Anguo

History:

Anguo is a place with a long history and outstanding peoples. Early in the beginning of Han Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu granted the title of “Marquis of Anguo” to Marquis of Wangling, meaning “bring peace and stability to the country”. The Anguo County was established in the 6^th year of Yuanshou Era of Emperor Wu of Han (117 BC), and was called “Qizhou” from Song Dynasty as it became the new administrative center of Qizhou (a prefecture) in the 1^st year of Jingde Era (1004 AD).

Culture

Anguo City is one of the largest collecting and distributing centers of traditional Chinese medicine and birthplaces of traditional Chinese medicine culture in China, and is always famous in both home and abroad in the name of “medicine city” and “No.1 medicine market in the world”, gaining the reputation of “grass becomes medicine in Anguo, and medicine emits the fragrance passing Qizhou”. Anguo Medicine Market was listed in the first national nonmaterial cultural heritage list; the major national historical and cultural sites– Temple of God of Medicines and the Anguo Traditional Chinese Medicine Cultural Museum, etc. are in its domain; and the cultural celebrity of the world and the great dramatist of Yuan Dynasty – Guan Hanqing was born here.

Location:

Anguo City is located in the hinterland of North China Plain, the central area of the Jing-Jin-Shi triangle (Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang), within the area around Beijing and Tianjin and the Bohai Economic Rim. It’s 245km to the capital of china – Beijing, and 235km to the largest comprehensive port in the north of China – Tianjin Port.

Local specialties

In the last hundreds of years, the crude medicines of Anguo were famous for its natural planting method, good quality and high processing skill, hence the reputation of “grass becomes medicine in Anguo, and medicine emits the fragrance passing Qizhou”. There are more than 300 varieties of crude medicines in Anguo, and the 8 main varieties are: chrysanthemum, common yam, aster, radix glehniae, semen coicis, schizonepeta, angelica root and trichosanthes.