Handan 邯郸市 Hantan | |
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Nickname: Dream City (梦城) | |
Coordinates(Shanxi –Hebei– Shandong – Henan Revolution Memorial Park / (晋冀鲁豫革命纪念园): 36°36′04″N114°29′13″E / 36.601°N 114.487°E | |
Country | People's Republic of China |
Province | Hebei |
Settled | 6500 BC |
Established | November 15, 1983 |
Area | |
• Prefecture-level city | 12,068 km2 (4,659 sq mi) |
• Urban | 556.00 km2 (214.67 sq mi) |
• Districts [1] | 2,649.1 km2 (1,022.8 sq mi) |
Population (2020 [2] ) | |
• Prefecture-level city | 9,433,000 |
• Density | 780/km2 (2,000/sq mi) |
• Urban | 2,845,790 |
• Districts [1] | 4,012,000 |
GDP [3] | |
• Prefecture-level city | CN¥ 315 billion US$ 50.5 billion |
• Per capita | CN¥ 33,450 US$5,371 |
Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
ISO 3166 code | CN-HE-04 |
Vehicle registration | 冀D |
Website | hd |
Handan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 邯鄲 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 邯郸 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Postal | Hantan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Literal meaning | "the city at the terminus of Mount Han" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwest of Hebei province,China. The southernmost prefecture-level city of the province,it borders Xingtai on the north,and the provinces of Shanxi on the west,Henan on the south and Shandong on the east. At the 2010 census,its population was 9,174,683 inhabitants whom 2,845,790 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of 5 urban districts. Yongnian District in Handan and Shahe City in Xingtai have largely formed into a single conurbation.
Handan is one of the oldest cities in China,first settled in 6500 BC by the Cishan culture. Throughout the city's long history,it contributed significantly to Chinese culture,serving as the capital of State of Zhao,was northern China's political,economic and cultural center,and home to Tai chi and the first compass,made from stones collected in the nearby Mount Ci (magnet mountain). Handan is designated as one of China's National Famous Historical and Cultural Cities. [4] [5] [6] [7]
The city's name,Handan (Chinese: 邯 郸 ),has remained unchanged for over 2,000 years. The name first appeared during the reign of King Zhou of Shang,in the chronicle Bamboo Annals . [8]
A dictionary from the Tang dynasty explained that "Han" (Chinese: 邯 ) is the name of a nearby mountain (Hanshan),and "Dan" (Chinese: 单 ) meant "the terminus of a mountain" with an added radical (Chinese: 阝 ) denoting a city. Together,"Handan" means "the city at the terminus of Mount Han". This explanation has been widely accepted until the discoveries of jade writings in Houma,Shanxi in 1965,where the "Dan" in Handan was spelt "丹",meaning red. This then lead to another explanation that Handan was named so because Mount Han appeared reddish-purple in color. [8]
The different spellings of the city's name consolidated into the modern spelling in Qin dynasty. [8]
Handan,once well-defended from southern attack by a bend in the Zhang River,was a city of the state of Zhao during the Warring States period (5th–3rd centuries BCE) of Chinese history. It was their second capital,after Zhongmu. King Wuling of Zhao turned Zhao into one of the Qin state's most stalwart foes,pioneering the use of walls to secure new frontiers (which would inspire the eventual construction of the Great Wall of China). The city was conquered by the State of Qin after the virtual annexation of Zhao by Qin except for the Dai Commandery. The first emperor of China,Qin Shi Huang was born in Handan,the child of a statesman from the state of Qin and after successfully conquering Zhao he ordered all enemies of his mother to be buried alive. The conquest of Zhao,particularly the Qin siege of Handan,is featured extensively in Chen Kaige's classic film, The Emperor and the Assassin .
At the beginning of the Han dynasty,Handan was Liu Bang's base for suppressing Chen Xi's rebellion in 197 and 196 BCE;it was still regarded as a regional center of culture and commerce at the end of the dynasty in the early 3rd century CE. It slowly declined,perhaps because of the numerous battles that ravaged northern China following the Han dynasty,but maintained a reputation for its fine Cizhou ware well into the Qing dynasty (1644–1911). It was also the birthplace in the 19th century of Yang-style tai chi,one of Tai Chi's five major schools.
Though much of Handan's ancient history is no longer visible,it still has some attractions,deriving from the many Chinese idioms that the city inspired, [9] such as the road into which Lin Xiangru,courier of the precious Heshibi,backed in order to let his nemesis Lian Po pass first,as well as the location in which Lian Po begged for Lin Xiangru's forgiveness. Modern-day Congtai Park is located on the site of the historical Zhao court. Next to Congtai Park is the legendary "Xuebu Bridge" (学步桥),or "Learning to Walk Bridge". Legend has it that a noble from the state of Yan heard of a particularly elegant manner of walking unique to Handan. Arriving in Handan,he spent weeks trying to master the Handan style of walking on a bridge,only to fail. In the process,however,he had forgotten how to walk normally and had to crawl back to Yan. This story inspired the Chinese expression,"to learn the walk of Handan" (邯郸学步,Hándān xuébù),which means learning something difficult too intensely,thereby forgetting the basics in the process. [10]
The nearby Xiangtangshan Caves contain massive Buddha statues carved into the mountainside,some dating to the 6th century,many of which were severely damaged by invading Japanese forces during World War II. At that time,Handan was prized by the Japanese invaders for its coal reserves.
In 2007,Handan was the location of China's largest-ever bank robbery.
The population at the 2010 census was 941,427 for the 3 urban districts,2,845,790 for the built up area and 9,174,683 for the entire Prefecture-level city area of 12,068 km2 (4,659 sq mi).
The municipal executive,legislative and judiciary are situated in Congtai District (丛台区,Cóngtái Qū),as well as the CPC and Public Security bureaux.
Map | ||||||
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Name | Chinese | Pinyin | Population (2004 est.) | Area (km2) | Density (/km2) | |
Congtai District | 丛台区 | Cóngtái Qū | 330,000 | 28[ citation needed ] | 11,786 | |
Hanshan District | 邯山区 | Hánshān Qū | 310,000 | 32[ citation needed ] | 9,688 | |
Fuxing District | 复兴区 | Fùxīng Qū | 250,000 | 37[ citation needed ] | 6,757 | |
Fengfeng Mining District | 峰峰矿区 | Fēngfēng Kuàngqū | 500,000 | 353 | 1,416 | |
Feixiang District | 肥乡区 | Féixiāng Qū | 310,000 | 496 | 625 | |
Yongnian District | 永年区 | Yǒngnián Qū | 860,000 | 898 | 958 | |
Wu'an City | 武安市 | Wǔ'ān Shì | 720,000 | 1,806 | 399 | |
邯郸县 | Hándān Xiàn | 400,000 | 522 | 766 | ||
Linzhang County | 临漳县 | Línzhāng Xiàn | 590,000 | 744 | 793 | |
Cheng'an County | 成安县 | Chéng'ān Xiàn | 370,000 | 485 | 763 | |
Daming County | 大名县 | Dàmíng Xiàn | 750,000 | 1,052 | 713 | |
She County | 涉县 | ShèXiàn | 390,000 | 1,509 | 258 | |
Ci County | 磁县 | CíXiàn | 640,000 | 1,035 | 618 | |
Qiu County | 邱县 | QiūXiàn | 200,000 | 448 | 446 | |
Jize County | 鸡泽县 | JīzéXiàn | 250,000 | 337 | 742 | |
Guangping County | 广平县 | Guǎngpíng Xiàn | 250,000 | 320 | 781 | |
Guantao County | 馆陶县 | Guǎntáo Xiàn | 290,000 | 456 | 636 | |
Wei County | 魏县 | Wèi Xiàn | 810,000 | 862 | 940 | |
Quzhou County | 曲周县 | Qǔzhōu Xiàn | 410,000 | 667 | 615 |
Handan has a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate/semi-arid climate (Köppen Dwa/BSk),with strong monsoonal influence,typical of the North China Plain. The normal monthly daily mean temperature ranges from −0.9 °C (30.4 °F) in January to 27.3 °C (81.1 °F) in July,while the annual mean temperature is 14.3 °C (57.7 °F). A majority of the normal annual precipitation of 502 mm (19.8 in) occurs in July and August.
Climate data for Handan (1991–2020 normals,extremes 1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 19.7 (67.5) | 25.3 (77.5) | 31.7 (89.1) | 37.9 (100.2) | 40.0 (104.0) | 43.6 (110.5) | 42.0 (107.6) | 37.2 (99.0) | 40.1 (104.2) | 33.5 (92.3) | 28.6 (83.5) | 28.4 (83.1) | 43.6 (110.5) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 4.2 (39.6) | 8.7 (47.7) | 15.3 (59.5) | 22.1 (71.8) | 27.7 (81.9) | 32.5 (90.5) | 32.5 (90.5) | 30.8 (87.4) | 27.3 (81.1) | 21.4 (70.5) | 12.8 (55.0) | 6.0 (42.8) | 20.1 (68.2) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.7 (30.7) | 3.1 (37.6) | 9.5 (49.1) | 16.1 (61.0) | 22.0 (71.6) | 26.6 (79.9) | 27.8 (82.0) | 26.2 (79.2) | 21.8 (71.2) | 15.5 (59.9) | 7.3 (45.1) | 1.1 (34.0) | 14.7 (58.4) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −4.5 (23.9) | −1.3 (29.7) | 4.3 (39.7) | 10.5 (50.9) | 16.2 (61.2) | 21.1 (70.0) | 23.6 (74.5) | 22.4 (72.3) | 17.3 (63.1) | 10.7 (51.3) | 3.0 (37.4) | −2.8 (27.0) | 10.0 (50.1) |
Record low °C (°F) | −15.0 (5.0) | −14.4 (6.1) | −6.1 (21.0) | 0.0 (32.0) | 7.7 (45.9) | 11.5 (52.7) | 16.5 (61.7) | 13.7 (56.7) | 5.4 (41.7) | −1.0 (30.2) | −11.4 (11.5) | −12.7 (9.1) | −15.0 (5.0) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 3.2 (0.13) | 7.6 (0.30) | 9.8 (0.39) | 27.1 (1.07) | 40.8 (1.61) | 50.7 (2.00) | 147.0 (5.79) | 122.7 (4.83) | 46.5 (1.83) | 26.3 (1.04) | 14.9 (0.59) | 3.5 (0.14) | 500.1 (19.72) |
Average precipitation days (≥0.1 mm) | 2.4 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 5.2 | 6.5 | 8.2 | 10.8 | 9.6 | 7.0 | 5.4 | 3.8 | 2.3 | 67.1 |
Average snowy days | 3.7 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 12 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 57 | 53 | 50 | 54 | 56 | 56 | 72 | 76 | 69 | 64 | 64 | 60 | 61 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 133.1 | 149.2 | 198.5 | 222.3 | 252.7 | 228.4 | 192.1 | 193.7 | 179.5 | 177.0 | 144.3 | 138.0 | 2,208.8 |
Percent possible sunshine | 43 | 48 | 53 | 56 | 58 | 52 | 43 | 47 | 49 | 51 | 48 | 46 | 50 |
Source:China Meteorological Administration [11] [12] |
Handan has witnessed rapid growth over the past 20 years. Industrial growth in the city has focused on communication and transport activities. Handan is a major producer of coal and steel,with Coal mines at Fengfeng providing power for Handan's iron,steel and textile mills. Chemical and cement plants along with other industries also benefit. Local agriculture produces maize,pomegranates and eggs. [13] Handan also has a growing services sector,with retail,banking and trading making up 40% of the economy. [14] The GDP per capita in Renminbi was estimated at ¥13,449 in 2005. In 2015,the figure was ¥33,554.87.
According to a survey by "Global voices China" in February 2013,Handan was one of China's most polluted cities due to heavy industrial outputs. [15]
However the government has made a significant effort to make the city cleaner,which involved closing down many polluting power plants. It is no longer the most polluted city,and,according to a 2016 government survey,the number of good air quality days is 189 days,an increase of 135 days compared with 2013. [16]
Handan Prefecture is home to the AAAAA tourist attractions Guangfu Ancient City and the Nüwa Imperial Palace.
Handan is served by Handan Airport. Handan has two main train stations:one is Handan railway station which serves for the normal speed train,the other is named Handandong railway station,which serves for the high speed train.
According to Handan government in 2007,40 ethnic groups were present in Handan. Ethnic minorities represent 50,000 people,among which 48,000 Hui. There are 22 Hui schools and 5 Hui junior high schools in Handan. [17]
The most widespread religion in Handan is Chinese folk religion,including Taoism and Buddhism.
In 2013,there were more than 150,000 Catholics in Handan according to the Catholic Church,in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yongnian. [18] Mother of Grace Cathedral in Daming County was built in 1918. The most recent church was built in 2007. [19]
There are also 300,000 Protestants. The largest Protestant church is on Qianjin Avenue (邯郸市西堂) and was built in 1997. [20] The oldest church was on Congtai Street and was built in 1920. The church was destroyed in 2009 by the local government. [21] A new church was built in 2011. [22]
According to the local government 30,000 Hui Muslims live in the prefecture of Handan. [23]
Handan is hailed as the capital of Chinese idioms. [24] As a prosperous city and cultural center during the Warring States period,Handan attracted many scholars. Over 1,500 idioms and proverbs are attributed to the city. [9] The following are some of the most well known idioms.
Hebei is a province in North China. Hebei is China's sixth most-populous province,with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese,3% Manchu,0.8% Hui,and 0.3% Mongol. Varieties of Chinese spoken include Jilu Mandarin,the Beijing dialect of Mandarin,and Jin Chinese.
The Battle of Changping (長平之戰) was a military campaign during the Warring States period of ancient China,which took place from 262 BC to 260 BC at Changping,between the two strongest military powers,the State of Qin and the State of Zhao. After a bitter two-year stalemate,the battle ended in a decisive victory for Qin forces and the ruthless execution of most of the Zhao captives,resulting in an unrecoverable loss of manpower and strategic reserve for the Zhao state.
Zhao was one of the seven major states during the Warring States period of ancient China. It emerged from the tripartite division of Jin,along with Han and Wei,in the 5th century BC. Zhao gained considerable strength from the military reforms initiated during the reign of King Wuling,but suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Qin at the Battle of Changping. Its territory included areas in the modern provinces of Inner Mongolia,Hebei,Shanxi and Shaanxi. It bordered the states of Qin,Wei,and Yan,as well as various nomadic peoples including the Hu and Xiongnu. Its capital was Handan,in modern Hebei province.
Shijiazhuang is the capital and most populous city of China's Hebei Province. A prefecture-level city about 266 kilometres (165 mi) southwest of Beijing,it administers eight districts,three county-level cities and eleven counties.
Tangshan is a coastal,industrial prefecture-level city in the northeast of Hebei province. It is located in the eastern part of Hebei Province and the northeastern part of the North China Plain. It is located in the central area of the Bohai Rim and serves as the main traffic corridor to the Northeast. The city faces the Bohai Sea in the south,the Yan Mountains in the north,Qinhuangdao across the Luan River to the east,and Tianjin to the west.
Baoding is a prefecture-level city in central Hebei province,approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) southwest of Beijing. As of the 2010 census,Baoding City had 11,194,382 inhabitants,of which 2,176,857 lived in the metropolitan area made of 4 out of 5 urban districts:Lianchi,Jingxiu,Qingyuan,and Mancheng all of which are largely conurbated. Baoding is among 13 Chinese cities with a population of over 10 million,ranking seventh. Zhuozhou City in the northern part has now grown into part of the Beijing metro area.
Zhangjiakou,also known as Kalgan and by several other names,is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hebei province in Northern China,bordering Beijing to the southeast,Inner Mongolia to the north and west,and Shanxi to the southwest. By 2019,its population was 4,650,000 inhabitants on 36,861.56 square kilometres (14,232.33 sq mi),divided into 17 Counties and Districts. The built-up area made of Qiaoxi,Qiaodong,Chongli,Xuanhua,Xiahuayuan Districts largely being conurbated had 1,500,000 inhabitants in 2019 on 1,412.7 km2 (545.4 sq mi).
Langfang is a prefecture-level city of Hebei Province,and was known as Tianjin Prefecture until 1973. It was renamed Langfang Prefecture after Tianjin became a municipality and finally upgraded into a prefecture-level city in 1988. Langfang is located approximately midway between Beijing and Tianjin. At the 2020 census,the population of Langfang was 5,464,087,of whom 1,147,591 lived in the built-up area made of Guangyang and Anci districts;its total area is around 6,417.28 km2 (2,477.73 sq mi). Langfang borders Baoding to the southwest,Cangzhou to the south,Beijing to the north and Tianjin to the east. Sanhe City and Dachang Hui County are now conurbated with Beijing,so that they form part of the same built-up area. Langfang is the smallest prefecture-level city of Hebei Province by land area.
Xingtai,formerly known as Xingzhou and Shunde,is a prefecture-level city in southern Hebei province,People's Republic of China. It has a total area of 12,486 km2 (4,821 sq mi) and administers 4 districts,2 county-level cities and 12 counties. At the 2020 census,its population was 7,111,106 inhabitants. It borders Shijiazhuang and Hengshui in the north,Handan in the south,and the provinces of Shandong and Shanxi in the east and west respectively.
You Prefecture or YouProvince,also known by its Chinese name Youzhou,was a prefecture (zhou) in northern China during its imperial era.
Wu'an is a county-level city in the southwest of Hebei Province,China,bordering Shanxi Province to the west. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Handan.
The Diocese of Yongnian/Weixian is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese located in the city of Yongnian,China. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Beijing.
She County,or Shexian,is a county of southwestern Hebei Province,China,located on the lower reaches of the Zhang River and bordering Shanxi to the west and Henan to the south. It is under the administration of the Handan City,with a population of 400,000 residing in an area of 1,509 km2 (583 sq mi).
Yongnian is an urban district of the city of Handan,Hebei province,China. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yongnian.
Qiu County or Qiuxian is a county in the south of Hebei province,China. It is under the administration of Handan City.
Wei County or Weixian is a county in the south of Hebei province,China,bordering Henan province to the south. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Handan.
Shangdang Commandery or Shangdang Prefecture was an administrative subdivision of ancient China from the time of the Spring and Autumn period. Consisting of a number of districts or Zhōu,the prefecture covered roughly the area of modern-day Changzhi City in south east Shanxi Province.
Ji or Jicheng was an ancient city in northern China,which has become the longest continuously inhabited section of modern Beijing. Historical mention of Ji dates to the founding of the Zhou dynasty in about 1045 BC. Archaeological finds in southwestern Beijing where Ji was believed to be located date to the Spring and Autumn period. The city of Ji served as the capital of the ancient states of Ji and Yan until the unification of China by the Qin dynasty in 221 BC. Thereafter,the city was a prefectural capital for Youzhou through the Han dynasty,Three Kingdoms,Western Jin dynasty,Sixteen Kingdoms,Northern Dynasties,and Sui dynasty. With the creation of a Jizhou (蓟州) during the Tang dynasty in what is now Tianjin Municipality,the city of Ji took on the name Youzhou. Youzhou was one of the Sixteen Prefectures ceded to the Khitans during the Five Dynasties. The city then became the southern capital of the Liao dynasty and then main capital of the Jin dynasty (1115–1234). In the 13th century,Kublai Khan built a new capital city for the Yuan dynasty adjacent to Ji to the north. The old city of Ji became a suburb to Dadu. In the Ming dynasty,the old and new cities were merged by Beijing's Ming-era city wall.
Cixian railway station is a station on Beijing–Guangzhou railway in Ci County,Handan,Hebei.
Mao Sui,was born in the Zhao state during the Warring States period. He was a retainer of Lord Pingyuan,namely Zhao Sheng. Mao lived in Zhao for three years but success eluded him. In 257 BC,after the Battle of Changping,Zhao refused to cede territory to the Qin. As a result,Qin attacked Handan,the capital of Zhao. On its part,Zhao sought assistance from the Chu state. Mao Sui recommended himself to the Chu State and was successful in persuading the Chu to assist Zhao. In return,Mao Sui gained fame,and it was widely believed that:"A good tongue of Mao Sui is stronger than a million soldiers."