Nanchong

Nanchong
南充市
Prefecture-level city
Nickname(s): The fruit City

Location of Nanchong City jurisdiction in Sichuan
Coordinates: 30°48′00″N 106°5′00″E / 30.80000°N 106.08333°E / 30.80000; 106.08333Coordinates: 30°48′00″N 106°5′00″E / 30.80000°N 106.08333°E / 30.80000; 106.08333
Country People's Republic of China
Province Sichuan
Officiated 1993
Government
  Party Secretary Liu Hongjian
Area
  Prefecture-level city 12,479.96 km2 (4,818.54 sq mi)
  Urban 2,527.8 km2 (976.0 sq mi)
  Metro 2,527.8 km2 (976.0 sq mi)
Elevation 340 m (1,120 ft)
Population (2010 census)[1]
  Prefecture-level city 6,278,614
  Density 500/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
  Urban 1,858,875
  Metro 1,858,875
  Metro density 740/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
  [2]
Time zone China Standard (UTC+8)
Postal code 637000
Area code(s) 0817
Licence plate prefixes R
Website nanchong.gov.cn

Nanchong (Chinese: 南充; pinyin: Nánchōng; Wade–Giles: Nan-ch'ung; Sichuanese: lan2cong1; ) is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of Sichuan province, China, with an area of 12,479.96 square kilometres (4,818.54 sq mi),[3] and at the 2010 census was home to 6,278,614 people whom 1,858,875 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of 3 urban districts. It is the second most populated city of Sichuan Province, only after Chengdu. The administrative center is Shunqing District.

History

Nanchong was in the territory of the state of Ba before it was conquered by the Qin dynasty in 314 BC. The Qin set up a government at Langzhong City. Anhan City was established in Shunqinq district at the beginning of the Han Dynasty.

In 202 BC, Emperor Gaozu of Han instituted the Anhan (simplified Chinese: 安汉; traditional Chinese: 安漢) County in this place. Anhan literally means "to establish or stabilize Han". In 8 AD, the name was changed to Anxin (安新) when Wang Mang seized the throne of the Han Dynasty, but it reverted to Anhan in 25 AD. It was again changed to Guozhou (果州, "fruit city") in 621 AD (Tang dynasty), and then to Nanchong in 742 AD. The nickname of Nanchong is Guocheng (果城), derived from Guozhou.

Subdivisions

Map
Name Hanzi Hanyu Pinyin Population (2004 est.) Area (km²) Density (/km²)
Shunqing District 顺庆区 Shùnqìng Qū 620,000 545 1,138
Gaoping District 高坪区 Gāopíng Qū 570,000 812 702
Jialing District 嘉陵区 Jiālíng Qū 680,000 1,170 581
Langzhong City 阆中市 Lángzhōng Shì 860,000 1,877 458
Nanbu County 南部县 Nánbù Xiàn 1,240,000 2,305 538
Yingshan County 营山县 Yíngshān Xiàn 900,000 1,633 551
Peng'an County 蓬安县 Péng'ān Xiàn 680,000 1,334 510
Yilong County 仪陇县 Yílǒng Xiàn 1,060,000 1,695 625
Xichong County 西充县 Xīchōng Xiàn 640,000 1,108 578

Geography

Nanchong is located in the north-east of Sichuan Province. To the east of Nanchong is Dazhou, to the west are Mianyang and Suining and to the north is Guangyuan.

The vast majority of this area is hilly. The woodland coverage is 25%.

The Jialing River, a tributary of the Yangtze River, crosses the prefecture from north to south, and there are another thirty rivers in the prefecture with a drainage basin of more than 30 square kilometres (12 sq mi).

Climate

As with the rest of the Sichuan Basin, Nanchong has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) with high humidity year-round; winters are short and mild while summers long, hot, and humid. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 6.4 °C (43.5 °F) in January to 27.5 °C (81.5 °F) in August; the annual mean is 17.33 °C (63.2 °F). Frost is uncommon and the frost-free period lasts 290−320 days.[4] Over 70% of the 987 mm (38.9 in) of annual precipitation occurs from May to September. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from around 9% in December to 47% in August, the city receives only 1,135 hours of bright sunshine annually. Spring (March–April) tends to be sunnier and warmer in the day than autumn (October–November).

Climate data for Nanchong (1971−2000)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 15.4
(59.7)
23.5
(74.3)
31.6
(88.9)
35.2
(95.4)
37.2
(99)
36.8
(98.2)
38.9
(102)
41.2
(106.2)
40.1
(104.2)
32.0
(89.6)
27.6
(81.7)
17.4
(63.3)
41.2
(106.2)
Average high °C (°F) 9.2
(48.6)
11.7
(53.1)
16.4
(61.5)
22.3
(72.1)
26.6
(79.9)
28.9
(84)
31.5
(88.7)
32.4
(90.3)
26.5
(79.7)
21.1
(70)
16.0
(60.8)
10.5
(50.9)
21.1
(70.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 6.4
(43.5)
8.5
(47.3)
12.5
(54.5)
17.7
(63.9)
21.9
(71.4)
24.7
(76.5)
27.2
(81)
27.5
(81.5)
22.6
(72.7)
17.7
(63.9)
12.9
(55.2)
8.0
(46.4)
17.3
(63.15)
Average low °C (°F) 4.3
(39.7)
6.1
(43)
9.7
(49.5)
14.2
(57.6)
18.4
(65.1)
21.5
(70.7)
23.8
(74.8)
23.7
(74.7)
19.9
(67.8)
15.4
(59.7)
10.6
(51.1)
6.0
(42.8)
14.5
(58.0)
Record low °C (°F) −2.8
(27)
−0.9
(30.4)
1.2
(34.2)
5.3
(41.5)
9.5
(49.1)
14.3
(57.7)
18.0
(64.4)
17.9
(64.2)
13.3
(55.9)
3.5
(38.3)
1.5
(34.7)
−3.4
(25.9)
−3.4
(25.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 16.2
(0.638)
16.9
(0.665)
30.3
(1.193)
75.1
(2.957)
118.4
(4.661)
147.2
(5.795)
188.3
(7.413)
125.9
(4.957)
135.5
(5.335)
78.1
(3.075)
37.3
(1.469)
18.0
(0.709)
987.2
(38.867)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 8.9 8.6 10.7 12.5 13.5 13.6 12.8 10.1 14.6 14.0 10.6 8.3 138.2
Average relative humidity (%) 85 81 77 76 75 79 80 76 82 84 84 86 80.4
Mean monthly sunshine hours 31.7 43.6 81.7 118.4 130.7 122.6 168.6 193.8 96.5 67.5 53.3 26.9 1,135.3
Percent possible sunshine 10 14 22 31 31 29 39 47 26 19 17 9 26
Source #1: China Meteorological Administration
Source #2: Weather China

Demographics

The Han people are the largest ethnic group in this area, contributing to 99.88% of its total population, another 48 ethnic groups can be found in the city. Langzhong has a large Hui Muslim community.

As in other cities of China, the population of Nanchong can be divided into two parts, upper urban population and lower rural population; the registered urban population is about 1.2 million.

Shunqing District, located downtown, is the most dense area in Nanchong. At the center of Shunqing District, and the proverbial heart of the city, is Five Star Garden (simplified Chinese: 五星花园); a large roundabout with five exits leading to various other sections of the city.

Economy

Agriculture

Agriculture is the pillar of Nanchong’s economy, with 80% of Nanchong’s population located in rural areas and committed to traditional agricultural activities. Nanchong’s manufacturing industry also relies on raw materials which are provided by agriculture. Nanchong’s main agricultural product is food. A large quantity of rice, orange, silk worms, and pork are produced to support related manufacturers.[5]

Manufacturing

Nanchong’s main manufacturing outputs are petroleum products, automobiles and parts, mechanical equipment, textiles, and building materials. [6]

Natural resources

There is a large quantity of rock oil and natural gas found in Nanchong, and it has the largest slate mine in the west of China. The dams on Jialing River and its branches have a large potential to increase electric power generation. But the largest resource of Nanchong is human : Nanchong is one of the main providers of Chinese cheap migrant workers.[7]

Transport

Transportation in Nanchong is quite convenient compared with other cities in Sichuan province because of its extensive express railway network, shipping, and air service.

Nanchong is a transport hub of the northeast Sichuan Province, it is crossed by the strategic China National Highway 318, built by the Chinese government in the 1930s, and China National Highway 212 and several newly built expressways, Cheng-Nan, and Nan-Guang expressway which link the city to Chengdu, and another prefecture-level city Guang'an. The expressway to Chongqing is under construction.

The Dazhou–Chengdu Railway through Nanchong links Chengdu and Dazhou. The Chongqing–Lanzhou Railway, when in 2015, will link Lanzhou (Gansu) and Chongqing, and turn Nanchong into a railway hub in northeast Sichuan province. The Nanchong railway station provides passenger and cargo services to several regional and national economic centres such as Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, Wuhan, Chengdu and Shenzhen.

Old Nanchong airport was built in the 1950s and closed in 2003. The new Nanchong Airport which has capacity to land bigger planes, provides regular air services to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Kunming, Xi'an and Sanya.

Nanchong is suggested as a tradition shipping hub in ancient times, ships from Gansu could reach Chongqing along the Jialing river, but the river is not suitable for modern shipping.

Higher education

There are five academic institutions in Nanchong which provide higher education.

Notable persons

References

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