Qian'an, a city circled by river and the Great Wall

A charming water city of north China:

Qian'an city is built along the Luanhe River and now is dotted with 14-square-km lakes, more than 20 islands and 65 gardens that make it a water park city.

The Mianyangquan Rives flows past the small village of Baiyangyu at the foot of the Great Wall.[Photo/Chen Shuzhen]

A sunset seen in a park in Qian'an city.[Photo/Chen Shuzhen]

One lake and buildings are seen in Qian'an city. [Photo/Chen Shuzhen]

Local people dance in dramatic costumes in Qian'an. [Photo/Chen Shuzhen]

The Great Wall in Qian'an

The Great Wall section in Qian'an is about 44.9 kilometers long. This section is preserved well after 400 years. But nobody knows why it was built here and why it is so firm. My photographer friends and I have gone to almost every corner of the Great Wall. It is so real that you may have some illusions, such as shining spears and armored horses, the glint and flash of cold steel and sounds of cannon in wars. Our ancestors have shed their tears and blood in every brick and every wall, every watchtower and even ruined walls.

A pailou, or archway, marks the marble section of the Great Wall 20 kilometers from Qian'an city. [Photo/Chen Shuzhen]

The Great Wall in summer. [Photo/Chen Shuzhen]

The Great Wall in autumn. [Photo/Chen Shuzhen]

The Great Wall is seen from a fort. [Photo/Chen Shuzhen]

The Great Wall in the morning.[Photo/Chen Shuzhen]

Clouds are seen on the Great Wall. [Photo/Chen Shuzhen]

Local foods in Qian'an:

I like my hometown first of all for its food. Here I would like to introduce you to different food specialties in Qian'an, such as braised Gezha, menzi, steamed Chinese cabbage rolls and crisp fried meat. Gezha, a kind of semi-finished food, is one of the famous foods in Tangshan, Hebei province. People soak soy beans for hours, remove skins and then grind soaked soy beans into soy milk. Later, soy milk is made into dough to make pancakes. After that, these pancakes are cut into pieces or stuffed with meat to fry or cook with other vegetables. Gezha is necessary at festivals, weddings and funerals to serve guests.

Making Gezha making in Qian’an. [Photo/Chen Shuzhen]

The Gezha is placed on a drying plate. [Photo/Chen Shuzhen]

The local traditional food, "Menzi" made from sweet potato flour and cooked with chopped green onions and other seasonings is tasty and refreshing. [Photo/Chen Shuzhen]

Tourists harvest peanuts on a farm. [Photo/Chen Shuzhen]

A little girl carries vegetables she pick by herself.[Photo/Chen Shuzhen]

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