Dazhou
Dazhou
达州 | |
|---|---|
| 达州市 | |
.png) Location of Dazhou Prefecture within Sichuan | |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Province | Sichuan |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
| Area code | 818 |
| Licence Plate Prefixes | 川S |
| Website | http://www.dazhou.gov.cn/ |
Dazhou (simplified Chinese: 达州; traditional Chinese: 達州; pinyin: Dázhōu; Wade–Giles: Ta-chou) is a prefecture-level city in the northeast corner of Sichuan province, People's Republic of China.
Geography and climate
Dazhou borders Shaanxi in the north, Chongqing in the south, Guang'an to the south, and Bazhong and Nanchong to the west. It is centrally located between the four major cities: Chongqing, Chengdu, Xi'an and Wuhan. The area is 16,600 square kilometres (6,400 sq mi).
The terrain is largely mountainous (Daba Mountains and adjacent ranges).
Dazhou 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 6.1 °C (43.0 °F), and while frost may occur, snow is rare. Summers are long, hot and humid, with highs often exceeding 33 °C (91 °F). The monthly daily average in August, the warmest month, is 27.5 °C (81.5 °F). Rainfall is light in winter and can be heavy in summer, and over 70% of the annual total occurs from May to September. The annual frost-free period lasts around 300 days.
| Climate data for Dazhou(1971−2000) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.4 (48.9) |
11.9 (53.4) |
16.3 (61.3) |
22.4 (72.3) |
26.7 (80.1) |
29.2 (84.6) |
32.2 (90.0) |
33.1 (91.6) |
27.1 (80.8) |
21.6 (70.9) |
16.4 (61.5) |
10.8 (51.4) |
21.4 (70.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.8 (38.8) |
5.3 (41.5) |
8.8 (47.8) |
13.5 (56.3) |
17.7 (63.9) |
21.0 (69.8) |
23.6 (74.5) |
23.4 (74.1) |
19.6 (67.3) |
14.8 (58.6) |
10.0 (50.0) |
5.5 (41.9) |
13.9 (57.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 16.5 (0.65) |
17.2 (0.68) |
44.1 (1.74) |
95.3 (3.75) |
153.5 (6.04) |
168.3 (6.63) |
220.6 (8.69) |
156.9 (6.18) |
155.8 (6.13) |
109.1 (4.30) |
48.0 (1.89) |
22.1 (0.87) |
1,207.4 (47.55) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 8.2 | 8.1 | 11.3 | 13.3 | 14.3 | 14.4 | 13.9 | 11.2 | 14.4 | 13.9 | 10.7 | 8.4 | 142.1 |
| Source: Weather.com.cn | |||||||||||||
Transportation
- China National Highway 210
- Xiangyu Railway (Xiangfan-Chongqing)
- Dacheng Railway (达成铁路) (Dacheng-Chengdu)
- A branch line from Dacheng to Wanzhou, where it connects with the Yiwan Railway
- Dazhou(HESHI) airport, which has frequent flights to Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai and other major cities in China on daily basis
History
Dazhou's history goes back to the Eastern Han Dynasty when in 90 AD it was made a county by the name of Liweizhou (历为州). Then until the Liao Dynasty its name was Zaidi (在地). During the Liao and Tang dynasties its name was again changed, this time to Tongzhou (通州). Finally in the Song Dynasty it was given its present name of Dazhou.
Notable people from Dazhou include the Three Kingdoms writer Chen Shou, Song Dynasty astronomer Zhang Sixun (张思训), and Ming and Qing Dynasty philosopher and educator Tang Zhen (唐甄). Dazhou also made notable contributions to the Communist Revolution. Red army heroes such as Xu Xiangqian (徐向前), Li Xiannian (李先念), Xu Shiyou (许世友), Wang Weizhou (王维舟), and Zhang Aiping (张爱萍) were all from or lived in Dazhou.
The partially preserved mausoleum complex (in particular, its gate towers, known as que of the Shen (沈) family in Qu County, dating from the Han Dynasty, is a well-known architectural monument.[1][2]
Administration
It is one of Sichuan's most populous cities with 6,380,000 residents.
| Map | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
| # | Name | Hanzi | Hanyu Pinyin | Population (2004 est.) | Area (km²) | Density (/km²) |
| 1 | Tongchuan District | 通川区 | Tōnghuān Qū | 390,000 | 451 | 865 |
| 2 | Wanyuan City | 万源市 | Wànyuán Shì | 560,000 | 4,065 | 138 |
| 3 | Da County | 达县 | Dá Xiàn | 1,240,000 | 2,688 | 461 |
| 4 | Xuanhan County | 宣汉县 | Xuānhàn Xiàn | 1,170,000 | 4,266 | 274 |
| 5 | Kaijiang County | 开江县 | Kāijiāng Xiàn | 570,000 | 1,033 | 552 |
| 6 | Dazhu County | 大竹县 | Dàzhú Xiàn | 1,070,000 | 2,075 | 516 |
| 7 | Qu County | 渠县 | Qú Xiàn | 1,370,000 | 2,013 | 681 |
Economy
Dazhou is an important river and land transportation hub for the region. Numerous national highways, expressways, and rail lines pass through Dazhou connecting it directly with major cities in China such as Chengdu, Xi'an, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Beijing, etc., making it one of Sichuan's important trade centers.
Dazhou has numerous natural resources including large natural gas fields and an abundance of mineral resources such as salt, coal, manganese, lithium, and limestone. Major agricultural products include pork, beef, and tea. Other industries are chemical production, coal power, metallurgy, textiles, building materials, and processed food.
Tourism
Dazhou is blessed with both cultural and natural attractions. There are several national and provincial cultural sites and many national and provincial protected forests and nature reserves. Xuanhan's Baili Gorges have scenery and rapids, leading to the nickname "Little Three Gorges". Mountains are this area's greatest attraction.
Protest of January 2007
Dazhou's Dazhu County was the site of a mass protest in January 2007.
Notes
External links
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