Chenzhou

Chenzhou 郴州
—  Prefecture-level city  —
郴州市
Chenzhou in Hunan and the PRC
Coordinates: 25°48′N 113°03′E / 25.8°N 113.05°E / 25.8; 113.05Coordinates: 25°48′N 113°03′E / 25.8°N 113.05°E / 25.8; 113.05
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Hunan
Area
- Total	19,317 km2 (7,458.3 sq mi)
Population (2001)
- Total	4,559,600
- Density	236/km2 (611.3/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Postal code	423000
Area code(s)	+86/735
License plate prefixes	湘L
GDP(2006)	CNY 240.81 billion
Website	http://www.en.czs.gov.cn/

Chenzhou (Chinese: 郴州; pinyin: Chēnzhōu) is a city located in the southern area of Hunan province, People's Republic of China. Its administrative area covers 19,317 square kilometres (7,458 sq mi), 9.2% of the provincial area, and its total population reached 4,559,600 as of 2001, 26% of them living in urban areas, 74% of them live in rural areas.^[1]

History

Chenzhou was the site of a large investigation when its municipal government and party committee, led by Secretary Li Dalun, was charged on multiple counts of corruption in June 2006.

Geography

Chenzhou is situated at the juncture of Hunan and Guangdong provinces at the foot of Qitianling Hill of the Nanling Mountain Range. Places of interest, natural scenic spots, ancient relics and buildings make for over 100 tourism spots in the city. The major ones are the Suxian Hill, the Wanhuayan the Dongjiang Lake and the Wugai Mountain Hunting Field.

Chenzhou has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), with four distinct seasons. Spring is subject to heavy rainfall, while the summers are long, hot, and humid with lesser rainfall, and autumn is comfortable and rather dry. Winter is rather brief, but cold snaps occur with temperatures occasionally dropping below freezing, and while not heavy, rain can be frequent.

Climate data for Chenzhou (1971−2000)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	10.1 (50.2)	11.9 (53.4)	16.1 (61.0)	22.9 (73.2)	27.4 (81.3)	31.1 (88.0)	34.2 (93.6)	33.2 (91.8)	28.9 (84.0)	23.8 (74.8)	18.3 (64.9)	13.5 (56.3)	22.6
Average low °C (°F)	3.4 (38.1)	5.4 (41.7)	9.0 (48.2)	14.9 (58.8)	19.4 (66.9)	23.3 (73.9)	25.4 (77.7)	24.5 (76.1)	20.9 (69.6)	15.5 (59.9)	9.8 (49.6)	5.0 (41.0)	14.7
Precipitation mm (inches)	79.7 (3.138)	115.0 (4.528)	147.4 (5.803)	194.8 (7.669)	206.0 (8.11)	176.2 (6.937)	107.3 (4.224)	175.0 (6.89)	93.7 (3.689)	69.3 (2.728)	64.0 (2.52)	45.5 (1.791)	1,473.9 (58.028)
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)	17.1	16.8	19.9	18.5	18.3	15.5	11.3	14.0	12.2	13.5	11.6	10.4	179.1
Source: Weather China

Administrative divisions

• Beihu District (北湖区), 815 sq. kilometers. Population: 300,000 (2003).
• Suxian District (苏仙区), 1342.28 sq. kilometers. Population: 249,900
• Zixing county-level City (资兴市) 2716 sq. kilometers. Population: 360,000
• Guiyang County (桂阳县), 2954 sq. kilometers. Population: 790,000
• Yongxing County (永兴县), 1979 sq. kilometers. Population： 630,000
• Yizhang County (宜章县), 2086 sq. kilometers. Population: 560,000
• Jiahe County (嘉禾县), 696 sq. kilometers. Population: 340,000
• Linwu County (临武县), 1375 sq. kilometers. Population: 310,000
• Rucheng County (汝城县), 2424 sq. kilometers. Population: 360,000
• Guidong County (桂东县), 1453 sq. kilometers. Population: 170,000
• Anren County (安仁县), 1461 sq. kilometers. Population: 390,000

Economy

Major deposits of tungsten, bismuth and molybdenum make Chenzhou a production base for non-ferrous metals.

Tourism

The areas of interest in this region include:万华岩(underground cave, translated to Magnificent rocks) 五盖山, Wugai Mountain Hunting Field, 苏仙岭, Suxian Hill and 东江湖, Dongjiang Lake.

苏仙岭, Suxian Hill It is located about 1.5 km east of Chenzhou, covering 15 square km. Beautiful peaks and dense forests give the place the reputation of being "the 18th blessed land in China".

五盖山, Wugai Mountain Hunting Field Situated 30 km away from Chenzhou it has over 8,000 hectares of land and can offer for hunters many kinds of animals which are permitted to be hunted. Hotels and campsites are available. It is the only hunting field in southern China.

东江湖, Dongjiang Lake Located in Zixing, it covers an area of 160 square km and can contain 8.12 billion cubic meters of water, equaling half of the Dongting Lake. Dongjiang Lake is wide and misty, dotted with islets and docks. Around it mountains rise and fall and embrace new small villages, forming a unique picture of mountains and water.

References

1. ^ (Chinese) Demographics of Chenzhou, Official website of Chenzhou Government, August 28, 2007.

External links

• Chenzhou News Website, run by Chenzhou Government
• Official website of Chenzhou Government