Ruihong Town

Ruihong Town

Ruihong Town, a key water town in the northwest of Yugan. Historically established as a town due to its role as a hub for trade from Fujian and Yue regions, Ruihong has a history of six to seven hundred years. It is now a distribution center for goods in counties and cities around Poyang Lake, renowned especially for its abundant aquatic products, earning it the nickname "Little Nanchang of Yugan." Many notable figures have lived in Ruihong. During the great battle on Poyang Lake, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, once slept here. Li Tingji, the Minister of Rites who was demoted to Ruihong, took pleasure in offering free tea. Grand Secretary Zhang Ruitu once built a teahouse here and inscribed the three characters “妙觉地” (Wonderful Awakening Place) on the site. The female poet Zhong Lingjia of the Qing Dynasty resided in Ruihong at Han Kang Pharmacy, gave birth to Jiang Shiquan, and taught her son using bamboo segments, leaving behind a touching story. The town once had many scenic spots, including Linggong Temple, Hongya Academy, Hongfu Temple, Fengbo Pavilion, Guanyin Hall, and the “Eight Scenic Spots of Ruihong.” Local delicacies include stir-fried preserved meat with wild artemisia selengensis, river fish boiled in river water, stir-fried bean sprouts, and braised lobster. The area also offers a rich variety of tourism products such as needlefish, gorgon fruit and sesame paste, Baoshan natural jelly, Kangshan lees fish, sweet potato juice, and lobster meat.

Ruihong Old Street, like Ruihong Town itself, boasts a long history, profound cultural heritage, and numerous scenic spots and historical sites. According to county records, a commercial port was established here as early as the ninth year of the Wude era in the Tang Dynasty (626 AD), then known as Hongya Township—the origin of its later name, Ruihong. Ruihong Old Street is located by Poyang Lake, and a legend is associated with this old street: During the great battle on Poyang Lake between Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, and Chen Youliang, Zhu’s forces suffered several defeats due to strategic reasons and were forced to retreat to Xiaogang in Xiehu Pond, Hongya Township (now Ruihong). To revive his army’s morale, Zhu gathered his generals to discuss strategies for breaking the enemy formation. His military advisor Liu Bowen suggested a fire attack. Unfortunately, the wind direction was unfavorable for several days, and Zhu, exhausted from recent battles, overslept one morning. When he awoke, sunlight was already streaming into the cabin. Zhu remarked, “I’ve actually slept until the sky turned red.” Standing at the bow of the boat and seeing that the wind had shifted favorably, he immediately ordered the attack. The fleet quickly weighed anchor and sailed straight to the battlefield at Kanglang Mountain. Under the assault of the fire attack, Chen Youliang retreated step by step, even sustaining an eye injury before fleeing in panic. To commemorate this victory, Zhu Yuanzhang issued an imperial decree to rename Hongya as Ruihong. From Xiehu Pond, where Zhu moored his boat and rested his troops, eastward to the present-day Liuliuwei Head, a street was formed. The buildings along the street are mostly tile-roofed houses made of blue bricks or wood, though there are also some modern reinforced concrete structures clad in dazzling white tiles, with windows framed in aluminum or PVC, standing out prominently among the surrounding lower rooftops. The eaves of the old buildings on the street are adorned with vivid and lifelike carvings of dragons and phoenixes. The street is paved with bluestone slabs, featuring whitewashed walls, black tiles, continuous rainy beams, and deep ancient alleys—each scene exuding the age and timelessness of the old street. The old street was once prosperous, counted as one of the wealthiest areas within hundreds of miles. Along this short stretch of street, there used to be fifty to sixty shops dealing in tobacco shreds, general merchandise, taverns, and trading companies. At dawn, the old street would come alive with noise and excitement as villagers from neighboring areas gathered, setting up stalls side by side to sell fresh lotus roots and fruits, fish, shrimp, turtles, crabs, seasonal vegetables, and more. The place bustled daily with carts, shoppers, and traders of all kinds of aquatic goods, creating a lively and crowded atmosphere with calls of vendors echoing back and forth. Located at the confluence of the Xin River and Poyang Lake, the old street also became a busy dock, with large and small boats constantly coming and going. Boats lined up one after another along the shore, bow to stern, and from a distance, they resembled a long dragon meandering through the water—an impressive sight unique to the old street. Times have changed, and the prosperity of the past has become a thing of the past. Even today, while strolling down the old street, you can still hear the rhythmic clang of hammers from the blacksmith's shop.

Scattered around the old street are various scenic spots and historical sites. Ruihong once had the Linggong Temple, Tianhou Palace, Fengbo Pavilion, Ancient Tea Hermitage, Hongya Academy, and ancient palace cellars. Existing scenic spots include: Hongfu Temple, vast areas of reed viewing, reed boats on water, the scenery of the “Three Rivers Junction,” and opportunities to observe swans, egrets, wild geese, and ducks.