Linqing

Linqing (临清市) is a city located at coord|36|50|42|N|115|42|00|E|, North-Northwest of the prefectural capital Liaocheng in the Chinese province of Shandong. The city proper has about 143,000 residents (January 2000), thought Linqing County as a whole had formatnum:709328 inhabitants in 1999 [en National Population Statistics Materials by County and City - 1999 Period, "in" [http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~chgis/work/downloads/faqs/1999_pop_faq.html China County & City Population 1999, Harvard China Historical GIS] ] . The city is at the point where Wei He and the Grand Canal flow together. It is 380km from Beijing on the Jingjiu railway line to Hong Kong. Elevation within Linqing County ranges from 29m to 38m above sea level. The area of the county is 955 km².Annual mean temperature 12.8℃, highest recorded temperature 41.4℃, lowest recorded temperature - 22.1℃. Annual mean precipitation 590.4 millimeters. 205 average frost-free days per year. Average annual sunshine is 2661 hours.

Linqing has played an important role in the history of China. In Ming and Qing times it was a great center for the distribution of textiles, grain and bricks and is also famous as the place where the tiles of the Great Wall and the Forbidden City were produced. Today the city's flourishing economy is based on a number of light industrial enterprises.

Aside from the Grand Canal, sights include a distinctive promontory, a stupa, a mosque, and ruins of the old customs house. The Sheli Pagoda near the Grand Canal is a well-known local landmark.

Notable natives of Linqing include: Tang Dynasty musician Lu Cai, Ming Dynasty poet Xie Zhen, national hero Zhang Zizhong, and contemporary renowned educator Ji Xianlin

Once visited by the missionary and Sinologist Matteo Ricci, Linqing has been the seat of an apostolic prefecture since 1931. The seat has been vacant since 1981.
* [http://www.chinatoday.com.cn/English/e2005/e200508/n78.htm Article on Linqing from China Today, no.78 (2005)]
* [http://www.linqing.gov.cn Official website of Linqing city government (in Chinese)]
* [http://www.lq-city.com.cn/linqing/lqgk.htm Another Linqing site (in Chinese), but with pictures]

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