Jingziguan Town [Anyang]

Jingziguan Town of Xichuan County, an ancient commercial town appeared in late Tang Dynasty, ranks among the first group of historic towns of Henan Province. Situated at the bank of the Dan River, it enjoys a unique and favorable geographical position, which is a hot point contended by merchants. Originating from Shanluo Mountain, the Dan River joins the Han River and flows into the Yangtze River. As one of the three major channels the river boasts of abundant water resources and many business tycoons from Hubei, Hunan, Shanghai and Hangzhou, came to the place along the river. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the wharfs along the river were crowded with boats. Jingziguan had become the commodity distribution center in the surrounding areas. Merchants from seven provinces such as Henan, Hubei, Shaanxi and so on flocked here. The business were so thriving that there were once well- known three companies, eight associations, ten carriage centers and 24 firms.