Pianguan is named after an ancient garrison along the Great Wall, meaning Fort Pian. It was once China's gateway to the north. The walled portion of Pianguan is still preserved and serves as its administrative center. Flowing past the town is the Pianguan River. The region is hilly and its surrounding farmland in the outskirt suffers from the lack of rain. The bottom picture was taken after a light snow, and there was no precipitation that winter for over 100 days.

Out in the field . . .

In 1998 a team of reporters visited Pianguan and wrote several rather favorable articles about its land development program. These articles appear in the Far Eastern Economic Review, October 22, 1998; South China Morning Post, October 3, 1998; and The Boston Sunday Globe, November 15, 1998.

Picture source: George Leung (1999)