Heshun, also called Yangwendun in ancient times, is located 3 kilometers southwest of Tengchong County. As a river bypasses the town, it was renamed as Heshun (the pronunciation of “He” in Chinese refers to “river” or “harmony”). Though the town at present has a population of just over 6,000, more than 120,000 Heshun immigrants have been distributed around the world, so it also is known in Yunnan Province as a famous cradle of Chinese immigrants.
In the 2005 China's Charming Famous Towns Competition held by China Central Television, Heshun was shortlisted for top 10 Chinese charming towns and won the Town of the Year, an exclusive award, by virtue of its six charming features—it is the first town catering to South Asia, a resort surrounded by volcanoes, the home of jades established by Damabang (a horse caravan in ancient times), the window for the fusion of cultures from Han ethnic group, South Asia and Western world, and an ancient scenic area housing more than 6,000 friendly residents.
Heshun is a hub built on the Southwest Silk Road more than 600 years ago. Here you could enjoy a rural-style landscape consisting of mountains, rivers, plains, willows partly visible in fog, lotus ponds emitting fragrance and pavilions. Heshun people are praised as outstanding southern talents, as generations of Heshun natives have immigrated to South Asia, Southeast Asia and other countries for doing business and pursuing entrepreneurial dreams. Heshun talents established the oldest transnational corporation, the famous Yiqun Middle School and Heshun Library. With the boost of business and culture, there is no lack of capable brains in the history of Heshun, such as magnate Yin Rong, jade tycoons Zhang Baoting, Zhang Lanting and Cun Haiting, Li Yuegai, one of the founding fathers of the Republic of China, Ai Siqi, famous Marxist philosopher, and Cun Shusheng, famous educator. Generations of Heshun people have been attaching importance to Confucianism, entrepreneurial spirits, the principle of respecting teachers and patriotism, creating a unique culture in the home of Heshun immigrants.
As one of the four eco-cultural villages in Yunnan Province, Heshun boasts rich cultural features, which can be seen from the row upon row of solemn and magnificent residential buildings on the bench terraces of the volcano, the attractive numerous decorating styles of the buildings, the well-preserved Wenchang Palace, Yuanlong Pavilion, Zhongtian Temple, the library, special platforms, screen walls, memorial archway, ancient laundry booths along the river bypassing the village, the stone arch bridge and the eight-clan ancestral temple. The historical and cultural accumulation, the great humanistic atmosphere and the pastoral style of the beautiful scenery here are in perfect harmony with each other, giving Heshun endless glamour. With the completion of the facilities designed to protect landscapes, reflect cultures and support services and balanced development, Heshun is bound to have a brighter future.
Honors of Heshun Scenic Area
The most charming town in China
One of China’s Top 10 beautiful villages and towns
National AAAA scenic area
A historically and culturally famous town in China
A corporation honored for reasonable pricing in Yunnan Province
A national cultural industry demonstration base recognized by the Ministry of Culture
Heshun Library, located next to the Shuanghong Bridge in Heshun Town, is a key cultural relics unit under state protection. It formerly was the Heshun Yueshu Newspaper Office, which was established in 1924 and then rebuilt in 1925 into Heshun Library with the support of the Heshun immigrants living in Myanmar. The main house of the library was demolished in 1938 and then replaced with a new one featuring Chinese and Western architectural elements. Now the library occupies an area of 1,392 square meters, consisting of the main gate, middle gate, garden, library and main structure. The main structure is a two-storey wood-framed building. With two angles stretching out from the front face of the building, an exquisite outline as well as western-style windows and doors, the building looks natural, graceful and impressive. In the library one can enjoy a clear and quiet environment with flowers and trees. More than 70,000 books are collected in the library, including numerous reliable texts, rare ancient books and local literature, for which Zhang Tianfang praised this library as the No.1 in the circle of cultural villages in China. On the lintel of the door hangs the horizontal board with an inscription (meaning “Heshun Library”) by celebrities such as Hushi and Zhangli. And many other inscriptions by celebrities also can be seen on walls, making the library more exquisite. After the library was included in China’s organizational system of public libraries in 1980, the functions and visitor capacity of the library were extended by the newly-built Cangzhen Building (for storing rare items), the extended Jingshan Park and the Wenchang Palace which had been integrated into the management of the library.
The Former Home of Ai Siqi is located in Shuidui Village, Heshun Town. It is a quadrangle dwelling made of bricks and catalpa wood in Western and Chinese styles. The buildings are connected with passage ways and decorated by partitions with carve patterns and small western-style balconies, looking elegant with classic simplicity. On the lintel of the main door hangs a board inscribed with the words “the Ai Siqi Museum”, and in the western building and the hall there are items to introduce the life story of Ai Siqi.
Ai siqi, formerly known as Li Shengxuan, was born in Shuidui Village in February 1910. His father Li Yuegai is one of the leaders of the Revolution of 1911 (the Chinese bourgeois democratic revolution led by Dr, Sun Yat-sen which overthrew the Qing Dynasty). Since age 2, Ai Siqi had been travelling around China and the world with his father, and had studied in Hong Kong, Nanjing and Japan. In his 10, Ai Siqi returned to his home and stayed for about half a year. In his juvenile years, Ai Siqi joined an external organization of the party, went to Japan twice for study and then officially became a member of theCommunist Party of China. He took various positions during his life, including Head of the Publicity Department of the Anti-Japanese War Supporter’s Association, Director of the Philosophy Research Office of Yan’an Academy of Marxism-Leninism, Director of the Philosophy Group of the Central Publicity Department, and Executive Member of the Cultural Association of Border Regions. After the liberation of China, he was elected Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Preparatory Committee of the New Philosophy Research Association of China, Vice President of the Senior School Directly under the CPC Central Committee and Director of the philosophy Teaching and Research Office.
Ai Siqi was a famous and widely influential Marxist-Leninist philosopher. He had written a lot of universally praised philosophy books, especially the Public Philosophy and the Philosophy and Life, which had led countless young people to join the evolution and had greatly contributed to the richness of the theories and thoughts of Mao Zedong. His book named Dialectical Materialism and Historical Materialism has been used for a long time as a philosophy textbook for colleges and universities.
Ai Siqi passed away due to acute heart failure in Beijing on March 22, 1966, aged 56. At the memorial service, Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai and Zhu De sent wreaths, and Chairman Mao wrote down "the Party’s Theory" in his eulogy.
Yuanlong Temple, a cultural relics unit under county-level protection and located south of Longtan Pond, Shuidui Village, Heshun Town, is a building embodying cultural elements of Confucianism and Taoism. Currently the temple is serving for Taoist activities. There is a spring and a pond named Longtan aside the temper. “Long” means a dragon in Chinese, and “Yuanlong”, the name of thetemple, indicates the head of a dragon in Chinese, and thus implies the source of the water. Standing aside the mountain, Yuanlong temple consists of the gate, the Dragon King Temple, the Three-officer Temple and the Guanyin Temple. These buildings are compactly structured, creatively designed and harmoniously blended with the green mountains and waters, appearing like houses in a fairyland. Most of inscription boards hanged out there were made by celebrities to add some ancient and noble atmosphere to these buildings.
Yunnan-Myanmar Anti-Japanese War Museum is the first Anti-Japanese War Museum established by Bolian Heshun Company in China relying on private capitals and private collection. The museum was innovatively built on the former site of the Command of the 20th Group of the Chinese Expeditionary Force and put into operation on July 7, 2005. The museum houses over 3500 historical items of World War II, which have been collected by folk collector Duan Sheng Kui in the past more than 20 years, including the cultural relics related to the Chinese Expeditionary Force, the Chinese Army in India, USA-UK Troops and common people’s resistance activities, such as the red rattan cane given by General Li Zongren as a gift for county head Mr. Zhang Wende who contributed to the Anti-Japanese War, the manuscript of Tengbei’s Retreat to Defense written by Zhang Wende, the full set of badges of the Tiger Team, the Japanese army's blood-stained saber, gas bombs and the supplies for comfort women. The museum is divided into five parts, which are themed as “The Disintegrated Country”, “The Solemn and Stirring Expedition”, “Being Occupied by the Enemy” and “Fighting Back with Swords” and “Regaining Peace”, respectively.
One of the sculptures collected in the museum is a peace dove made by a American soldier using a shell in the trench, reflecting the theme of the museum—peace. And the other items include the inscription made by Mr. Lien Chan for the museum, numerous cultural relics, old photographs, documentary films, historical data, oil paintings and picture-story books, all of which provides a description of the tragic history.