This Hidden Gem in Henan Has More Than Just Pangdonglai!

Xuchang, a "fourth-tier city" adjacent to Zhengzhou with a population of just over 4 million.

If you visit Xuchang for the first time and ask a taxi driver about its attractions, the answer will almost always be surprisingly consistent: Three Kingdoms relics and Pang Donglai. These represent Xuchang's ancient and modern facets, respectively.

1,800 years ago, Yingchuan scholars from Xuchang wielded their horsetail whisks in philosophical debates, epitomizing the Wei-Jin elegance. By the Northern Song Dynasty, ceramic artisans mastered the art of capturing fleeting sky-blue hues after rain with clay and metal, taming air and fire to immortalize the ever-changing rosy clouds, leaving us the unparalleled Jun porcelain treasures.

With Pang Donglai supermarket's viral fame online, Xuchang proves it hasn't rested on its historical laurels. Six out of ten wigs used in the global fashion industry are made in Xuchang. The emerging lab-grown diamond sector, matching natural diamonds in quality while slashing prices by over 90%, has turned this once-exclusive luxury into an affordable commodity.

Xuchang, this hidden gem in Henan, has been setting global trends since ancient times.

As is well known, Henan lies at the heart of the Central Plains—the center of China. Xuchang, in turn, sits at the very center of Henan. This "centrality" destined Xuchang to be remarkably "zhong" (central). Early Qing geographer Gu Zuyu summarized it in his "Essentials of Historical Geography": "From the perspective of China, Henan is the central land; from Henan's perspective, Xuzhou (Xuchang) is again the central land."

Xuchang's "centrality" extends beyond geography to its favorable climate. Despite being in the water-scarce Central Plains, it is traversed by the Ying River, Shiliang River, and Qingyi River, even boasting two lakes—West Lake and Qiuhu Lake.

Its dense water networks allowed Xuchang to flourish with lotus plantations, earning it the nickname "Lotus City." Northern Song poet Mei Yaochen once wrote: "Shorelines deepened by night rain, grasses merging with flat fields, summer trees still thinly shaded, crimson lotuses not yet in full bloom."

The rivers crossing Xuchang also granted it immense logistical advantages. "Controlling Luoyang to the west and linking to Huai-Sui in the east, with converging boats and wagons enabling easy transport," the Ru and Luo Rivers from western Henan's mountains carved out the fertile Central Plains, with the Luoyang Basin being a cultural hub since pre-Qin times.

Xuchang's terrain is predominantly endless plains, save for minor hills in the northwest. This "wide, flat wilderness" cemented its role in land transport. Today, Xuchang not only has a "川"-shaped high-speed rail network (Beijing-Guangzhou, Zhengzhou-Hefei, Zhengzhou-Chongqing lines) but also hosts national projects like the South-North Water Diversion and West-East Gas Pipeline.

Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport, about 50 km from downtown Xuchang, even built an off-site terminal beside Xuchang East Station. Passengers can complete check-in and baggage drop there before taking a shuttle bus to board—a rare "air-rail intermodal" service even many major cities lack.

The "treasure trove of five capitals and four homelands,"

How many historical labels does it bear?

Fans of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" will instantly recognize Xuchang. Of the novel's 120 chapters, 52 mention it. Among China's 300+ Three Kingdoms sites, 80+ are in Xuchang, rightfully earning it the title "Hometown of Three Kingdoms Culture."

In 196 AD, warlord Cao Cao, heeding advisor Xun Yu's counsel, "held the emperor to command the nobles" by welcoming Emperor Xian to Xu County. For 25 years, Xuchang became the undisputed political, economic, and cultural center of northern China. In 221 AD, Emperor Cao Pi renamed Xu County to Xuchang ("Xu's prosperity") when founding the Wei dynasty.

Xuchang witnessed China's transition from the late Han to the Three Kingdoms era. "Hearing of Three Kingdoms tales, one always longs for Xuchang" best captures its legacy. Though Cao Pi soon moved the capital to Luoyang, Xuchang remained one of Wei's "Five Capitals," where successive rulers built palaces and gardens.

Yuzhou in northwest Xuchang was then famed as Yingchuan. Xun Yu, Xun You, Guo Jia, Xi Zhicai, Zhong Yao—nearly all of Cao Cao's early strategists hailed from Yingchuan, making it Wei's "premier think tank."

Even after the Sima clan replaced Wei with Jin and during the Eastern Jin exile, Yingchuan elites remained pivotal. Chen Qun's "Nine-Rank System" became the framework for aristocratic dominance for nearly a millennium. In early Eastern Jin, Yu Liang and Wang Dao jointly ruled as regents under Emperor Ming's decree.

It's no exaggeration: Yingchuan's scholars shaped China's trajectory for 300 years post-Wei-Jin.

The Wei capital and Three Kingdoms culture are Xuchang's brightest badges, but this "five-capitals-four-homelands" city holds far more treasures.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, Xuchang, adjacent to the capital "Dongjing" (Kaifeng), held a crucial position as a supporting city of the imperial capital. Yuzhou, in particular, gave rise to Jun porcelain, one of the "Five Great Kilns of the Northern Song," earning it the title "Jun Capital." As the saying goes, "Better a single piece of Jun porcelain than ten thousand strings of coins" (a similar saying applies to Ru ware), highlighting its extraordinary value.

The most unique feature of Jun porcelain is the magical "kiln transformation" phenomenon during firing, a chemical marvel catalyzed by temperature. Copper-containing glaze is fired at high temperatures in the kiln, undergoing complex oxidation-reduction reactions to produce hues ranging from blue to purple to red: purple concealing blue, blue tinged with red, red infused with white, white shimmering with blue, blue mingled with green... "One color enters the kiln, myriad colors emerge." These flowing, intermingling shades create an ever-changing spectacle.

Xuchang’s pride leads the world!

The viral fame of Pang Donglai online ultimately boils down to one reason: its loving and human-centered service.

On major social media platforms, Pang Donglai’s "devilishly" meticulous service details have won widespread acclaim, with its food counters resembling gourmet plazas. Even more commendable is that Pang Donglai’s service is reciprocal—not only delighting customers but also making employees feel deeply valued.

Thirty days of annual leave, fines for overtime, weekly closures on Tuesdays... and perhaps the nation’s only "Employee Grievance Award"! On June 20, 2023, a customer loudly berated a Pang Donglai employee. Within five days, the company swiftly issued an eight-page investigative report and, upon learning the employee had resisted unreasonable demands, awarded them a 5,000-yuan grievance compensation.

But Xuchang’s pride extends far beyond Pang Donglai. Among China’s top 500 private enterprises, four hail from Xuchang—the highest number in the province. The standout among these industries is the hairpiece trade.

Xuchang single-handedly supplies 60% of the world’s hairpieces, rightfully earning its title as the "Hairpiece Capital." Many Xuchang aunties may never have left their hometown, but their creations travel globally: Beyoncé, Rihanna, and even former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama are loyal fans of Xuchang wigs.

In high-end manufacturing with core technological prowess, Xuchang also excels. Pristine diamonds, symbols of love, can cost tens of thousands for just one carat (0.2g). Chemically, however, diamonds are simply carbon—no different from coal burned in furnaces.

Rearranging carbon atoms at a structural level to turn coal into diamonds isn’t fantasy. Xuchang is at the forefront of this "alchemy." The Yellow River Group, based in Xuchang, is the world’s largest producer of lab-grown diamonds. As insiders say, the difference between lab-grown and natural diamonds is like "water from a river versus water from a well"—indistinguishable.

In just two to three years, Xuchang’s lab-grown diamonds have dropped to less than a tenth the cost of natural ones. Soon, this "forever" romance may become an affordable luxury for the masses.

Text Editor | Feitian Yimian