Wuqiao County

Wuqiao County 吴桥县 Wukiao
County
Wuqiao in Cangzhou
Cangzhou in Hebei
Coordinates: 37°37′38″N 116°23′29″E / 37.6271°N 116.3915°E / 37.6271; 116.3915Coordinates: 37°37′38″N 116°23′29″E / 37.6271°N 116.3915°E / 37.6271; 116.3915
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Hebei
Prefecture-level city	Cangzhou
County seat	Sangyuan
Area [citation needed]
• Total	583 km2 (225 sq mi)
Population  ([when?])[citation needed]
• Total	280,000
• Density	480/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code	062650
Area code(s)	0317
Website	www.wuqiao.gov.cn

Wuqiao County (simplified Chinese: 吴桥县; traditional Chinese: 吳橋縣; pinyin: Wúqiáo Xiàn, literally "Wu Bridge") is a county of southeastern Hebei province, China, bordering Shandong province to the southeast. It is the southernmost county-level division of the prefecture-level city of Cangzhou. Wuqiao covers an area of 583 km² (225 sq mi) with a population of 280,000 and 444 natural villages under its jurisdiction. Over a period of more than 1500 years, Wuqiao is an old county with a vivid and rich history and culture. Wuqiao is situated in the center of the Huabei Plains and has a pleasant climate most of the year round and it is possible to pleasurably visit here at almost any time of the year.^{[citation needed]}

Near the cities Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, and Jinan, Wuqiao County has many transportation connections. There are many rail and bus services operating in the town. Wuqiao was the first Chinese city to open up its doors to the world under the "Open Door" policy and over many years development, Wuqiao has become a flourishing city with a favorable investment environment.^{[citation needed]}

Administrative Divisions^[1][]

Towns:

• Sangyuan, (铁城镇), (于集镇), (梁集镇), Anling (安陵镇)

Townships:

• (曹家洼乡), (宋门乡), (杨家寺乡), (沟店铺乡), (何庄乡)

Wuqiao Acrobatic Culture[]

The history of Wuqiao county records that lamps lighted up the whole county of Wuqiao for three days during festivals, people set off firecrackers and performed acrobatics, and the local feudal officials did not practice curfew in the period.

The tomb murals of the Eastern Wei Dynasty (534–550) in the Southern and Northern Dynasties Period (386–581) unearthed from Xiaomachang Village of Wuqiao County in 1958 depict the performances of handstands, plate spinning, deft horsemanship and so on. However, it was after the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) that acrobatics of Wuqiao gained much reputation. Before that, acrobatics in Henan Province was much more influential. After the Yuan Dynasty was established, the capital was moved from Kaifeng of Henan to Beijing, and the acrobatics in Wuqiao of Hebei, which neighbors Beijing, began to prosper and was increasingly influential.

Wuqiao people are now known for their acrobatic ability and are often in acrobatic troupes throughout China and across the world. When Premier Zhou Enlai visited European countries, he found Wuqiao acrobats often when he met with overseas Chinese. He said that Wuqiao is worth the title of 'home of Chinese acrobatics'.

References[]

• About Wuqiao and China Acrobatic information
• Wuqiao Local Web Portal