General's Lane Cultural Street

General's Lane Cultural Street

Longhe Town is located in the southwestern part of Sucheng District, at the junction of Jiangsu and Anhui provinces. It borders Lingcheng Town of Suining County, Xuzhou City to the west, Shantou Town of Sixian County, Suzhou City, Anhui Province to the southwest, and Guiren Town of Sihong County to the south. It is known as “where the crowing of a rooster can be heard in four counties, and a single step can cross two provinces.” The town covers an area of 59 square kilometers, governs 13 villages and residential communities, has a permanent population of 55,000, and cultivable land area of 42,000 mu. To the west, the Xuhong River flows around it, while to the east, the Xisha River meanders along the border, providing convenient water and land transportation with significant locational advantages. It is intersected by the Nanjing-Suqian-Xuzhou First-Class Highway, the Nanjing-Suqian Expressway, and the Xuzhou-Suqian-Huai'an-Yancheng Expressway, and features the only highway interchange within Sucheng District on the Nanjing-Suqian Expressway.

Longhe Town is a veteran revolutionary base area. Its traditional farming culture has left a deep imprint on the local people. Heping Village within the town still preserves the layout of a rural village from 200 years ago, complete with an ancient-style water environment. The Dongwang stilt-walking performance, which originated during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, has been listed as a key municipal-level intangible cultural heritage protection project. The 1888 edition of the Suqian County Annals recorded a local saying: “The Lion Dance of Liyuan, the Dragon of Qian’an, the Dry Boat of Zhuowei, the Lanterns of Sanli, and the Carried Stages of Suocheng.” The town boasts abundant produce, and its tourism products—such as partridge, wild duck and pheasant, and Golden Fu Garden—are well-known. General Zhu Rui, founder of China’s artillery forces, the highest-ranking PLA officer to sacrifice his life during the Liberation War, and one of the national “Top 100” figures of 2009—was born here. Mao Zedong once wrote: “The loss of Comrade Zhu Rui is a tremendous blow to the Chinese people’s liberation cause.” As the hometown of General Zhu Rui, Longhe Town leverages its locational and cultural strengths and adheres to the philosophy of remembering history and honoring the general by focusing on developing the Zhu Rui Cultural Tourism Project.

The Zhu Rui Cultural Tourism Project was invested in and is managed by the People’s Government of Longhe Town. Covering an area of 600 mu with collective land status, the project has a total investment of 291.6 million yuan. It includes eight scenic spots: the Former Residence of Zhu Rui, General's Lane Cultural Street, Zhu Rui Scenic Boulevard, Flower Opera Tower, Zhu Family Cemetery, Zhu Rui Scenic River, Nursery Landscape Base, and Zhu Rui Memorial Hall. Construction began in August 2011, and the project has now taken initial shape.

Utilizing its distinctive geographical and cultural characteristics, Longhe Town is being developed into Suqian’s southern new city that centers on Zhu Rui commemorative culture, supplemented by characteristic village tourism and driven by a unique culinary and service industry—forming a tripartite integration. It aims to become a sightseeing, entertainment, and leisure destination with local characteristics, an important component of the Northern Jiangsu cultural tourism route, and a renowned tourist area in Jiangsu Province.

Longhe Town: Named after the “Longhe River” that flows through the area. Before the founding of the People’s Republic, it was under the jurisdiction of Panshan District, Sixi County. It was later incorporated into Buzi Town, Suqian County, and in 1958, the Longhe Commune was established, which became Longhe Township in 1984. Located in the southwestern part of the city, at the border between Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, it is 28 kilometers from the urban center. The town covers an area of 59 square kilometers and has a population of 45,000. The Xuning Highway runs through it, and the Xuhong River flows across the township. It governs 18 village committees: Jiahe, Shuangcai, Chen Dazhuang, Daxinzhuang, Qiaozhuang, Yaozhuang, Zhuwang, Zhudaxing, Longji, Chenlou, Tiaogou, Shenqiao, Qiwéi, Dongwang, Qinwei, Dalu, Heping, and Qiwéi. (Agricultural details...) More detailed information about Longhe Town++