Fuxin (阜新)

1. Introduction

Fuxin City is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China, located in the northern part of Liaoning. The city borders Chaoyang City to the southwest, Jinzhou City to the south, Shenyang City to the east, and Tongliao City of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the north. Situated in the transition zone between the Horqin Sandy Land and the Liaohe Plain, the area is characterized by low mountains and hills, with the Yiwulü Mountain in the south. The terrain is higher in the northwest and lower in the southeast. The Mangniu River, Xi River, Raoyang River, and Liu River flow through the city. The Municipal People's Government is located at No. 45 Zhonghua Road, Xihe District. Fuxin was once an important coal industry base in China. Since 1990, most of the city's underground recoverable coal has been depleted, frequently leading to disasters such as surface subsidence. A large number of workers have been laid off, making it a typical example of a resource-exhausted city. On December 24, 2001, Fuxin was designated as the first pilot city for economic transformation of resource-exhausted cities in mainland China.

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2. History

Fuxin boasts a long history. As early as the Neolithic period around 8,000 years ago, the "Chahai people" multiplied, lived, and labored diligently in the area of present-day Fuxin, creating the splendid Chahai culture. During the Liao Dynasty, the present-day Fuxin region served as its strategic hinterland and reliable rear area. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the Mongolian ethnic groups stationed and herding here made arduous efforts to develop this fertile land.

In 1629 (the third year of Tiancong of the Later Jin), Shanba, the leader of the Uriankhai Three Guards tribes (Mongolian Ujiyed) occupying the present-day Fuxin area, led his people in submitting to the Later Jin. In 1637 (the second year of Chongde of the Qing Dynasty), the Qing court established the Tumed Left Banner within the territory of present-day Fumeng County, appointing Shanba as the Banner Jasagh (Banner Chief). The Mongoljin (Manguanchan) tribe, which had migrated eastward with the Tumed and settled here, was placed under his command and later subordinated to the Josotu League. With Han Chinese migrating into the region during the "Chuang Guandong" movement, separate administration for Mongols and Han Chinese began. Han affairs were successively managed by the Tazigou Subprefecture (seat in Lingyuan), the Sanzuota Subprefecture (seat in Chaoyang), and Chaoyang County. In 1902 (the 28th year of Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty), Xiliang, the Military Governor of Rehe, petitioned the Qing court to establish Fuxin County within the territory of the Tumed Left Banner, implementing a system of concurrent banner and county administration. The county name "Fuxin" was chosen from the phrase "abundant goods, prosperous people, and a completely new look," taking the characters "阜" (abundant) and "新" (new). In the winter of 1903 (the 29th year of Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty), Fuxin County was separated from Chaoyang County, formally establishing its administration. It managed Han Chinese affairs across the entire territory of the Tumed Left Banner, the Naiman Banner, the southern part of the Shireet Khüree Banner (present-day Liujiazi Township, Khorchin Banner), and the Tanggut Khalkha (present-day Ge'erlin Township, Khorchin Banner) attached to the Tumed Left Banner, under the jurisdiction of Chaoyang Prefecture. The county yamen was initially located in Ertuban, Naiman Banner (Qinglongshan), and later moved to Shuiquan (present-day Fuxin Town).

Fuxin City prospered and was established because of coal. As early as 1739 (the fourth year of Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty), coalfields were discovered in the area of present-day Qinghemen District, Fuxin City. Soon after, small private coal mines emerged but were promptly investigated and banned by officials sent by the Qing court. In 1898 (the 24th year of Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty), three private inclined shafts were dug at the foot of Mantou Mountain in Xinqiu, Tumed Left Banner (present-day Xinqiu District, Fuxin City), mining shallow coal seams by manual excavation. Thereafter, privately-run coal mining gradually flourished. In 1908 (the 34th year of Guangxu), Japanese imperialism began to encroach upon the Fuxin coalfields. After the September 18 Incident in 1931, the Japanese Kwantung Army occupied Manchuria, and on April 8, 1933, they took control of Fuxin County. In August 1935, the Manchuria Coal Mine Company forcibly seized the privately-run coalfields in Fuxin. The authorities began constructing railways from Gaotaishan to Xinlitun and from Xinlitun to Yixian in 1935. In 1936, the Manchuria Coal Mine Company established a mining office in Fuxin County and built a power plant. In 1936, the authorities began drafting the "Fuxin Capital City Plan." To further plunder the coal resources of the Fuxin region, the Japanese government instructed Puyi, the emperor of Manchukuo, to approve the establishment of Fuxin City on March 26, 1936. The order designated 25 villages including Haizhou, Xinqiu, Mijiayao, and Sunjiawan within Fuxin County, along with present-day Fuxin Town, to form Fuxin City. This order took effect on January 1, 1940.

The city center of Fuxin was initially planned for Sunjiawan, then considered Fuxin County town, and finally settled on Haizhou Temple Village, 9 kilometers west of Fuxin County town. In March 1936, Manchukuo established Fuxin Street in this area, subordinate to Fuxin County. The rationale was its location in the central part of the northeastern basin of the Yiwulü Mountain range, on the north bank of the Xi River, with the power plant situated along the Xinyi Railway on the south bank of the Xi River, which also facilitated urban water supply. The city was planned to be 23.5 kilometers long east-west and 14.5 kilometers wide north-south, covering a total area of 340.7 square kilometers. All Fuxin coal mines were incorporated into the urban construction plan, with a projected urban population of 200,000, expected to exceed 500,000 after 30 years. The urban area extended from the Xinyi Railway in the south to the Liujiazi Dry River in the north, and from Guangfuyingzi Village in the east to Gongjiawazi River in the west, covering 26.5 square kilometers. The street layout centered on Central Square (present-day Liberation Square), featuring a radial ring pattern supplemented by a grid of small checkerboard blocks. Public buildings and commercial districts were arranged along both sides of present-day Xinhua Street and Dazhong Street. By the official establishment of the city on January 1, 1940, Japanese residential areas such as Xishan, central Ping'an, Wulamaotou, and central Xinqiu had been successively completed. Simple miners' dormitories in Gaode, Sunjiawan, Wulong, western Ping'an, southern Xinqiu, and general residential housing for citizens within the city were also built. At the end of the year, the Fuxin City Office moved from the "Concord District" (i.e., Fuxin County town) to Haizhou.

After Fuxin was formally established as a city, it was subordinated to Jinzhou Province, and Fuxin Street was renamed Haizhou District. Simultaneously, the system of abolishing the county while retaining the banner was implemented: Fuxin County was abolished, and the Tumed Left Banner was retained. Fuxin City administered 11 districts: Haizhou, Xinqiu, Taiping, Sunjiawan, Xiehe, Chengnan, Chengbei, Gaoshan, Xinglong, Hongye, and Donggang. The following year, Sunjiawan District was abolished and Xinxing District was established. The Fuxin City Office had one mayor and one deputy mayor. Until Japan's surrender in 1945, all four mayors were Japanese: Inaba Kenichi, Nishi Yoshio, Hirobe Tadahiko, and Yamaguchi Minji. Among the three deputy mayors, two were Chinese: Wang Xingyi and Xu Qiande, and one was Taiwanese: Nakae Chisato (Huang Qianli). Initially, the City Office had six departments: General Affairs, Administration, Finance, Engineering, Police, and Health & Sanitation. Later, a Land Administration Department was added, with a total of 67 officials at the section chief level and above. District offices were directly under the City Office, each with one district chief and subdivisions for Civil Relief, Finance, Administration, Industry, and General Affairs. The entire city was divided into 72 streets, each with a street chief and a clerk. To rule and suppress the people of Fuxin, the ruling authorities built barracks in the western part of the city, stationed heavy troops, and successively established a police station, court, prison, "Thought Correction Institute," "Worker Guidance Center," military police unit, coal mine security force, etc., implementing various punishments. The city had 27 police substations, with all principal officials in the police apparatus being Japanese. During the period of Japanese imperialist rule over Fuxin, a cumulative total of 25.275 million tons of coal were plundered from Fuxin, and the number of laborers who died in Fuxin reached as high as 68,000.

When Fuxin was established as a city in January 1940, the urban population was 146,214. After Japan's surrender on August 15, 1945, Fuxin's ruling institutions disintegrated, officials and Japanese fled, mines ceased production, and a large number of laborers dispersed and returned to their hometowns, causing the urban population to plummet to 30,000.

Shortly after Japan's surrender on August 15, 1945, the Soviet Red Army entered Fuxin City. On September 10, cadres and troops dispatched by the Hebei-Rehe-Liaoning Military District of the Eighth Route Army and the Liaoxi Prefectural Committee of the Chinese Communist Party took over Fuxin City, establishing the CCP Fuxin Working Committee (later the Prefectural Committee), the Fuxin Office of the Liaoxi Administrative Office (later the Fuxin Administrative Office), the Fuxin Garrison Command (later the Fuxin Military Subdistrict), and the Fuxin Municipal Government under the leadership of the Working Committee. By the end of December, the CCP Fuxin Prefectural Committee led the party, government, and military organs and troops of the prefecture, city, and county in withdrawing to the northern area of Fuxin County to establish rural revolutionary base areas. In January 1946, Kuomintang (Nationalist) troops occupied Fuxin City and established the Kuomintang Fuxin Municipal Government. In July, Fuxin City and Fuxin County were merged into Fuxin County, while retaining the Tumed Left Banner. On March 18, 1948, the entire Fuxin region was liberated, and Fuxin City was restored, with separate administration for Fuxin City and Fuxin County. In February 1952, Fuxin City was upgraded from a county-level city to a prefecture-level city. Zhangwu County was a royal pasture during the Qing Dynasty, named Yangximu Pasture, and was established as a county on July 19, 1902 (the 28th year of Guangxu). On January 5, 1959, Fuxin Mongol Autonomous County (Fuxin County was abolished on April 7, 1958, and Fuxin Mongol Autonomous County was established) and Zhangwu County were placed under the leadership of Fuxin City.

3. Geography

Fuxin is bordered by the Horqin Sandy Land to the north, the Liaohe Plain to the east, and the Rehe mountainous area to the west. It is located in the hilly region of the upper and middle reaches of the Liaohe and Daling River basins. The total land area is 15.54 million mu, of which 5.64 million mu is cultivated land and 4.6 million mu is forested land. Hills and mountains account for 58%; wind-blown sandy land accounts for 8%; and plains account for 23%. Major mountain ranges include the Ulan Mutu Mountain, Luotuo Mountain, Daqing Mountain, and Yimatu Mountain. Major rivers include the Raoyang River, Liu River, Niu River, Daling River, Xi River, and Xiushui River.

Fuxin is known as the "Agate Capital of China," with agate reserves accounting for over 50% of the nation's total and agate product output exceeding 90% of the national total.

3.1 Climate

The region experiences a temperate monsoon climate. The annual average temperature is 7.6°C. The average annual precipitation is 481 mm, with large water surface evaporation of 1,789 mm and a frost-free period of 154 days.

Meteorological Data for Fuxin City (1971–2000)

| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | |-----------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|---------|---------|---------|---------| | Record high °C (°F) | 9.3 (48.7) | 17.6 (63.7) | 22.8 (73.0) | 33.2 (91.8) | 37.5 (99.5) | 40.6 (105.1) | 40.9 (105.6) | 37.1 (98.8) | 34.7 (94.5) | 29.6 (85.3) | 19.8 (67.6) | 14.0 (57.2) | 40.9 (105.6) | | Average high °C (°F) | -4.0 (24.8) | -0.1 (31.8) | 7.2 (45.0) | 16.9 (62.4) | 23.7 (74.7) | 27.9 (82.2) | 29.5 (85.1) | 28.6 (83.5) | 24.1 (75.4) | 16.2 (61.2) | 5.9 (42.6) | -1.5 (29.3) | 14.5 (58.2) | | Daily mean °C (°F) | -10.6 (12.9) | -6.9 (19.6) | 0.6 (33.1) | 9.9 (49.8) | 17.0 (62.6) | 21.8 (71.2) | 24.3 (75.7) | 23.0 (73.4) | 17.1 (62.8) | 9.0 (48.2) | -0.5 (31.1) | -7.9 (17.8) | 8.1 (46.5) | | Average low °C (°F) | -15.9 (3.4) | -12.4 (9.7) | -5.4 (22.3) | 3.3 (37.9) | 10.5 (50.9) | 16.2 (61.2) | 19.9 (67.8) | 18.2 (64.8) | 11.0 (51.8) | 3.1 (37.6) | -5.6 (21.9) | -12.8 (9.0) | 2.5 (36.5) | | Record low °C (°F) | -26.5 (-15.7) | -25.4 (-13.7) | -21.0 (-5.8) | -8.8 (16.2) | -0.1 (31.8) | 5.0 (41.0) | 12.8 (55.0) | 5.0 (41.0) | -1.1 (30.0) | -9.3 (15.3) | -19.8 (-3.6) | -27.1 (-16.8) | -27.1 (-16.8) | | Average precipitation mm (inches) | 2.5 (0.10) | 2.6 (0.10) | 10.0 (0.39) | 23.8 (0.94) | 38.9 (1.53) | 77.4 (3.05) | 142.9 (5.63) | 110.4 (4.35) | 55.3 (2.18) | 27.1 (1.07) | 8.5 (0.33) | 3.3 (0.13) | 502.7 (19.8) | | Average precipitation days (≥0.1 mm) | 2.1 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 5.7 | 7.3 | 11.8 | 12.5 | 11.0 | 6.9 | 4.7 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 73.0 |

4. Administrative Divisions

Fuxin Municipal People's Government Office Building
Fuxin City currently administers 5 municipal districts, 1 county, and 1 autonomous county.

• Municipal Districts: Haizhou District, Xinqiu District, Taiping District, Qinghemen District, Xihe District
• County: Zhangwu County
• Autonomous County: Fuxin Mongol Autonomous County

Additionally, Fuxin City has established the following economic management zones: Fuxin Economic Development Zone and Fuxin High-Tech Industrial Park.

| Division Code | Division Name | Chinese Pinyin | Area (km²) | Resident Population (2020 Census) | Government Seat | Postal Code | Subdistricts | Towns | Townships | Ethnic Townships | |-------------------|-------------------|---------------------|----------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------|-----------------|-------------------|-----------|---------------|----------------------| | 210900 | Fuxin City | Fuxin Shi | 10,326.99 | 1,647,280 | Xihe District | 123000 | 17 | 60 | 5 | 1 | | 210902 | Haizhou District | Haizhou Qu | 66.81 | 234,029 | Heping Subdistrict | 123000 | 6 | 1 | | | | 210903 | Xinqiu District | Xinqiu Qu | 125.62 | 66,769 | Jieji Subdistrict | 123000 | 2 | 1 | | | | 210904 | Taiping District | Taiping Qu | 94.79 | 142,171 | Hongshu Subdistrict | 123000 | 3 | 1 | | | | 210905 | Qinghemen District | Qinghemen Qu | 95.02 | 51,394 | Qinghe Subdistrict | 123000 | 2 | 2 | | | | 210911 | Xihe District | Xihe Qu | 103.52 | 273,525 | Yufeng Subdistrict | 123000 | 3 | 1 | | | | 210921 | Fuxin Mongol Autonomous County | Fuxin Mengguzu Zizhixian | 6,217.89 | 545,749 | Chengqu Subdistrict | 123100 | 1 | 32 | 3 | | | 210922 | Zhangwu County | Zhangwu Xian | 3,623.34 | 333,643 | Zhangwu Town | 123200 | | 22 | 2 | 1 |

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5. Transportation

5.1 Railway

Within the region, there are the Beijing-Shenyang Passenger Dedicated Line, the Xinyi Railway, and the Dazheng Railway. The main stations include the high-speed rail station: Fuxin Station, and the conventional railway station: Fuxin South Station.

5.2 Highway

The G25 Changshen Expressway connects with the G2512 Fuxin-Jinzhou Expressway and the G4513 Naiman-Yingkou Expressway. Multiple highways, including National Highway 101, form a comprehensive and accessible transportation network.

• Fuxin Station

• Fuxin South Station

• Fuxin Hub Passenger Station

6. Education

• Liaoning Technical University
• Fuxin No. 11 Middle School
• Fuxin No. 1 Middle School
• Fuxin Senior High School
• Fuxin Experimental Middle School
• Fuxin College

7. Population

According to the Seventh National Population Census in 2020, the city's resident population was 1,647,280. Compared with the 1,819,339 people from the Sixth National Population Census, there was a decrease of 172,059 people over the past ten years, a decline of 9.46%, with an average annual growth rate of -0.99%. Among them, the male population was 812,522, accounting for 49.33% of the total population; the female population was 834,758, accounting for 50.67% of the total population. The overall sex ratio (with females as 100) was 97.34. The population aged 0–14 was 171,577, accounting for 10.42% of the total population; the population aged 15–59 was 1,042,303, accounting for 63.27% of the total population; the population aged 60 and above was 433,400, accounting for 26.31% of the total population, of which the population aged 65 and above was 286,866, accounting for 17.41% of the total population. The urban population was 1,015,622, accounting for 61.65% of the total population; the rural population was 631,658, accounting for 38.35% of the total population.

7.1 Ethnic Groups

Among the city's resident population, the Han ethnic group population was 1,401,922, accounting for 85.11%; the population of various ethnic minorities was 245,358, accounting for 14.89%. Compared with the Sixth National Population Census in 2010, the Han population decreased by 150,700, a decline of 9.71%, and its proportion of the total population decreased by 0.23 percentage points; the population of various ethnic minorities decreased by 21,359, a decline of 8.01%, but its proportion of the total population increased by 0.23 percentage points. Among them, the Mongolian ethnic group population decreased by 25,373, a decline of 12.5%, and its proportion of the total population decreased by 0.37 percentage points; the Manchu ethnic group population increased by 2,582, a growth of 4.93%, and its proportion of the total population increased by 0.46 percentage points.

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Haizhou District

Fuxin Mongol Autonomous County

Han Chinese account for 85.11%; ethnic minorities account for 14.89%.

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