人文蕴盛景，山水著华章

这里是桐城派文化发源地，历史悠久，人才济济；这里是引江济淮渠首、新运河长江入口，风光秀丽，宜居宜游；这里是长江经济带重要节点、长三角一体化发展战略要地，投资兴业，百舸争流！

Historically known as a strategic point of the long， long Yangtze River and the very place that divides but also connects the Wu and the Chu states， Zongyang is a county on the north bank of the Yangtze in the south－central part of Anhui， boasting a history of civilization over 5，000 years， a history of urban development over 3，000 years， and a history of more than 2，000 years since it was made a county administration． It has long been acclaimed as “a gathering place of poets， literati and people of integrity”． 

This county is the birthplace of the Tongcheng School culture， featuring a long history and a galaxy of talented people； it is the starting point of the water diversion project from the Yangtze River to the Huaihe River and the estuary of the new canal to the Yangtze， known for its livable environment and visitable scenic landscape； and it is an important node county in the Yangtze River Economic Belt and a strategic area for the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta， remarkable for inbound investment and development competitiveness． 

In general， Zongyang is an amazing river－front garden city with a beautiful lake in its hug， a brilliant cultural land with numerous literary celebrities， and an encouraging place for vigorous， enterprising and enthusiastic people．

A famous place for outstanding historical figures

Here， history can be touched and listened to． 

According to historical records， during the Western Zhou Dynasty （440 BC－256 BC）， Zongyang was a family－inherited vassal state， where both Emperor Yingzheng （259 BC－210 BC） of the Qin Dynasty and Emperor Wu （156 BC－87 BC） of the Han Dynasty toured and hunted． In one of his southern inspection tours， Emperor Wu came to Zongyang and found that a vicious flood dragon was making trouble on the Yangtze， causing gusts and billows． He personally used his bow and shot the dragon with an arrow － this millennia－old legend tells the event of how the emperor got rid of the evil for the people in Zongyang． He also composed a ＂Song of Shengtang and Zongyang＂ at that time． In the fifth year （106 BC） of the Yuanfeng period of Emperor Wu’s reign in the Han Dynasty， Zongyang was established as a county． 

Nowadays， you may also see the site where the emperor shot the flood dragon at the top of Mt． Daguan in the west of Zongyang． Other historical sites well preserved in the county include the pond where Tao Kan （259－334， a famous general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty） washed his writing brushes， the military camp of Zhu Yuanzhang （1328－1398， the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty） on Mt． Chengtou during his fierce fight against Chen Youliang （1320－1363， head of another uprising army against the Yuan Dynasty）， and the Wanglong Nunnery where the Taiping Army （1850－1864， a peasant army against the Qing Dynasty） convened its military conference ．．． The places of historical interest in Zongyang can be easily encountered， all telling legends and anecdotes that happened in Zongyang．

“The mountain seems floating on the water” is a well description of Mt． Fushan that is known as the “No． 1 mountain for literati in China＂． This scenic area is now a national 4A－rated tourist attraction． It has many historical sites， such as temples， pagodas， pavilions， and cliff carvings － more than we can remember all their names． Meng Jiao （751－815） and Bai Juyi （772－846） in the Tang Dynasty， Wang Anshi （1021－1086） and Fan Zhongyan （989－1052） in the Song Dynasty， Wang Yangming （1472－1529） in the Ming Dynasty， and many other literary figures visited the mountain and wrote poems out of pleasure． 

Zongyang has produced many famous personages since ancient times and 11 of the top 100 historical figures and cultural celebrities in Anhui were from Zongyang， including Zuo Guangdou （1575－1625）， known as an “upright and strongwilled censor”， Fang Yizhi （1611－1671）， a famous ideologist， philosopher， and scientist， Fang Bao（1668－1749）， Liu Dakui （1698－1779） and Yao Nai （1732－1815）， three founding representatives of the Tongcheng School， as well as Huang Zhen （1909－1989）， a well－known general and diplomat， Ci Yungui （1917－1990）， the father of Chinese computer science， Zhu Guangqian （1897－1986）， a celebrated aesthetician．．． with them are touching stories of how they endeavored to be the best．

A dynamic place with people striving to develop in competition

For Zongyang， endeavor has made its impressive history and solid work will reveal its bright future． In the tide of surging county economy， Zongyang is all out to take the lead， showing its competitiveness in the new era． 

The first phase of the Chery Lithium Ion Power Battery Project， the very first 10－billion yuan industrial project launched in Zongyang since Tongling was established as a city， was completed and put into operation in 2023 within a construction period of only one year from groundbreaking to effective production． In step with the progress of the project，a number of upstream and downstream enterprises such as Inlett Automotive Upholstery and Ritar Power Battery Case have settled down in the county， registering an industrial agglomeration effect that is in accelerated formation． 

Zongyang Aluminum－based New Materials Industry is now the second largest aluminum－based industry base in Anhui． At present， Jinyu Aluminum Foil has taken a place in the national segment market in this industry and more than 30 aluminumbased upstream and downstream enterprises including Guanghua Aluminum， Botai Aluminum， and Junzhe Recycled Aluminum have been successfully attracted and successively “landed” on Zongyang， forming a new pattern of industrial chain development with aluminum foils， aluminum profiles， aluminum plates and strips， and aluminum silver paste as the main products． The annual output value of the aluminum－based new materials industry has reached 6．8 billion yuan． 

Zongyang has seized the historical opportunity brought about by the construction of the Yangtze－to－Huaihe water diversion project to actively plan and construct a comprehensive and threedimensional hub port and a modern， green water－front industrial park． In order to implement the roadmap， the county adheres to the “port＋park” development concept and focuses on attracting strategic investors． Specifically， it is building four major bases at the same time， step by step， for ship repair， bulk freight transfer， processing trade， and logistics distribution． 

To better protect and make good use of mineral resources and extend the new building materials industry chain， Zongyang efficiently promotes green mining projects of Mt． Huanggong， Mt． Mabu， Luosijian， and Yulong Mine， aiming at “harvesting gold and silver” while safeguarding green mountains and lucid waters． The county has expedited the implementation of new projects and leading projects that may bring in more projects， such as the smart 10，000－ ton cement clinker project and the 2．2－million－ton cement grinding station for Conch Group． Zongyang Conch production facility has been recognized as a national green factory． 

Nowadays， the industrial economy of Zongyang is breaking through toward a new height． The four 10－billion－yuan major projects of aluminum－based new materials， new energy vehicles， new building materials， and port economic development are advancing side by side， demonstrating a clear and powerful pace of high－quality development．

An enjoyable place with green mountains and lucid waters

Zongyang enjoys exceptional waterfront resources． The riverbank of the Yangtze it owns is about 50 kilometers， including 15．6 kilometers with deep water． The rich natural endowments have developed into a beautiful landscape of unique enchantment．

Besides Fushan Scenic Area， there are also some other tourist attractions in Zongyang， such as Lianhuahu （lotus lake） Park， where the water area takes up half of the mountainous landscape of the county； Qishan Hanwu Cultural and Ecological Park， where Emperor Wu from the west composed an impressive song； Baihe （white crane） Peak， where you can overlook and admire the great Yangtze River； Tietong Shoal in the Yangtze， which is hailed as a place people can enjoy the poetic atmosphere of the bright moon and picturesque surroundings； and Baidang Lake， where you may be reminded of the views of the Xiangjiang and the Xiaoshui rivers． Four of the eight spectacular scenes of the ancient Tongcheng （Zongyang was part of it） are in Zongyang， namely， the glow of the setting sun over Mt． Fushan， the night drizzle over the Zongjiang River， the landing geese over Zhuhu Lake， and the returning sails in front of Dibu Port． 

Zongyang owns not only unique natural scenery， but also “red culture” sites that you can feel and recall． In the county， there are many revolutionary tourism resources， such as the site of the Tongcheng Branch of the Communist Party of China， the Site of the PLA Headquarters for the Middle Section of the Front Line during the Yangtze－crossing Campaign， and the ferry where the first sailing ships started to cross the Yangtze for the campaign． In Zongyang， you can also see the ZongyangTongcheng Highway that was used for a large PLA army advancing to the campaign， and Fushan Middle School， a revolutionary tradition inheritor that has nurtured generations of Zongyang people who have kept striving persistently to make their dreams become true． The school will soon celebrate its centenary．

At present， the Zongyang Tourism Demonstration Zone for revitalizing rural areas and enriching people is under fast construction， Wanglonghu Happy World has been put into operation after completion， and the county＇s super IP “Journey to the West” has been broadcast nationwide by 100 TV stations and in 100 cities． The county has successfully arranged many cultural activities， such as Rapeseed Flower Culture and Tourism Festival， Lotus Culture and Tourism Festival， and Qianqiao Blueberry Tourism and Culture Festival．．． The “fireworks” of the prosperous era are spectacular and dazzling in Zongyang， where everyone can find his／her own desirable land and favorite poems．

A livable place full of happiness in life

Xianrang Village is located on an island in the center of Caizi Lake in Yijin Town， Zongyang County． 

Literally， “Xianrang” means “comity， or to take the first step to give precedence to others out of courtesy or thoughtfulness”． The reason why this village is called “Xianrang” is related to a story left over about 300 years ago that was the time around the late Ming and early Qing dynasties． At that time， on the island lived a local virtuous squire named Wu Tingmei， whose mountainous land property inherited from his father was adjacent to that of a neighbor． Due to unclear boundary， disputes inevitably arose during tree felling， firewood cutting， and land reclamation． To avoid escalating conflicts between the two families， Wu Tingmei said to his family after surveying the land， “even the mausoleums of the Tang and Han dynasties are nowhere now， it matters nothing to let him have more， and we may retreat ten zhang （about 30 meters） for him．” After hearing that， the neighbor was deeply moved and expressed his willingness to back down ten zhang as well． 

After hundreds of years， the “Xianrang” comity tradition has been well incorporated in modernized social governance． In August 2023， the Party committee and county government of Zongyang initiated a “Xianrang”－ focused moral education for local residents． Throughout the county， the connotation of “Xianrang” has been upgraded and expanded． Under the theme of ＂good reputation comes from comity and civility”， the county introduced 20 specific measures to improve social stability and harmony． The education of the traditional virtue of “Xianrang” has enhanced the ethos of locals in doing solid work and highlighted the bottom color of Zongyang’s happiness． 

When looking around， we see that the transportation network of Zongyang has taken shape， characterized by smooth intra－county and inter－county connections， with exits leading to all directions． The completion of the Hefei－Zongyang Expressway and its opening to traffic has put an end to Zongyang’s history of no expressway． In step with the construction progress of the Tianchang－Mt． Tianzhu Expressway － the first east－west expressway in the county， Zongyang will soon integrate itself into the expressway traffic system of the Yangtze River Delta， with which one can reach any urban area in the delta within a three－hour drive； the Chizhou Yangtze River Highway Bridge spans the two sides of the great river， linking Zongyang with the south of Anhui． Other trunk roads like G347， G237， G330， and S335 make the county easily accessible from all directions； rural roads are well developed， covering everywhere like capillaries in a human body， and all administrative villages and bigger natural villages in the county have easy access of hardened pavement to highways － these “rainbow roads” have strung scenic spots of the countryside in rural revitalization； the trial navigation on the Xiaogang Shipping Lane that is connected to the canal course of the water diversion project from the Yangtze to the Huaihe is completed， the construction of the Jiangbei Port Railway has accelerated， and the construction of the Chizhou Yangtze River Highway－Railway Bridge is in full swing． It is expected that the Hefei－Chizhou High－speed Railway will leave a station near the county proper， and a utility airport project is about to start． Zongyang has ushered in a new era of comprehensive three－dimensional transportation that features expressway， high－speed rail， the Jianghuai Canal， and general aviation． 

The county flood－control wall， functioning as a safety wall， a landscape wall， and a cultural wall， has played an important role and become a beautiful scenery line in the county urban area． A number of old residential areas have taken on a new look after reconstruction． With carefully crafted pocket parks such as Binjiang Park and Sanjiao Park， the previously forgotten corners of the urban area have been converted into good places to visit． The implementation of the comprehensive water environment management project has enabled the main water bodies in the urban area to achieve interconnection and high－quality waterfront leisure spaces have been set up for the people． The orderly restoration， development and construction of the ancient county proper have continuously uplifted local people’s cultural pride， sense of historical belonging， and development cohesion． 

You are kindly invited to visit Zongyang， where you can better understand it and even fall in love with it． This ancient and vibrant county of mountains and rivers is writing a brilliant chapter of high－quality development in the new era．