Jiaoji Railway in the north, and Rizhao, the bridgehead of the Eurasian Continental Bridge in the south. It is 80 kilometers away from Qingdao Port and 100 kilometers away from Qingdao Port in the east. The city has a total area of ??2,183 square kilometers, 23 towns (streets), and 1.06 million people. It is a national coastal city open to the outside world, a comprehensive reform pilot city, and a rural urbanization pilot city determined by the State Council. It ranks 76th among the “Top 100 Comprehensive Development Counties (Cities) in China” and is among the first batch of provincial-level civilized cities in Shandong Province.
Zhucheng has a long history and outstanding people. Dongwu County was established in the early Western Han Dynasty, and was renamed Zhucheng in the Sui Dynasty. It was once called Mizhou in history. According to research, Zhucheng was named after the famous ancient emperor Shun was born in Zhufeng Village in the north of the city. Su Dongpo, a great writer in the Song Dynasty, served as the prefect of Mizhou for two years and wrote timeless masterpieces such as "Shui Tiao Ge Tou. When Will the Bright Moon Come" and "Jiangchengzi. Hunting in Mizhou". There are numerous celebrities in Zhucheng, including Confucius's student and son-in-law Gong Yechang, Zhang Zeduan, the author of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" in the Song Dynasty, Zhao Mingcheng, an epigrapher in the Northern Song Dynasty, Liu Yong (Liu Luoguo), a bachelor, calligrapher and prime minister of Dongge University in the Qing Dynasty, and "Xu Jin Ping Mei" The author Ding Yaokang and the president of "Sikuquanshu" Dou Guangnai are all from Zhucheng. In the history of modern literature, a number of cultural celebrities such as Wang Tongzhao, Zang Kejia, Tao Bu, and Wang Yuanjian have emerged, as well as famous film performing artists such as Cui Wei and Li Rentang. Wang Jinmei, the party's "First Congress" representative and the earliest organizer and leader of the Shandong party organization, was also born in Zhucheng. Zhucheng's dragon culture has distinctive characteristics and is a rare treasure house of dinosaur fossils in the country and even the world. There are very rich dinosaur bones and dinosaur egg fossils buried in the city, with many species and complex categories, including the small Psittacosaurus and the ferocious Tyrannosaurus. dragons, tall hadrosaurs, hulking sauropods, protoceratops and theropod eggs, to name a few. At present, nearly 20 dinosaur fossil sites have been discovered in more than a dozen towns in the city, with the "Dragon Bone Stream" in the southwest of the city being the most famous.
From 1964 to 1968, 10 excavations were conducted here, and more than 50 tons of fossils were quarried, including at least 10 hadrosaur individuals. Four dinosaur fossil skeletons have been installed in Beijing, Tianjin, Jinan and Zhucheng. Among them, the "Giant Zhuchengosaurus" located in the Zhucheng Dinosaur Museum is the largest hadrosaurus fossil skeleton ever discovered in the world. Therefore, Zhucheng is also called Dragon City and is known as the "Hometown of Dinosaurs" in northern China.
5. Changzhou Dragon City
The name Dragon City comes from the legend: a long time ago, there was Jiulong Mountain in the northwest of Changzhou City, and there was an ancient temple on the mountain. The head monk was named Hong. wisdom. One night, he dreamed of the Ninth Prince of the Dragon King, asking him to help drive away the eight brothers who came to seize the mountain. So Monk Hongzhi summoned the monks to gather in the main hall and beat drums and bells. Assisted the Ninth Prince to defeat his eight brothers. That night, the Ninth Prince walked into Hongzhi's dream again. It turned out that after a fierce battle, the two leading evil dragons had fled to the mountains of Yixing, and the other six dragons had fled to Changzhou. The Ninth Prince hoped that Hongzhi would comfort them. Six dragons can benefit the people. As soon as Hongzhi woke up from his dream, he packed his luggage and rushed to Changzhou, and spread the news in the city that Liulong had arrived in Changzhou. So the people built dragon boats, and on the fifth day of May, there was a dragon boat race at Baiyun Ancient Ferry. From then on, the custom of rowing dragon boats on the fifth day of May and "racing over Yunxi River" has been passed down. Changzhou is also known as Six Dragon City and Dragon City.
In addition, the terrain within the city walls of the ancient city of Changzhou Prefecture is shaped like a turtle. In ancient times, there was a saying that turtles were the sons of dragons. Therefore, the terrain theory has also become a historical material supporting the Dragon City.
During the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong visited Changzhou several times during his six trips to the south of the Yangtze River. He erected a monument in front of the thousand-year-old Tianning Temple and personally wrote "Dragon City Iconology". It is still erected in the east of Yanling City in the city center. The road has become a historical fact of Changzhou as the Dragon City.
It is said that during the Qin Dynasty, there was Jiulong Mountain dozens of miles northwest of Changzhou County. There was an ancient temple on the mountain, and the head monk in the temple was named Hongzhi. One night, I was alone in the abbot's room reciting sutras. Suddenly, I heard a "squeak" on the door, and a man walked in from the outside. This man was tall, tall, with yellow hair, yellow eyebrows, and a yellow beard. He was wearing an apricot suit. Wearing yellow official uniform and black thick-soled boots, he looks like a god from the upper world. When Monk Hongzhi saw it, he quickly stood up and saluted: "The Immortal family came here late at night, but we are not welcome!" The visitor said: "Elder, please invite me! I am the ninth prince born to the Dragon King of the East China Sea, Yangtze River Concubine! For six hundred years, I have been My eight brothers and I were ordered to guard the mountains in this area. I am the mountain god of Jiulong Mountain here. Not long ago, Qin Shihuang drove the mountains and drove away all the mountain leaders of my eight brothers. They did not dare to fight with the First Emperor, but they were reluctant to leave. After leaving here, everyone wants to attack me and prepare to seize my mountain top. It seems that there will be a fierce battle in the near future. For this reason, I have come to Elder Qi Qiu. When the time comes, I must lead all the monks in the temple to give gold, beat drums and help. I'll fight. Remember, see you later!" After saying that, he turned into a yellow dragon and flew away.
Hongzhi was startled and opened his eyes, only to realize that he had just had a dream. Although I still clearly remembered the words of the mountain god in the dream, I thought it was just a dream, why should I take it seriously, so I turned off the lights and rested for a night without talking. The next day, everything was fine again, so he didn't take the matter to heart anymore. On the third day, it was the fifth day of May. The wind was beautiful and the sun was cloudless. Hundreds of flowers bloomed on Jiulong Mountain and the scenery was pleasant. After lunch, Monk Hongzhi walked around the mountains, down the mountains, in front of and behind the mountains. He felt a little tired for a moment, raised his hands to the sky and yawned. He was about to go back to the temple to take a nap, when he suddenly saw a strong wind in the sky. , billowing dark clouds came from all directions, and suddenly covered the sun and covered the mountains. Only lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, and in an instant, heavy rain poured down. When Hongzhi saw this scene, he immediately remembered that day In my dream, I was told by the mountain god, and I thought, could it be that dragons are really coming to seize the mountain? ! He hurriedly ran back to the temple and ordered the incense burners and craftsmen to beat gongs and drums at the mountain gate. He led all the monks in the temple to gather in the main hall. The monks chanted Buddha's scriptures in unison, beat drums and rang bells. After a while, The bronze bell hanging on the right hand side of the main hall rang out "Dang! Dang! Dang!..." The loud sound of the bell covered the howling storm and rain, shaking the hills, and lasted for about half an hour. Suddenly, the sky suddenly opened up, the auspicious clouds dispersed the dark clouds, and the majestic Jiulong Mountain was bathed in the warm golden sunshine again.
That night, as usual, Monk Hongzhi burned incense and sat silently, slowly falling into meditation. He narrowed his eyes and saw the Mountain God Bodhisattva coming to him again. He said with a smile: "Today at noon, the group of The dragon came to attack the mountain. I was outnumbered and about to be defeated. Thanks to your timely leadership of the crowd and the help of the golden drum, I was able to turn defeat into victory.
Now the two leading evil dragons have gone to the Yixing Mountains, and the other six dragons have fled back to the county. In addition to thanking you for coming today, I also ask you to go to the county to appease my six brothers. Even though they are unreasonable, I still have feelings for them. I hope they can live and work in peace and contentment in the city, benefit the people, and never cause trouble or kill each other. We can get together at Yunxi on the fifth day of May every year..." After that, he turned into a yellow dragon and flew into the sky. Flying.
Hongzhi opened his eyes and felt that it was not a dream, but he did not dare to neglect it. Early the next morning, he hurried to the county town to seek alms and traces of the six dragons. . He went from the front of the county to the front of the house, to the south of the city, and to the north of the city. Day after day, summer turned to winter, and for nearly a year, although he found no "dragon traces", six heavenly dragons were scattered among the people and descended on Changzhou. After hearing the news, the residents on both sides of Yunxi River in the city raised funds to build a five-color dragon boat. The people outside the east gate did not lag behind after hearing the news. They also raised funds to build a large and small blue dragon boat. When the people in the west gate learned about it, they also raised funds to build one. On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, six dragon boats inside and outside the city were lined up on the Baiqu Ancient Ferry in the middle of the Qu River. Countless people watched. One of the onlookers shouted: "The six dragon boats are so beautiful, why don't you row them together and compare them!" " When these words were mentioned to the sailors on the boat, everyone rushed forward and rowed forward. It was really an unprecedented event and very lively!
From then on, the custom of rowing dragon boats on the fifth day of May and "going to Xikang Crossing" has been in Changzhou It has been passed down for more than 2,000 years, and the county town has been called "Six Dragon City", and Changzhou has also been nicknamed "Dragon City"
6. Liuzhou Dragon City<. /p>
Liuzhou Liuzhou in the Qin Dynasty belongs to Guilin County. It was first named in the 8th year of Tang Zhenguan (634). The Liujiang River, as clear as the Li River and like a jade belt, passes through the city. It is called "Eight Dragons Seen in the River". "Dragon City";
During the Datong period of the Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties, it was said that "Eight Dragons were seen in the river" began to be heard in Maping County in the south, which is now Liuzhou City. Therefore, the Liujiang River Zhoushui was renamed Longjiang, and a dragon was built beside it. The county is now Liucheng County, Liuzhou. In about 634 AD during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, the site of Maping City was moved to the present-day Hebei Peninsula Chengzhong District of Liuzhou. It was built along the Liujiang River, so it was named "Liuzhou". From then on, Liuzhou was called "Longcheng County", and Liu Zongyuan Liuzhou was also called "Longcheng County" in the poems. In the Song Dynasty, the name of Liuzhou County "Longcheng County" became inherited and customized. . From a historical perspective, although Chaoyang or other places may have been named Longcheng, there is absolutely no such county name. In addition, Chaoyang City is not the original "Helongcheng" and "Longcheng County" geographically, so it is officially recognized. History and literature believe that Dragon City is another name for Liuzhou, and the poems of literati and poets also seem to be proof. "Liuzhou Daozhong" written by Chen Fu in the Yuan Dynasty: "Qin Xiang County is so desolate, Liulong City is so painful." The dragon culture of Liuzhou can be cited here. It is clearly reflected in the names of various places. The most prosperous commercial street in Liuzhou is named "Longcheng Road"; the names of many scenic spots and scenery are related to dragons, such as "Longtan", "Laolongyan", "Longbishan", etc. It is not difficult to find that Liuzhou People have special feelings for dragons. As for other places being nicknamed "Dragon City", it is far-fetched and lacks historical basis and origin. Dragon City Liuzhou is the only one with no other names.
< p>Tanzhong County was established in the sixth year of Yuanding in the Western Han Dynasty (111 BC), which belonged to Yulin County. This was the beginning of Liuzhou's city building.In the third year of the Three Kingdoms period (AD 274), Sun Wu Fenghuang established Yu. Lin County was separated from Guilin County, and Tanzhong County belonged to Guilin County.
In the third year of Taikang in the Jin Dynasty (282 AD), it became the county seat. ), Qixi County was separated from Tanzhong County
After the sixth year of Liang Datong (AD 540), it became the seat of Maping County in Tanzhong
The 11th year of Kaihuang's reign in the Sui Dynasty ( In AD 591, Tanzhong County was changed to Guilin County, and later to Maping County.
In the first year of Daye (AD 605), Maping County belonged to Guilin. In the third year of Daye (AD 607), it belonged to Shi'an County.
In the fourth year of Tang Wude (AD 621), Maping County was the seat of Kunzhou, and later Kunzhou was changed to Nankunzhou. p>
In the first year of Tang Tianbao (742 AD), it was renamed Longcheng County.
In the first year of Qianyuan Year (758 AD), Longcheng County was renamed Liuzhou.
In January 1994, Liuzhou City was officially named a famous historical and cultural city by the State Council.
7. Dragon City Chaoyang
Chaoyang is a famous historical city. It has been equipped with counties since the Western Han Dynasty. Chaoyang’s ancient culture has a long history. The Pigeon Cave ancient human site proves that it was as early as more than 10 years ago. Thousands of years ago, human ancestors were thriving in the land of Chaoyang. The Niuheliang ruins within the territory prove that a primitive civilized society with a prototype of a country existed here as early as 5,000 years ago. This major discovery advanced the history of civilization of the Chinese nation by more than 1,000 years. In recent years, the bird fossils discovered in Chaoyang have attracted widespread attention at home and abroad. The large number of bird fossils discovered 130 million years ago has filled a gap in the world's biological evolution research. It proves that so far, The ancestors of birds in the world are in China, in Chaoyang in western Liaoning. Chaoyang is home to outstanding people and hundreds of pagodas and ancient temples dotting the mountains, rivers and land, making Chaoyang full of the profound charm of ancient culture.
The history and culture of Chaoyang has important influence and unique advantages not only in Liaoning Province but also at home and abroad. Over the years, with the progress of archaeological work and the excavation and sorting of historical and cultural heritage, people have gradually realized the important value of Chaoyang's history and culture. It has now been announced as a famous historical and cultural city by the Liaoning Provincial Government.
One of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization
Chaoyang’s long history can be traced back to the Paleolithic Age more than 100,000 years ago. The Pigeon Cave ancient human site discovered on the banks of the Daling River in Shuiquan Township, Kazuo County is the earliest ancient human settlement discovered in northern China. The unearthed human tooth fossils and animal fossils, stone tools and ash layers indicate that ancient humans at that time were already engaged in hunting, gathering and cooking food with fire, and lived a primitive group life. The fossils of ancient human upper arm bones and humerus discovered in present-day Jianping County show that 40,000 to 50,000 years ago, a primitive "new man" with similar physical features to modern humans appeared on the Chaoyang land - Jianping Man. According to the 1979 discoveries of the Kazuo Dongshanzui Altar, the Niuheliang Goddess Temple at the junction of Jianping and Lingyuan counties, and the Hongshan Cultural Site of Jishizhong, the primitive humans living on the land of Chaoyang have gone through a long process of development. , has entered the threshold of human civilized society, and a primitive civilized society with the prototype of a country has emerged. Judging from the large number of exquisite painted pottery and jades headed by the Jade Pig Dragon unearthed from the Jishi Tomb Group, the society at that time had already developed a division of labor between agriculture and handicrafts, and production technology, craftsmanship, and aesthetic awareness had all reached a fairly civilized level. The discovery of the large-scale altars, temples and tomb sites of the Hongshan Culture in Chaoyang has conclusively proved that the Chinese nation has entered the ancient civilized society more than 5,000 years ago, thus making the Chaoyang area one of the birthplaces of the 5,000-year civilization of the Chinese nation. The history of civilization has been pushed forward by more than 1,000 years.
The oldest historical city in Northeast China
The development and status of the historical city of Chaoyang mark its unique historical advantages in politics, economy and culture. Liucheng, located on the southeastern outskirts of Chaoyang City, has a long history. During the Warring States Period, Yan established five counties in the fortress, and Liucheng belonged to Liaoxi County. By the Han Dynasty, Liucheng had become the seat of the western governor of Liaoxi County, and was later occupied by Wuhuan, the three counties, as the ruling center. Cao Cao once commanded Liucheng in his northern expedition to Wuhuan, which shows that Liucheng had become an important town in the Northeast during the Qin and Han Dynasties. According to the "Book of Jin" and "The Spring and Autumn Annals of Sixteen Kingdoms" records: "In the seventh year of Xiankang of Jin Dynasty (AD 341), King Murong Chu of Yan moved Yang to the north of Liucheng and the west of Longshan, the so-called blessed land. Yu, Tang Zhu, etc. can build a large scale, build Dragon City, build palaces and ancestral temples, and change Liucheng into Longcheng County. "In the second year, that is, the eighth year of Xiankang (AD 342), Murong Huang moved the capital from Jicheng to Longcheng. City (Chaoyang, Liaoning). Documents record: "In the fourth month of summer in the first year of Yonghe in Jin Dynasty (AD 345), a black dragon and a white dragon were seen in Longshan. Chi led a group of officials to watch them, walked away from the dragon for more than 200 steps, and sacrificed it to Tailao. The two dragons met and played. , Jiejiao went west. "Emperors of all dynasties claimed to be the real dragon emperor. The appearance of the black and white dragons in Dragon City was a sign that Murong Chao was also ordered by heaven, so he built the Longxiang Buddhist Temple in Longshan and named the new palace Helong Palace. . During the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Longcheng was the capital and accompanying capital of the Former Yan, Later Yan and Northern Yan for hundreds of years.
The Longcheng ruins were discovered in 2003 when the Liaoning Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology conducted archaeological exploration and excavations in conjunction with the demolition and reconstruction of North Street and surrounding areas in the old city of Chaoyang City. From July 2003 to December 2004, *** excavated 11 locations, covering an area of ??more than 10,000 square meters, revealing many important relics from the Sixteen Kingdoms period to the Qing Dynasty, including pottery urns dating from the Northern Yan Dynasty. A large number of important relics are included.
The most important gain from the excavation is the excavation of the Chaoyang North Street City Gate site. Archaeological excavations show that this gate site faces north and south. It was built in the Qianyan Dynasty and was completely abandoned in the Yuan Dynasty. *** It has gone through six periods of construction and reconstruction: the First Yan, the Later Northern Yan, the Northern Wei, the Tang, the Liao and the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, which lasted for more than 1,000 years. The city gate of the Three Yan period was discovered for the first time in Chaoyang City. Its doorway structure is well preserved and its architectural style It is unique and provides physical data for studying the city gate structure of northern cities during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. The south gate site of the Three Yan Dragon City Palace of the Sixteen Kingdoms of Chaoyang 1,600 years ago was selected as one of the "Top Ten New Archaeological Discoveries in the Country in 2004" in Beijing.