Dazhou, Sichuan

Dazhou 达州
—  Prefecture-level city  —
达州市
Location of Dazhou Prefecture within Sichuan
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Sichuan
County-level divisions
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Area code(s)	818
GDP
GDP per capita
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
Average high °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
Average low °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
Precipitation mm (inches)	16.5 (0.65)	17.2 (0.677)	44.1 (1.736)	95.3 (3.752)	153.5 (6.043)	168.3 (6.626)	220.6 (8.685)	156.9 (6.177)	155.8 (6.134)	109.1 (4.295)	48.0 (1.89)	22.1 (0.87)	1,207.4 (47.535)
Avg. 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

A taotie on the Han Dynasty Shen family Mausoleum (Mausoleum of the Prefect of Shen, 沈府君阙)

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

Main article: Dazhou protests of 2007

Dazhou's Dazhu County was the site of a mass protest in January 2007.

Notes

1. ^ Victor Segalen, "Chine. La grande statuaire", and "Les origines de la statuaire en Chine", p. 46 sq
2. ^ 沈府君阙

External links

• Official Website (Chinese)

Coordinates: 31°13′N 107°30′E / 31.217°N 107.5°E / 31.217; 107.5