Siping (四平)

1. Introduction

Siping City is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Jilin Province, People's Republic of China, located in the southwest of Jilin Province. The city borders Songyuan City and Changchun City to the north, Jilin City and Liaoyuan City to the east, Tieling City of Liaoning Province to the south, and Tongliao City of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the west. It is situated at the northern end of the Liaohe Plain and on the piedmont terrace of the Dahei Mountains. The East Liao River flows through the central part of the city, while the West Liao River and the Xinkai River are in the west, and the Yitong River is in the east. The Municipal People's Government is located in Tiexi District. Siping is situated in the central area of Northeast Asia, with a well-developed network of railways and highways, making it an important transportation hub in Northeast China. Located on the Harbin-Dalian Development Axis for the revitalization of Northeast China, it serves as a crucial strategic support city within the Harbin-Changchun Urban Agglomeration and acts as a gateway for Jilin Province's opening-up to the south.

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2. History

The history of Siping can be traced back 3,000 years to the Shang Dynasty. The ruins of the Yan State indicate that the Han Chinese began to enter Northeast China during the Spring and Autumn Period. The indigenous peoples in the region included the Buyeo, Goguryeo, Khitan, Jurchen, Mongol, and Korean ethnic groups.

From the Han Dynasty to the Sixteen Kingdoms period, the area belonged to the Buyeo Kingdom. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the early Tang Dynasty, it was part of Goguryeo territory. In the late Tang Dynasty, it fell under Fuzhou of the Buyeo Prefecture in the Bohai Kingdom. During the Liao Dynasty, it was part of Tongzhou in the Tokyo Circuit. In the Jin Dynasty, it was incorporated into Hanzhou of the Xianping Circuit. During the Yuan Dynasty, it belonged to the Kaiyuan Circuit, and in the Ming Dynasty, it was part of the northern region of the Liaodong Regional Military Commission.

In the Qing Dynasty, it was under the Jirem League of Inner Mongolia and later transferred to Changtu Ting. In the fourth year of the Guangxu reign (1878), the Xinen Society of Fenghua County was established, with its administrative seat located in Siping Street (present-day Laosiping in Changtu County). In the 24th year of the Guangxu reign (1898), the South Manchuria branch of the Chinese Eastern Railway, built by Tsarist Russia, established a station at the present-day location of Siping. By July of the 29th year of the Guangxu reign (1903), the South Manchuria branch line was fully operational and officially named "Siping Street Station." Siping began to emerge as a regional commercial center. After 1907, Siping's economy grew steadily, driven by the South Manchuria Railway.

In 1921, a new town was built and named "Siping Street." In 1931, the Japanese army invaded Northeast China and established the puppet state of Manchukuo. During this period, Siping developed agriculture-based industries, including brewing, oil extraction, and flour milling. In December 1937, Manchukuo established "Siping Street City," which was under the jurisdiction of Fengtian Province. In July 1941, Manchukuo created "Siping Province" by separating it from Fengtian Province, and "Siping Street City" was renamed "Siping City."

After the War of Resistance Against Japan, Soviet forces occupied Siping. In January 1946, the Nationalist government took control of Siping. Subsequently, the Chinese Communist Party and the Nationalist Party engaged in a civil war, during which Siping experienced several major battles. By the end of the war, Siping was almost completely destroyed.

• First Battle of Siping: March 15–17, 1946. The Northeast Democratic Allied Army, with over 6,000 troops, captured Siping from the Nationalist forces.
• Second Battle of Siping: April 18–May 18, 1946. Du Yuming, Commander of the Northeast Security Command of the Nationalist government, led the New Sixth Army, New First Army, and 71st Army to capture Siping Street. Lin Biao's forces, numbering over 100,000, retreated. Influenced by the defection of Wang Jifang, Deputy Section Chief of the Fourth Field Army Operations Department, to the Nationalist forces, the Nationalist army launched a large-scale offensive toward Changchun and Yongji.
• Third Battle of Siping: June 11–30, 1947. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) counterattacked, while the Nationalist forces held their ground. The PLA's Northeast Democratic Allied Army was commanded by Lin Biao and Luo Ronghuan, with frontline commanders Li Tianyou, Hong Xuezhi, and Deng Hua. This was the PLA's first large-scale urban assault. The Nationalist forces were commanded by Chen Mingren of the 71st Army. Ultimately, the Northeast Democratic Allied Army's offensive failed.
• Fourth Battle of Siping: March 4–13, 1948. The Northeast Democratic Allied Army was officially renamed the Northeast People's Liberation Army. The PLA mobilized the First Column, Third Column, and Seventh Column, totaling 140,000 troops equipped with Soviet and Japanese weapons, to launch an overwhelming attack on Siping. The battle began with peripheral engagements on March 4, followed by a full-scale assault on March 12, and concluded on March 13. The PLA annihilated or captured all 14,000 defending troops in Siping, capturing the city in less than a day.

In May 1949, Liaobei Province was abolished, and Siping City was transferred to Liaoxi Province. In July 1954, Liaoxi Province was abolished, and Siping City was incorporated into Jilin Province. In October 1958, the Siping Administrative District was established, and Siping City was placed under its jurisdiction. In August 1983, the Siping Administrative District was abolished, and Siping City was established as a prefecture-level city. Siping City established Tiexi District and Tiedong District, governing Huaide County, Lishu County, Yitong County, and Shuangliao County. In March 1985, Huaide County was abolished, and Gongzhuling City was established as a prefecture-level city, with Yitong County transferred to Gongzhuling City. Siping City governed Tiexi District, Tiedong District, Lishu County, and Shuangliao County. In January 1986, Gongzhuling City was downgraded to a county-level city and placed under the administration of Siping City; Yitong County was transferred back to Siping City. Siping City governed Tiexi District, Tiedong District, Lishu County, Shuangliao County, and Yitong County. On August 30, 1988, Yitong County was abolished, and Yitong Manchu Autonomous County was established. Siping City governed Tiexi District, Tiedong District, Lishu County, Shuangliao County, and Yitong Manchu Autonomous County. In May 1996, Shuangliao County was upgraded to Shuangliao City (a county-level city) and placed under the administration of Siping City. Siping City governed Tiexi District, Tiedong District, Lishu County, Shuangliao City (county-level), and Yitong Manchu Autonomous County. In June 2000, with provincial government approval, the Liaohe Agricultural Reclamation Management Area was established (with its seat in Gujiazi Town, Lishu County). On September 18, 2013, Gongzhuling City (a county-level city) became a pilot city for provincial direct administration in Jilin Province, granting it certain economic and social management authority equivalent to a prefecture-level city. However, other administrative powers remained under the jurisdiction of Siping City, and geographically, it was still part of Siping City. On June 19, 2020, Gongzhuling City was officially placed under the administration of Changchun City, and geographically, it was no longer part of Siping City but instead became part of Changchun City.

3. Geography

Siping City is situated in the transition zone between plains and hilly terrain, with hilly areas to the southeast and the Songliao Plain to the northwest. The city experiences a temperate semi-humid monsoon climate, with an annual precipitation of approximately 630 mm, primarily concentrated from June to August. The average annual temperature is 7.0°C, with January averaging −12.9°C and July averaging 23.9°C. Winters are long, cold, windy, and dry, while summers are hot and humid.

Average Meteorological Data for Siping City (1981–2010)

| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | |-----------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|----------|----------|----------|----------| | Average high °C (°F) | -7.5 (18.5) | -2.4 (27.7) | 5.7 (41.7) | 15.7 (60.3) | 22.6 (72.7) | 27.1 (80.8) | 28.1 (82.6) | 27.5 (81.5) | 22.9 (73.2) | 14.7 (58.5) | 3.3 (37.9) | -4.7 (23.5) | 12.7 (54.9) | | Daily mean °C (°F) | -13.2 (8.2) | -8.4 (16.9) | -0.3 (31.5) | 9.6 (49.3) | 16.6 (61.9) | 21.6 (70.9) | 23.7 (74.7) | 22.7 (72.9) | 16.6 (61.9) | 8.4 (47.1) | -1.9 (28.6) | -10.0 (14.0) | 7.1 (44.8) | | Average low °C (°F) | -17.9 (-0.2) | -13.5 (7.7) | -5.6 (21.9) | 3.6 (38.5) | 10.6 (51.1) | 16.4 (61.5) | 19.7 (67.5) | 18.3 (64.9) | 10.9 (51.6) | 2.9 (37.2) | -6.4 (20.5) | -14.4 (6.1) | 2.1 (35.7) | | Average precipitation mm (inches) | 5.8 (0.23) | 5.1 (0.20) | 16.8 (0.66) | 28.2 (1.11) | 50.2 (1.98) | 89.1 (3.51) | 167.6 (6.60) | 148.9 (5.86) | 43.9 (1.73) | 26.9 (1.06) | 14.5 (0.57) | 7.2 (0.28) | 604.2 (23.79) | | Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 4.4 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 7.3 | 10.4 | 12.7 | 15.3 | 12.0 | 8.5 | 6.8 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 97.0 | | Average relative humidity (%) | 66 | 59 | 52 | 48 | 52 | 64 | 78 | 78 | 69 | 62 | 62 | 65 | 63 | | Mean monthly sunshine hours | 204.0 | 209.2 | 249.2 | 246.3 | 263.6 | 246.0 | 212.2 | 222.5 | 241.1 | 225.5 | 182.8 | 181.1 | 2,683.5 | | Percentage of possible sunshine | 71 | 71 | 68 | 62 | 59 | 54 | 46 | 52 | 64 | 66 | 63 | 65 | 61 |

4. Administrative Divisions

Siping City currently administers 2 municipal districts, 1 county, 1 autonomous county, and manages 1 county-level city on behalf of the province.

• Municipal Districts: Tiedong District, Tiexi District
• County-level City: Shuangliao City
• County: Lishu County
• Autonomous County: Yitong Manchu Autonomous County

| Division Code | Division Name | Chinese Pinyin | Area (sq km) | Resident Population (2020 Census) | Government Seat | Postal Code | Subdistricts | Towns | Townships | Including: Ethnic Townships | |-------------------|-------------------|--------------------|------------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------|-----------------|------------------|-----------|---------------|--------------------------------| | 220300 | Siping City | Siping Shi | 10,241.73 | 1,814,733 | Tiexi District | 136000 | 24 | 38 | 15 | 1 | | 220302 | Tiexi District| Tiexi Qu | 184.03 | 314,307 | Zhanqian Subdistrict| 136000 | 5 | 3 | 1 | | | 220303 | Tiedong District| Tiedong Qu | 891.51 | 313,650 | Simalu Subdistrict | 136000 | 8 | 3 | 1 | | | 220322 | Lishu County | Lishu Xian | 3,541.72 | 537,145 | Fuqiang Subdistrict | 136500 | 3 | 12 | 6 | | | 220323 | Yitong Manchu Autonomous County | Yitong Manzu Zizhixian | 2,527.14 | 331,873 | Yongning Subdistrict | 130700 | 2 | 12 | 3 | | | 220382 | Shuangliao City| Shuangliao Shi | 3,097.34 | 317,758 | Liaonan Subdistrict | 136400 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 1 |

5. Economy

The temperate continental climate and fertile black soil here are suitable for crop growth, with prominent advantages in corn, rice, soybeans, sunflower seeds, wheat, and others. Among these, the production and export volume of corn and sunflower seeds rank first in the country. The city's total grain output and export volume also hold the top position nationally, with total output exceeding 5 billion kilograms for consecutive years. Animal husbandry is relatively developed as well, with pig, cattle, sheep, and poultry industries showing double-digit growth for several years. The city is a national key production base for beef, mutton, and force-fed ducks.

The industrial sector is dominated by machinery, energy, chemicals, and food processing, encompassing over 40 industries such as electronics, textiles, military manufacturing, power generation, steel, cigarette production, and papermaking. There are more than 250 high-quality products recognized at the provincial level or above. Products of national importance include combine harvesters, wheel loaders, blowers, modified vehicles, tungsten and molybdenum products, glass, and cigarettes.

6. Transportation

Siping is one of the important transportation hubs in Northeast China. The Beijing-Harbin, Siping-Qiqihar, Siping-Meihekou railways, and the Harbin-Dalian Passenger Dedicated Line converge here. The Beian-Harbin and Acheng-Zhalantun trunk highways also intersect in the area.

Siping Railway Station, located on Yingxiong Avenue in Tiexi District, is one of the 18 major marshalling stations in China and a first-class station directly under the Shenyang Railway Bureau. Multiple railway lines, including the Beijing-Harbin, Siping-Qiqihar, Siping-Meihekou, and Harbin-Dalian High-Speed Rail Passenger Dedicated Lines, converge within the city. Passenger and freight services extend northward to Changchun, Harbin, and most cities in Heilongjiang, and southward to Shenyang, Dalian, Beijing, and most cities across the country, giving it a superior geographical and strategically significant location. The station features automated up-down hump yards, 79 station tracks, and a passenger station layout of 3 platforms (1 side platform and 2 island platforms) with 10 tracks. Passenger flow follows an "upward entry, downward exit" pattern. The station handles an average of 330 train arrivals and departures daily and marshalls over 80 trains per day.

Siping East Railway Station is located at the eastern starting point of Ziqi Avenue, situated at a node of the Harbin-Dalian Passenger Dedicated Line. The station platform layout is 2 platforms with 6 tracks, with a maximum passenger capacity of 1,000 people. The projected annual passenger volume by 2030 is 11.04 million. The approved area for the station complex building is 5,300 square meters, including 4,000 square meters for passenger services and 1,300 square meters for other equipment rooms. The plaza is 3.68 meters below the platform level, making it a side-lower station with an "enter below, exit below" passenger flow pattern.

Highways such as the Tongjiang (Heilongjiang) to Sanya (Hainan), Daqing to Guangzhou, and Changchun to Shenzhen (Chang-Shen Expressway), along with national and provincial highways, traverse Siping from east to west and north to south.

Siping is centrally located in Northeast China's transportation network, with highly developed road and rail systems. It is the convergence point of the Harbin-Dalian, Siping-Qiqihar, and Siping-Meihekou railways. Siping Railway Station is one of the top ten mixed passenger and freight marshalling stations in Northeast China, handling over a hundred passenger and freight trains for marshalling and transit daily. Additionally, three national trunk highways—Beijing-Harbin, Jining-Xilinhot, and Mingzhu-Shenyang—pass through the city. As a crucial transportation hub in central Northeast China and a strategic military location, it has historically been a contested area. The famous Siping Campaign during the Liberation War took place here, earning it the title "Hero City." It also serves as a "bridgehead" for economic exchange between Jilin and Liaoning provinces.

Expressways: G1 Beijing-Harbin Expressway, Jitong Expressway, G45 Daqing-Guangzhou Expressway, G25 Changchun-Shenzhen Expressway, Changying Expressway, Tieling-Chaoyang Expressway (Jingsi Expressway), Yitong-Liaoyuan Expressway, and Changchun-Shuangyang Expressway.

National Highways: G102, G232, G303. Siping also has a first-class ring road that connects to G102, G232, and G303 at its eastern, southern, western, and northern points, respectively.

Siping is 550 kilometers from the Dalian International Shipping Center and only about an hour's drive from Changchun Longjia International Airport and Shenyang Taoxian International Airport. A local dual-use military and civilian airport in Siping is set to soon open domestic flights.

7. Education

By the end of 2000, Siping City had a total of 3 regular institutions of higher education, with 9,538 enrolled students; 10 secondary specialized schools, with 11,013 enrolled students; 194 regular secondary schools, with 164,600 enrolled students; 16 agricultural and vocational secondary schools, with 7,750 enrolled students; and 1,262 primary schools, with 309,000 enrolled students.

Among these, Jilin Normal University, a provincial key university, was formerly known as Siping Normal College. Since the 1990s, the university has experienced rapid development, and its status among higher education institutions in Northeast China has become increasingly prominent.

Additionally, Siping Vocational University is a model higher vocational college in Jilin Province.

8. Population

At the end of 2022, the city's total population was 2.086 million, with an urban population of 658,000, accounting for 31.54% of the total.

According to the Seventh National Population Census in 2020, the city's resident population was 1,814,733. Compared with the 2,292,220 people from the Sixth National Population Census, the population decreased by 477,487 over the ten years, a decline of 20.83%, with an average annual growth rate of -2.31%. Among them, the male population was 904,701, accounting for 49.85% of the total population; the female population was 910,032, accounting for 50.15% of the total population. The sex ratio of the total population (with females as 100) was 99.41. The population aged 0–14 was 214,768, accounting for 11.83% of the total population; the population aged 15–59 was 1,155,658, accounting for 63.68% of the total population; the population aged 60 and above was 444,307, accounting for 24.48% of the total population, of which the population aged 65 and above was 306,398, accounting for 16.88% of the total population. The urban population was 935,799, accounting for 51.57% of the total population; the rural population was 878,934, accounting for 48.43% of the total population.

8.1 Ethnic Groups

The city is home to 30 ethnic groups, including Han, Manchu, Mongol, Hui, Korean, Zhuang, and Xibe. Among the city's resident population, the Han population was 1,632,366, accounting for 89.95%; the combined population of various ethnic minorities was 182,367, accounting for 10.05%. Compared with the Sixth National Population Census in 2010, the Han population decreased by 445,604, a decline of 21.44%, and its proportion of the total population decreased by 0.7 percentage points; the combined population of ethnic minorities decreased by 31,883, a decline of 14.88%, and its proportion of the total population increased by 0.7 percentage points. Among them, the Manchu population decreased by 43,762, a decline of 22.57%, and its proportion of the total population decreased by 0.19 percentage points; the Korean population increased by 8,590, a growth of 236.51%, and its proportion of the total population increased by 0.52 percentage points; the Mongol population increased by 3,286, a growth of 43.57%, and its proportion of the total population increased by 0.27 percentage points.

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9. Culture

9.1 Cuisine

• Li Liangui Smoked Meat Pancake
• Pork Stewed with Vermicelli
• Korean Cold Noodles

10. Sister Cities

• Suzaka City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
• Wausau City, Wisconsin, USA
• Makhachkala City, Russia

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Tiexi District

Lishu County

Han Chinese account for 89.95% of the population; ethnic minorities make up 10.05%.

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