Shifang

Infobox Settlement
name =Shifang
official_name = Shifang City
other_name = Shifang County
nickname =
settlement_type =County-level city
total_type =
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translit_lang1=Chinese
translit_lang1_type=Characters
translit_lang1_info=什邡
translit_lang1_type1=Pinyin
translit_lang1_info1=Shífāng


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mapsize =250px
map_caption =Location of Shifang within Sichuan, China


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pushpin_map_caption = Location in China
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = China
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 = Sichuan
subdivision_type2 = Prefecture
subdivision_name2 = Deyang
seat_type = City seat
seat = Fangting Sub-district(方亭街道)
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area_total_km2 =863
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population_as_of =2004
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population_total =430000
population_density_km2 =auto
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timezone = China Standard
utc_offset = +8
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latd=31 |latm=20 |lats=0 |latNS=N
longd=104 |longm=12 |longs=0 |longEW=E
postal_code_type =Postal code
postal_code =618400
area_code =0838
website =http://www.shifang.gov.cn/
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Shifang (zh-stp|s=什邡|t=什邡|p=Shífāng) is a county-level city in Sichuan, China under the municipal administration of Deyang. It is located about 50 km from Chengdu. It has an area of 863 km² and a population of 430,000 in 2004. [ [http://www.xzqh.org/quhua/51sc/0682sf.htm "Profile of Shifang"] .xzqh.org.2008-06-24.zh]

The city had had a history of 2,209 years when it suffered heavy damages during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

History and culture

The first recorded administrative creation in the current location of Shifang was a tiny kingdom named Zhifang (zh-sp|s=汁方国|p=Zhīfāngguó) in 201 BC, roughly in parallel with the foundation of the Western Han dynasty by Emperor Gaozu. (Zhifang and Shifang were identical in ancient times.) Emperor Wu conquered the area in 111 BC and placed it under Han rule. In 4 A.D., Wang Mang who briefly seized power changed Zhifang to Meixin (zh-sp|s=美信|p=Měixìn county. Emperor Guangwu of Han changed Meixin to "Zhifang" (zh-sp|s=汁邡|p=Zhīfāng) county in 25 A.D. (汁邡 was also identical to 汁方 in ancient times.)

The current name "Shifang" (zh-sp|s=什邡|p=Shīfāng) was first adopted in 221 AD during Shu Han. During the reign of Northern Zhou, Shifang was first renamed Fangting (zh-sp|s=方亭|p=Fāngtīng) or Fangning (zh-sp|s=方宁|p=Fāngnīng) in 557, and later merged into Luo county (zh-sp|s=雒|p=Luò) somewhere between 566 and 576. It was not until the foundation of Tang dynasty when Shifang was reconstituted as a county in 619.

During the reign of the Former Shu kingdom, Shifang became Tongji (zh-sp|s=通计|p=Tōngjì) county in 912, but then named back to Shifang county in 919.

Shifang county had since been maintained until 1995, when the People's Republic of China changed its status to a county level city, delegated to the municipality of Deyang.

Claim to Yu the Great

Amongst tourism and commercial promotions, Shifang made a late entry into the steamed claim war for Yu the Great's birthplace. [ cite web
url=http://www.scta.gov.cn/web/main.jsp?go=newsDetail&pid=6&cid=15&id=20597
title=Is Yu the Great born in Shifang
publisher=Sichuan Tourism Information Center
date=2007-06-25
language=Chinese ] Although this claim is probably more commercial than historical, Shifang was part of "West Qiang" (zh-s|s=西羌) that some ancient records accredited as Yu's birthplace, just like the other three locations in Sichuan, namely Beichuan, Wenchuan, and Dujiangyan, that raised similar claims. cite news
url=http://www.scol.com.cn/NSICHUAN/scwt/20070625/200762572739.htm
title=Discovery of ancient West Qiang pathway thickens the mystery surrounding "Birthplace of Yu the Great" (zh-s|s=发现西羌古道有关遗迹 "大禹故乡"迷雾更浓)
author=CHEN, Sisi (陈四四)
publisher=Sichuan Daily (四川日报) via Sichuan Online
date=2008-06-25
accessdate=2008-10-01
language=Chinese] Many places in other parts of China have made similar claims.

Other cultural claims

Li Bing（李冰,306 BCE – 251 BCE）,a famous water conservancy expert in Qin Dynasty, once worked in water-control and then passed away there. [ [http://www.51743.cn/area_intro.jsp?id=361 "Li Bing Cenotaph"] .Traval in Sichan.2008-06-28.zh] In addition many historians believe that Li Bing was born in Shifang [ [http://www.showchina.org/tour/lyd/sichuan/jd/jd/200708/t123649.htm "Mysterious Dujiangyan"] .Show China.2007-08-17zh] .Mazu Daoyi (馬祖道一) (709 CE–788 CE), a master of the Chinese Ch'an Buddhist lineage,was born in Mazu Town of Shifang. [ [http://www.sc.xinhuanet.com/content/2005-09/15/content_5135270.htm "8 Tourism Sites of Shifang"] .Xinhuanet.2008-06-28.zh]

Great Sichuan Earthquake

Also like the other three counties and towns claiming to be the birthplace of Yu the Great, Shifang is one of the most severely hitted cities following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake with at least 5924 death tolls [ [http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2008-06-01/101515659950.shtml "death tolls in Deyang until May 31"] . Sina.com.2008-06-26zh] .13 school buildings totally collapsed in Hongbai Town,Yinghua Town,Luoshui Town, Jiandi Town, Bajiao Town etc., and dozens of schools impaired with 550 students and 12 teachers as death tolls. [ [http://www.shifang.gov.cn/eshownews.asp?id=2008520210328490 "Earthquake Site at a Town Called Shigu Recorded by Our Reporter"] .Shifang.gov.cn.2008-05-20.] [" [http://www.shifang.gov.cn/shownews.asp?id=200866175348349 "Guide to rebuild education system in Shifang", 2008-06-06] .".Shifang.gov.cn.zh] [" [http://www.shifang.gov.cn/chongjian/index.html "Shifang need help", 2008-06-24] .".Shifang.gov.cn.zh] .

Economy

Shifang City consecutively maintained the second place of the "top ten counties" of Sichuan Province(四川省经济综合实力十强县)from 1995 to 2007， [ [http://news.sohu.com/20080520/n256962365.shtml "Shifang lost hundreds of billion RMB in earthquack"] .sohu.com.2008-05-20.zh] and its GDP was 12.7 billion RMB in 2007 .It was rated as one of the "100 Most Rewarding to Investment small and medium-sized city of China"(全国最具投资潜力中小城市百强) [ [http://scitech.people.com.cn/GB/53945/53950/103716/6305547.html "100 Most Rewarding to Investment small and medium-sized cities of China in 2007"] .People.com.cn.2007-09-24.zh] . Besides, Shifang was named as "Township of the Chinese Mineral Water"(中国矿泉水之乡) [ [http://news.163.com/06/0905/08/2Q8B1GJU00011229.html "Shifang authorized township of the chinese mineral water"] .163.com.2006-09-05.zh] and "Township of the Chinese Cigar"(中国雪茄之乡) [ [http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2007-06-21/071012062396s.shtml "Shifang authorized township of the chinese cigar"] .Sina.com.2007-06-21.zh] .Shifang City was also considered "City of Phosphorite"(磷矿城) because of rich phosphate rock and thriving phosphate chemical there. [ [http://news.sohu.com/s2008/linkuangcheng/ "City of phosphorite" ] Sohu.com.2008-06-24zh] It has a nickname of "Bright Pearl of West Sichuan"(川西明珠). [ [http://www.china.com.cn/aboutchina/zhuanti/scdzzq/2008-05/17/content_15291504.htm "Bright Pearl of West Sichuan,Shifang City"] .China.com.cn.2008-05-17zh]

Reconstruction

Beijing Municipality will do coordinated support with Shifang City(北京市对口支援什邡市) , and consider to assist a Capital Industry Park of 10 km² in Luoshui Town . [ [http://news.sohu.com/20080528/n257135573.shtml "Beijing Municipality will do coordinated support with Shifang City"] .sohu.com.2008-05-28.zh] The road which will link the Chengdu-Mianyang Expressway and Shifang City will be completed in 2008. In addition, a new Chengdu-Shifang-Mianyang Expressway and the Chengdu-Lanzhou High-speed Railway, which will pass through Shifang, are scheduled to complete around 2011,and will make it possible to travel from Chengdu to Shifang in 30 minutes. [ [http://sc.people.com.cn/news/HTML/2008/6/23/20080623102324.htm "Chengdu-Shifang-Mianyang Expressway is scheduled to complete in 3 years"] .People.com.cn.2008-06-23.zh] With the leadership of Chinese government and support of international community, the government of Shifang City plans to complete reconstruction until 2011, make GDP recover to same of 2007 until 2013, and make the city to be a modernized city until 2018. [ [http://news.sohu.com/20080623/n257670966.shtml "Shifang plans to completely rebuild in 3 years"] .Sohu.com.2008-06-23.zh]

Tourism

Places of Interest

* YingHua Mountain(蓥华山)
* Western Suprise Happy Hollow(西部惊奇欢乐谷)
* LuoHan Temple(罗汉寺)
* Li Bing Cenotaph(李冰陵,衣冠冢)
* LongJu Temple(什邡龙居寺)

Speciality

*Shifang Salted Duck(什邡板鸭)
*Hongbai Dried Beancurd(红白豆腐干)
*Shifang Rice-noodle(什邡米粉)

Administrative divisions

Shifang has 2 subdistricts and 14 towns.

*Subdistricts
**Fangting (方亭街道)
**Zaojiao (皂角街道)
*Towns:
**Yuanshi (元石镇)
**Huilan (回澜镇)
**Luoshui (洛水镇)
**Hefeng (禾丰镇)
**Shuangsheng (双盛镇)
**Mazu (马祖镇)
**Yinfeng (隐丰镇)
**Majing (马井镇)
**Yinghua (蓥华镇)
**Nanquan (南泉镇)
**Jiandi (湔氐镇)
**Hongbai (红白镇)
**Bajiao (八角镇)
**Shigu (师古镇)

References

External links

* [http://www.shifang.gov.cn Official website of Shifang]