Four famous towns in ancient China

In ancient China, some “towns” were very large in scale, famous for different industries, or commercial or specialty. These are known as the four famous towns in ancient China.These towns include: Foshan Town in Guangdong, Jingde Town in Jiangxi, Hankou Town in Hubei, and Zhuxian Town in Henan.

1.Foshan Town, Guangdong

Foshan Town is now Foshan City, Guangdong Province. It is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province. Foshan is an ancient town with a long history and splendid culture. Tang Zhenguan had two years (AD 628). Three Buddha statues were found, and this place was regarded as a place for Buddhists. Then Libang changed Jihua Township to “Foshan”, and the town was located in the Zumiao Street of Chancheng District, Foshan City.
As early as the Neolithic period 5000 years ago, Foshan already had a densely populated settlement. At that time, Foshan’s ancestors already had better ceramics and textile technology. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, advanced farming techniques emerged and became a land of fish and rice. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, Foshan became an industrial and commercial town, and by the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it became China’s four famous towns and China’s “four major gatherings”.

2.Hubei Hankou Town

The prosperous international metropolis is famous at home and abroad under the name of “Oriental Chicago”. One of the four famous towns in China is an important part of Wuhan, the largest city in central China. It is the commercial center of Greater Wuhan and has been known as “the first prosperous place in Chuzhong” since ancient times.
It is located in the area northwest of the Yangtze River and north of the Han River. It is across the Yangtze River and Wuchang on the southeast, and the Han River is on the south of Hanyang. It used to exist as an independent Hankou city in history. Now it is also called Wuhan with Wuchang and Hanyang. Three towns.
The three towns in Wuhan not only have their own unique historical development trajectories, but also each form a unique urban appearance, and each plays a different role in the division of functions, that is, Hankou is a commercial center, Wuchang is a science and education center, and Hanyang is an industrial center. Although the three towns have been merged administratively for nearly 60 years, this situation has not fundamentally changed.

3.Jingdezhen, Jiangxi

Jingdezhen is located in the northeast of Jiangxi Province, adjacent to Xiuning County in Anhui Province and Wuyuan County and Dexing County in the province, Wannian County and Yiyang County in the south, Poyang County in the west, and Dongzhi County and Qi in Anhui Province Men County is contiguous. Lushan Mountain, Longhu Mountain, Sanqing Mountain, Huangshan Mountain and Jiuhua Mountain surround it. Poyang Lake and Qiandao Lake reflect each other. Famous mountains win water, and out of the porcelain city.
During the period of Song Jingde, Song Zhenzong Zhao Hengming ordered Changnan to enter the imperial porcelain. The four-character book “Jingde Year System” was called Jingdezhen porcelain because of its exquisite porcelain. So the name of Changnan was overwhelmed, and the name of Jingdezhen has been used to this day. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Jingdezhen porcelain industry was developed and the trade was prosperous. It was also known as the four famous towns in China with Hankou in Hubei, Zhuxian in Henan, and Foshan in Guangdong.
Jingdezhen City is located in the northeast of Jiangxi, and is located in the transition zone between the Huangshan, Huaiyushan remains and the Poyang Lake Plain. It is bordered by Anhui Province in the northwest and Anian County in the east, Wannian County in the south, Poyang County in the west, Qimen County in Anhui in the northeast, and Wuyuan County in the southeast. It is between 116 ° 57′-117 ° 42 ′ east longitude and north latitude. Between 28 ° 44′-29 ° 56 ′, the total area is 5256 square kilometers.
Jingdezhen is a hilly area, located in the transition zone of the Huangmai, Huaiyushan reefs and the Poyang Lake Plain. It is a typical red soil hilly area in the south of the Yangtze River. The average elevation in the urban area is 32 meters, and the terrain slopes from northeast to southwest. The northeast and northwest are mountainous. The highest peak is located in the province bordering Xiuning, Anhui, with an altitude of 1618 meters.

4.Zhuxian Town, Henan

Zhuxian Town was a residential area near the northwest of Kaifeng City during the Spring and Autumn Period. During the Five Dynasties, due to the excavation of Cai River and Bian River, the settlement gradually became an important market town near Bianliang.
During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, Zhuxian Town entered a prosperous period, and it became the same as Hankou Town, Jingde Town and Foshan Town, and was also known as the four famous towns in China. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Zhuxian Town became the most prosperous and became the largest water and land transportation intermodal terminal in North China.
In 1987, Zhuxian Town was named as a historical and cultural town in Zhongzhou by the provincial government. In May 2000, the town was designated as “the pilot town for comprehensive development demonstration of 100 small towns in the country”.
The history of Zhuxian Town has a long history. Early human civilization was bred as early as the early Neolithic. Kaifeng City was built in the southeast of the town in the spring and autumn. At this time, Zhuxian Town has formed a small residential settlement.
In the late Northern Song Dynasty, the title of “Zhu Xian Town” appeared for the first time in historical materials. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Zhuxian Town was booming due to the opening of the Jialu River. It became a transshipment point and a cargo distribution center for the “Southern Ship North Train”. The economy developed, the business was prosperous, and it ranked among the “Four Famous Towns in China”.
Zhuxian Town is located in the southwest of the town of Xiangfu District, Kaifeng City, Henan Province, 22.5 kilometers away from Kaifeng City, to the south of Weishi County, to the east of Fancun Township and Wanlong Township of Xiangfu District, to the north of Xianrenzhuang Community of Gulou District, to the west Linxi Jiangzhai Township. The whole town is between 34 ° 31′-34 ° 41 ′ north latitude and 114 ° 12′-114 ° 20 ′ east longitude. The north-south width is about 14 kilometers and the east-west length is about 11 kilometers. The total area of ​​the town is 92.15 square kilometers.