The skyline of Changxing county, Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/hz66.com]

Changxing county, located in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, has made it on the 2023 list of top 100 Chinese counties in terms of cultural strength.

The announcement, made in Beijing on Jan 15, marked the release of the third edition of the list, which was compiled using a comprehensive evaluation of counties across China based on five key perspectives: history and culture, natural landscape, humanistic landscape, customs and habits, and innovative development.

As a newcomer to the list, Changxing stands out with its rich historical and cultural legacy spanning over 1,700 years,

Changxing is famed for Zisun tea, which was once offered as a tribute to the emperor during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), a tradition that endured for over 600 years. Hailed as the finest tea by Lu Yu in The Classic of Tea, considered the world's first monograph on tea culture, Zisun tea has a storied and revered history.

In 2022, the processing technique of Zisun tea was recognized as a vital component of traditional Chinese tea-making techniques and customs, earning it a well-deserved place on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Beyond its tea culture, Changxing holds the distinction of being the birthplace of Emperor Chen Baxian, renowned for ruling based on Buddhist principles. Throughout the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-581) to the Tang and Song dynasties (618-1279), Changxing was adorned with over 200 temples, adding to its historical and cultural significance.

Another remarkable feature of Changxing is the Lougang irrigation and drainage system, which has endured for over two millennia, standing as an engineering marvel. The system comprises several hundred man-made rivers located near Taihu Lake, designed to regulate water levels by feeding into or draining excess water from the lake through a series of sluices.

In recent years, local authorities have been actively pursuing innovative approaches to enrich its cultural offerings for residents and visitors alike. Changxing has consistently secured the top position in Huzhou for three consecutive years in terms of modernizing public cultural services.