衡水市
Where the lakes and the Confucian scholar Dong Zhongshu both come from
Why this place
Hengshui is a small Hebei city best known in China for its schools — the number of students who go on to top universities is famously high — and for Hengshui Lake, the largest freshwater lake on the North China Plain. It is also the birthplace of Dong Zhongshu, the Han scholar who made Confucianism the state ideology.
What to see
- Hengshui Lake, a wetland reserve with reed beds and large numbers of migratory birds
- Jingzhou (Hebei) old town nearby, with a Tang pagoda and a famous tower
- The Old White Dried-Fruit and Brush markets — Hengshui brushes were once imperial gifts
What to eat
- Canal-side freshwater fish and lake shrimp
- Hengshui is known for its sesame-seed cakes
Best time
April–May for birds and green reeds; September–October for clear skies
HSKHSK 2
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