Jinhua

Jinhua 金华
Prefecture-level city
金华市
Jinhua (red) in Zhejiang province (orange) and China
Country	China
Province	Zhejiang
County-level divisions	9
Township-level divisions	191
Government
• Mayor	Chen Kunzhong(陈昆忠)
Area
• Prefecture-level city	10,918 km2 (4,215 sq mi)
Population  (2008)
• Prefecture-level city	4,614,100
• Density	420/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
• Urban	923,800
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard)
Area code	579
GDP	¥168.2 billion
GDP per capita 2008	¥36,538
License Plate Prefix	浙G
City Flower Camellia

Jinhua (simplified Chinese: 金华; traditional Chinese: 金華; pinyin: Jīnhuá; Wade–Giles: Chin-hua; lit. "Golden brilliance") is a prefecture-level city in central Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Hangzhou to the northwest, Quzhou to the southwest, Lishui to the south, Taizhou to the east, and Shaoxing the northeast.

The city is best known in China for its dry-cured Jinhua ham and Subing.

Administrative divisions

The prefecture-level city of Jinhua administers 9 county-level divisions, including 2 districts, 4 county-level cities and 3 counties.

• Wucheng District (婺城区)
• Jindong District (金东区)
• Lanxi City (兰溪市)
• Yiwu City (义乌市)
• Dongyang City (东阳市)
• Yongkang City (永康市)
• Wuyi County (武义县)
• Pujiang County (浦江县)
• Pan'an County (磐安县)

These are further divided into 191 township-level divisions, including 107 towns, 73 townships and 11 subdistricts.

History and culture

The history of Jinhua goes back to the 2nd century BC, when it was a county subordinate to Shaoxing. It was given the name Jinhua under the Sui dynasty in 598, and later became the seat of a prefecture. The present city and its walls date to the time of the Mongol emperors in 1352.

The most famous native of Jinhua is the Immortal Huang, a Daoist holy man of the 4th century AD, whose descendants still live in the area. Wuyang Shan (Reclining Sheep Mountain) is said to be a sheep which was turned to stone by the Immortal Huang, a trick which he learned through his years of diligently studying Daoism.

Economically Jinhua has always prospered from its position as the collecting and processing center for agricultural and forestry products (chiefly rice and bamboo). It is currently the second most important grain producing area in Zhejiang Province. In 1985 Jinhua was promoted to City status, and now is responsible for administering four cities, four counties and a district. Animals raised there include dairy cattle, meat hogs (for the production of Jinhua ham, a famous local product for 900 years) and honeybees. Jinhua's industrial sector has developed more recently, producing machinery, metallurgy, pharmaceuticals, building supplies and electrical and electronic equipment.

The Tang dynasty painter Guan Xiu (Kuan-hsiu) was born in Jinhua. He is known for his paintings of Buddhist holy men.

There are numerous scenic and historical sites in the Jinhua region, including many places associated with the Immortal Huang, and a palace of the Dukes of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Transportation

Jinhua city is approximately three hours by car from Shanghai. There is also the D-train which will take app. 2,5 hours, and about four hours by ordinary train.

Plus, there is an international airport in Yiwu, welcoming guests from all over the world. It then takes less than 30 mins to reach Jinhua by car or train from Yiwu.

Landmarks

Jinhua Architecture Park, a collection of 17 pavilions designed by Chinese and international architects, set on the banks of the Yiwu River.

External links

• Government website of Jinhua Template:Zh icon
• Government website of JinhuaTemplate:En icon
• Jinhua First Social Welfare Institute (orphanage)
• The Jinhua Swine, breeds of livestock
• Jinhua Yiwu AgentTemplate:En icon