Guangfu, Hebei | |||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 廣府 鎮 | ||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 广府 镇 | ||||||||
Literal meaning | Town of the Expansive Prefecture | ||||||||
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Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 廣府 古 城 | ||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 广府 古 城 | ||||||||
Literal meaning | Ancient City of the Expansive Prefecture | ||||||||
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Guangfu is a town in Yongnian District,Handan,Hebei,China. It comprises the Guangfu Ancient City, [1] a AAAAA-rated tourist attraction that preserves the appearance of a Ming-era Chinese town through its architecture,large city walls,and expansive moat.
Former names | |||||||||
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Guangping | |||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 廣平 府 | ||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 广平 府 | ||||||||
Literal meaning | Seat of Guangping Prefecture | ||||||||
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Mingzhou | |||||||||
Chinese | 洺州 | ||||||||
Literal meaning | Seat of Ming Prefecture | ||||||||
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Yongnian | |||||||||
Chinese | 永年 城 | ||||||||
Literal meaning | Yongnian City | ||||||||
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"Guangfu" is an elision of the town's older name Guangpingfu, [3] referring to its former status as the seat of Guangping ("Expansively Pacified" or "Peaceful") Prefecture under the Ming. [4] The name was first borne by the town under the Han. [4]
By the Tang,it was known as Mingzhou [5] from its former prefecture,itself named after the nearby Ming River. It has also been known as Yongnian ("Longevity") from the name of its former county [6] and present district.
Guangfu is located in the middle of Yongnian Marsh [7] in the western reaches of Handan's Yongnian District.
The area around Guangfu has been typically marshy since the earliest historical records. [8] Guangfu itself was first settled during the Spring and Autumn Period around the 6th century BC. [9] It made up part of Jin during the Zhou,and part of Zhao during the Warring States Period. [4] Under the Qin,it was organized as part of Handan Commandery. [4]
During the fall of the Sui,it served as the capital of Dou Jiande's short-lived "Xia Principality" [7] [10] after he captured it in AD 619. [11] At the time,the city lay on the principal road running from points south of the Yellow River northeast to Youzhou (now within Beijing) and Korea. [12] When Dou captured Li Shentong (李神通),the Prince of Huai'an,the Tang scion was held in Guangfu's prison. [13] When Dou was captured at the 621 Battle of Hulao,a few hundred of his cavalry escaped to his capital,looted its treasury,and then yielded the town to the victorious Tang. [14] After Dou was executed in Chang'an,his cavalry officer Liu Heita again rose in rebellion,defeating the Tang near Guangfu in late 621 with Turkic assistance. He then occupied the city and made it his capital, [15] proclaiming his realm the "Principality of Handong". Li Shimin—the future Emperor Taizong—defeated him by erecting a dam across the nearby Ming River and then bursting it when it was able to flood most of the Handong army. [16] Liu was able to return to the field with more Turkic help but again defeated. He was executed in Guangping's marketplace in the first month of 623. [17]
Guangfu's present city walls began as earthen ramparts during the Tang (7th–9th centuries) and were built up with masonry under the Yuan (13th–14th centuries) and Ming (14th–17th centuries). [18]
During the 19th century,under the Qing,it was the home to Yang Luchan and Wu Yuxiang,the founders of Yang and Wu-style tai chi,two of the largest schools of tai chi in the world. [7] [1] Horace William Houlding's South Chihli Mission opened a Protestant church in the town in 1905. [19] It was overseen in its early years by Katharine Ewald. [20]
The 1.5 km2 (0.58 sq mi) historical area within the city walls [7] has been refurbished since China's opening up,with current construction mimicking the town's appearance under the Ming. [18] Yang and Wu's former homes have been converted into public museums honoring their lives and schools of tai chi. [7] [1] The town was named a AAAAA tourist attraction by China's National Tourism Administration in 2017. [21]
The CCTV drama Guangfu Tai Chi ( 《广府太极传奇》 ,GuǎngfǔTàijíChuánqí) was filmed on location in the city in 2007 [22] and aired in 2010. [23]
Tai chi is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for self-defense and health. Known for its slow, intentional movements, tai chi has practitioners worldwide and is particularly popular as a form of gentle exercise and moving meditation, with benefits to mental and physical health.
Wu (Hao)-style tai chi is one of the five primary styles of tai chi. It was created in the mid-nineteenth century by Wu Yuxiang, a member of a wealthy and influential family in Yongnian, Hebei, China. Wu trained for approximately ten years with the founder of Yang-style tai chi, and then for over a month with a Chen-style master. Wu also obtained a manual on internal martial arts that formed the core of what are now known as the tai chi classics and include Wu's own writing on the subject. From these sources Wu and his family developed their own style, and may also have developed much of the cultural and intellectual foundation of tai chi as well.
The Chen-style tai chi is a Northern Chinese martial art and the original form of tai chi. Chen-style is characterized by silk reeling, alternating fast and slow motions, and bursts of power.
Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwest of Hebei province, China. The southernmost prefecture-level city of the province, it borders Xingtai on the north, and the provinces of Shanxi on the west, Henan on the south and Shandong on the east. At the 2010 census, its population was 9,174,683 inhabitants whom 2,845,790 lived in the built-up area made of 5 urban districts. Yongnian District in Handan and Shahe City in Xingtai have largely formed into a single conurbation.
The Battle of Hulao, or Battle of Sishui, was a decisive Tang victory over the rival Zheng and Hebei-based Xia polities during the transition from Sui to Tang. The battle took place during the Luoyang–Hulao campaign on 28 May 621 when a Xia army – led by Dou Jiande, ruler of Xia – was defeated attacking a smaller Tang army – led by Prince Li Shimin – entrenched at the strategic Hulao Pass.
Chen Fake, courtesy name Chen Fusheng (福生), was a Chinese martial artist who taught Chen-style tai chi. He was born and raised in Chen Family Village in Henan province. In 1928, Chen Fake relocated to Beijing to teach his family's heritage, Chen-style tai chi. After successfully defeating numerous challengers, Chen garnered a following of students, including several renowned martial artists. As a martial artist rather than a scholar, Chen Fake did not leave behind a written record of his accomplishments. His life story was recounted and preserved by his sons and students, most notably Hong Junsheng. By the time of his passing in 1957, Chen had firmly established the global practice of Chen-style tai chi, creating a martial arts tradition that continues to thrive.
Wu Quanyou was an influential teacher of tai chi in late Imperial China. His son is credited as the founder of the Wu-style tai chi. As he was of Manchu descent, and would have been named by his family in Manchu, the name "Wú" (吳) was a sinicisation that approximated the pronunciation of the first syllable of his Manchu clan name, U Hala.
Yang Shaohou was a Chinese martial arts master who, along with Yang Chengfu, represents the third generation of Yang-style tai chi. Grandmaster of his generation and known for his compact "small frame" techniques, he was a ferocious fighter and a demanding teacher.
Chen Wentong, better known by his pen name Liang Yusheng, was a Chinese-born Australian novelist best known for being a pioneer of the "new school" of the wuxia genre in the 20th century. Along with Jin Yong and Gu Long, he was one of the best known wuxia writers in the later half of the 20th century. Throughout his career, he published a total of 35 wuxia novels – the more notable ones include Baifa Monü Zhuan, Yunhai Yugong Yuan, Qijian Xia Tianshan and Pingzong Xiaying Lu – and some have been adapted into films and television series, including The Bride with White Hair (1993) and Seven Swords (2005).
Liu Heita was an agrarian rebel leader during China's transition period from the Sui dynasty to the Tang dynasty, who initially successively served under Hao Xiaode (郝孝德), Li Mi, and Wang Shichong. He eventually followed Dou Jiande the Prince of Xia. After Dou was killed by Emperor Gaozu of Tang in 621 and his territory was taken by Tang, Liu rose to avenge Dou, and briefly recaptured Dou's territory, north of the Yellow River.
The Diocese of Yongnian/Weixian is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese located in the city of Yongnian, China. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Beijing.
is a county of central Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It is placed under the jurisdiction of the Sanming City.
Yongnian is an urban district of the city of Handan, Hebei province, China. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yongnian.
Ming Prefecture, also known by its Chinese name Mingzhou, was a prefecture (zhou) of imperial China in present-day Hebei Province. It existed intermittently from AD 578 to 1278. Its seat—also known at the time as Mingzhou—was at Guangfu in Handan's Yongnian District.
Dong Yingjie was a leading master of tai chi, and a top disciple of Yang Chengfu. Born in Ren County, Hebei, China, his given name was Wenke (文科). Famous in his time for defeating a foreign boxer in a public challenge match, he dedicated his life to the martial arts, training intensively in multiple styles, serving as chief assistant instructor for Yang Chengfu, and going on to found his own thriving tai chi legacy.
Yang Luchan, also known as Yang Fukui (1799–1872), was an influential Chinese practitioner and teacher of the internal style tai chi. He is known as the founder of Yang-style tai chi, the most popular and widely practised tai chi style in the world today.
Wu-style tai chi is one of the five main styles of tai chi. It is second in popularity after Yang-style, and the fourth-oldest of the five major tai chi styles. It was developed by Wu Quanyou and Wu Jianquan.
Taiji Cave is a karst cave located on Shilong Mountain (石龙山) in Guangde County, Xuancheng City, Anhui Province, People's Republic of China, where the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui meet. Ming dynasty writer and poet Feng Menglong described the cave as one of the "Four Absolutes Under Heaven". It is also considered a primary "Place of Enlightenment" by Taoists, similar to the Bodhimanda of Buddhism. The 200-million-year-old cave is divided into dry and wet layers representing the yin and yang of Chinese philosophy.
In February 2004, the Chinese State Council included the cave on its fifth list of National Scenic Attractions. It is also a 4A rated National Tourism Area.
Hong Junsheng, born in 1907 in Henan, China, was a Chinese martial arts practitioner, teacher and author. Hong was the longest serving disciple for the Chen-style tai chi master Chen Fake. Starting in 1930, Hong trained uninterrupted with Chen for fifteen years. In 1944, Hong moved to the city of Jinan in Shandong Province. In 1956, he returned to Beijing to study again with his teacher, Chen Fake. Later, Hong expressed his understanding of Chen Fake's teachings of tai chi through his own teachings and writings. These theories and training principles are now known as the Chen-style tai chi Practical Method.
AAAAA (5A) is awarded to the most important and best-maintained tourist attractions in the People's Republic of China, given the highest level in the rating categories used by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. As of 2020, there are 279 tourist attractions listed as 5A.