Gao Jianqun, born in 1954 in the Lintong District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, is known as the "last knight" of Romantic literature. His masterpiece "The Last Hun" was first published in 1993. The epic of the plateau and northern Shaanxi enjoys great reputation in the history of contemporary fiction. Immediately after its publication, it caught attention from the Chinese literary world, and was highly praised by famous writers such as Jin Yong, Jia Pingwa and Lu Yao.

                       

         

The first half of the full-length novel was adapted into a thirty-episode TV series "Dragons and Tigers atop the Mountain", starring Pan Yueming and Liu Tao in the lead roles, which aired on CCTV8 in 2011. By telling the story of ordinary northern Shaanxi people represented by Yang Zuoxin, who became a heroic revolutionary in the early years of the Republic of China, the play recreates a magnificent revolutionary epic, and also presents the vast majestic plateau scenery of northern Shaanxi and its unique folk culture, allowing audience to see a diverse northern Shaanxi more than just loess.

 Capital site of the Huns

       

Attila the Hun

The Huns has left an indelible footprint in northern Shaanxi. An time-hornored assertion believes that the Hungarians are descended from the Huns of north China. In the 2nd century, the Huns set off from the bordering area of Loess Plateau and Ordos Plateau, passing through Central Asia, Black Sea and Caspian Sea, arrived in Europe in the 5th century, and built the now "Hungary" in Europe.

Note: Huns, or the Xiongnu, were a large confederation of Eurasian nomads who dominated the Asian Steppe from the late 3rd century BCE to the late 1st century CE.

       

The south Huns

In 413, the Southern Huns built their capital at Tongwan City, whose site is located 58 km north of the today's Jingbian County in Yulin, Shaanxi Province. The Tongwan City ruins that stand out on the vast desert are still telling the Huns' ambition to "unify the whole country".

                Tongwan City at sunrise

Witness to China's revolution

During the last century, north Shaanxi served as the center stage of the Chinese revolution for 13 years. In addition to the main character in the book, this land has seen countless revolutionary martyrs and heroic stories, among which the most famous ones are Liu Zhidan and Xie Zichang mentioned in the book.

Zhidan County, the hometown of revolutionary hero

         

On April 14, 1936, Liu Zhidan was killed in battle at the age of 33. He was later recognized as "Leader of the masses, hero of the nation" by Chairman Mao at a memorial meeting for Liu Zhidan held by the CPC Central Committee in WaYaoBu. In June of the same year, Bao'an County was renamed Zhidan County in honor of the hero Liu Zhidan. Now his name  is printed on ID cards of every locals. He is never been forgotten.  

       

Liu Zhidan Martyr Cemetery

                      

                     

Yongning Ancient Fortress, peak over the Luohe River

Located 33 km south of Zhidan County, the ancient fortress of Yongning Mountain is one of the filming locations for the adapted TV series mentioned above and a witness to the China's revolution. Consisting of three levels, the fortress can accommodate thousands of people and can satisfy their basic life needs. With a well leading directly to the Luohe River, they can take water inside the fortress in a secret way.  

Zichang City

         

As the hometown of Xie Zichang, the place was renamed Zichang County in 1942 to commemorate the national hero Xie Zichang. The Red Army rested here during the 10,000-mile Long March and held the historically important WaYaoBu Meeting here in 1935.