Bazhong

Bazhong

巴中
Bazhong 巴中
Prefecture-level city
	巴中市
	Location of Bazhong Prefecture within Sichuan
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Sichuan
Elevation	392 m (1,286 ft)
Highest elevation	2,507 m (8,225 ft)
Lowest elevation	208.3 m (683.4 ft)
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard)
Website	http://www.cnbz.gov.cn/

Bazhong (Chinese: 巴中; pinyin: Bāzhōng; Wade–Giles: Pa-chung) is a prefecture-level city in north-eastern Sichuan province, People's Republic of China.

History

Bazhong was made a prefecture-level city in 1993. Its history, however, goes back much further. During the Xia and Shang Dynasties, it was purportedly a vassal territory of the Liang State. In the Spring and Autumn Period, it was called Bazi (巴子). In the Qin and Western Han dynasties it was called Ba County (巴郡). In the Eastern Han Dynasty around the year 100 AD it was changed to Hanchang County (汉昌县). One hundred years later it reverted to Baxi County (巴西). Since then, it has usually either been called Liang County (梁郡) or Yi County (益州).

Geography

Bazhong is located at the southern end of the Daba Mountains, and borders Shaanxi province in the north, Dazhou City to the east, Nanchong to the south, and Guangyuan to the west. Its area is 12,301 square kilometres (4,749 sq mi). The area is mountainous with elevations ranging from 208.3 to 2,507 metres (683 to 8,225 ft) above sea level.^[1]

Bazhong has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) and is largely mild and humid, with four distinct seasons. Winter is short, mild, and foggy, though actual precipitation is low. January averages 5.8 °C (42.4 °F), and while frost may occur, snow is rare. Summers are long, hot and humid, with highs often reaching 33 °C (91 °F). The daily average in July and August is around 27 °C (81 °F), with August being slightly warmer. Spring is warm and temperatures rise quickly but unstably, and hail is common. Rainfall is light in winter and can be heavy in summer, and more than 70% of the annual total occurs from May to September. The annual frost-free period lasts from 260 to 280 days.

Climate data for Bazhong (1971−2000)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	9.7 (49.5)	12.0 (53.6)	16.3 (61.3)	22.5 (72.5)	26.9 (80.4)	29.3 (84.7)	31.7 (89.1)	32.5 (90.5)	26.8 (80.2)	21.5 (70.7)	16.3 (61.3)	11.0 (51.8)	21.4 (70.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	3.0 (37.4)	4.8 (40.6)	8.5 (47.3)	13.2 (55.8)	17.6 (63.7)	21.0 (69.8)	23.3 (73.9)	23.1 (73.6)	19.4 (66.9)	14.6 (58.3)	9.4 (48.9)	4.9 (40.8)	13.6 (56.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	11.8 (0.46)	13.4 (0.53)	30.5 (1.20)	71.8 (2.83)	121.8 (4.80)	165.0 (6.50)	240.6 (9.47)	162.6 (6.40)	166.0 (6.54)	84.0 (3.31)	39.0 (1.54)	14.1 (0.56)	1,120.6 (44.14)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)	7.3	7.4	10.8	12.3	13.5	13.6	14.8	11.4	14.0	13.8	10.2	7.7	136.8
Source: Weather.com.cn^[1]

Administration

Bazhong has 1 city, 3 counties, 250 township, and 2,355 villages. The population is 3,561,000 with 455,000 of that urban.

Map

#	Name	Hanzi	Hanyu Pinyin	Population (2004 est.)	Area (km²)	Density (/km²)
1	Bazhou District	巴州区	Bāzhōu Qū	1,290,000	2,566	503
2	Tongjiang County	通江县	Tōngjiāng Xiàn	720,000	4,125	175
3	Nanjiang County	南江县	Nánjiāng Xiàn	630,000	3,383	186
4	Pingchang County	平昌县	Píngchāng Xiàn	960,000	2,227	431

Economy

Bazhong's GDP reached RMB 28.09 billion in 2010, representing a rise of 14.7%. The city's GDP accounted for approximately 1.9% of Sichuan and ranked 19th in the province. ^[2]

Tourism

the Nankan Cliff Figures, the Sichuan-Shaanxi Revolutionary Base Museum, the Red Fourth Army Headquarters Site, Enyang Ancient Town, Nuoshui River Scenery Area, Kongshan Mountain National Forest Park, and Zhongfeng Cave are major tourism destinations in Bazhong.