Fenghua - History

History

Fenghua was established as a county in the Tang dynasty, in the territory of Mingzhou. Its name means "received teaching" and was a tribute to imperial rule. During the Song dynasty, immigration from the north increased exponentially, peaking during the loss of north China to the Jurchen invasions. In 1129, Fenghua was raided by Jurchen cavalry in pursuit of Emperor Gaozong. Local militia at Xiaowangmiao (蕭王廟) fought off the invaders.

In late imperial times, Fenghua established itself as a meeting point for trade between the agrarian communities to the north, in Yinxian (鄞县), and the mountain-based communities in the south. In exchange for grain and cereals, the hill peoples would trade bamboo, timber and other cash crops such as tea and tobacco. In the east of Fenghua, around Xiangshan (象山), there existed also a number of fishing communities.

As with the rest of China, the 19th century brought about tumultuous changes. The Opium Wars with Britain devastated the economies of the coast. Around this time, many Fenghua men sought opportunity in the rising cities of Harbin, Weihaiwei and Shanghai. They later became famous in the 1920s for their dominance of the tailoring profession in downtown Shanghai, known as the "Feng Bang" (奉幫). But by far Fenghua's most famous export was Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the Kuomintang (KMT) and former President of the Republic of China. Chiang's family were originally salt merchants in the township of Xikou (溪口; old pronunciation "Qikou"), a town in the west of Fenghua county.