Bazhong (巴中)

1. Introduction

Bazhong City, abbreviated as Ba, historically known as Bazhou, is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China, located in the northeastern part of Sichuan Province. The city borders Dazhou City to the east, Nanchong City to the south, Guangyuan City to the west, and Hanzhong City of Shaanxi Province to the north. Situated on the northern edge of the Sichuan Basin, with the Micang Mountains and Daba Mountains to the north, the terrain is high in the north and low in the south, sloping from north to south, while the southern part is a hilly region. The Nanjiang River flows from north to south through the urban area, with its lower section known as the Ba River. The city covers a total area of 12,297 square kilometers, with a population of 3.3286 million. The municipal People's Government is located in Bazhou District.

nix

2. History

In ancient times, this area was part of the Ba Kingdom. After the Qin state conquered the Ba Kingdom, it established Ba Commandery. During the Western Han Dynasty, it belonged to Dangqu County within Ba Commandery. In the third year of the Yongyuan era (91 AD) of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the northern part of Dangqu County was separated to establish Hanchang County, with its seat located in the present-day urban area of Bazhou District. In the sixth year of the Jian'an era (201 AD), Ba Commandery was renamed Baxi Commandery. From the Shu Han period through the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Dangqu Commandery was established multiple times, and Hanchang County belonged to it. In the first year of the Zhengshi era (504 AD) of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Dagu Commandery was established in Hanchang County. In the third year of the Yanchang era (514 AD), Bazhou was established, named after the ancient Ba Kingdom. In the second year of the Xiping era (517 AD), the seat of Bazhou was moved to Hanchang County. In the sixth year of the Putong era (525 AD) of the Southern Liang Dynasty, Liangguang County was established in Hanchang County, serving as the seat of Dagu Commandery within Bazhou. In the second year of the Daxiang era (580 AD) of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, it was renamed Huacheng County.

In the third year of the Daye era (607 AD) of the Sui Dynasty, Bazhou was abolished and replaced by Qinghua Commandery, with its seat at Huacheng County. In the first year of the Wude era (618 AD) of the Tang Dynasty, Qinghua Commandery was renamed Bazhou. In the first year of the Zhenguan era (627 AD), Bazhou belonged to the Shannan Circuit. In the twenty-first year of the Kaiyuan era (733 AD), it belonged to the Shannan West Circuit. During the Song Dynasty, Bazhou belonged to the Lizhou Circuit. In the Yuan Dynasty, it belonged to the Guangyuan Circuit. In the ninth year of the Hongwu era (1376 AD) of the Ming Dynasty, Huacheng County was merged into Bazhou, and Bazhou was downgraded to Ba County. In the ninth year of the Zhengde era (1514 AD), Bazhou was re-established and belonged to Baoning Prefecture. The Qing Dynasty followed the Ming system.

In the second year of the Republic of China (1913 AD), Bazhou was changed to Bazhong County, belonging to the Chuanbei Circuit, and the following year it was transferred to the Jialing Circuit. In 1928, the circuit system was abolished. Between 1933 and 1935, the Fourth Front Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army established Soviet governments such as the Bazhong County of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Province here. In the twenty-fourth year of the Republic of China (1935 AD), Bazhong County belonged to the 15th Administrative Inspection District of Sichuan Province.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Bazhong County belonged to the Daxian Special District within the Chuanbei Administrative Region. In 1952, the Daxian Special District came under the direct leadership of Sichuan Province. In 1968, the Daxian Special District was renamed the Daxian Region. In July 1993, Bazhong County was abolished and the county-level Bazhong City was established; concurrently, the Bazhong Region was separated from the Daxian Region, with its administrative office located in Bazhong City, and the three counties of Tongjiang, Nanjiang, and Pingchang were placed under the jurisdiction of the Bazhong Region. On June 14, 2000, the Bazhong Region was abolished and the prefecture-level Bazhong City was established, with the former county-level Bazhong City becoming Bazhou District. On January 18, 2013, Enyang District was separated from Bazhou District.

3. Geography

Bazhong is located in the northeastern part of Sichuan Province, on the edge of the Sichuan Basin, at the southern foot of the Micang Mountains in the Daba Mountain range. Its geographical coordinates are approximately between 106°21' and 107°45' east longitude, and 31°15' and 32°45' north latitude. The average elevation is 500 meters.

Economically, the city focuses on five key growth industries: modern tourism, biomedicine, food and beverages, machinery manufacturing, and new energy and new materials. Simultaneously, Bazhong is a green food and beverage production base for the Sichuan-Shaanxi-Chongqing region, a modern biomedicine base in northeastern Sichuan, is building the largest graphite new materials industrial base in western China, and is an important automotive, motorcycle, and parts industrial base in Sichuan.

3.1 Climate

Bazhong has a subtropical monsoon climate characterized by mild temperatures, distinct seasons, ample sunshine, and abundant precipitation. The annual average temperature ranges from 16.0°C to 16.9°C (60.8°F to 62.4°F), annual sunshine hours range from 1,227.3 to 1,574.5, and annual rainfall ranges from 1,120.7 to 1,203.1 millimeters (44.12 to 47.37 inches).

Meteorological Data for Bazhong City (1981–2010)

| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | |-----------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|----------|----------|----------|----------| | Record High (°C / °F) | 19.1 (66.4) | 22.6 (72.7) | 30.4 (86.7) | 34.0 (93.2) | 35.8 (96.4) | 37.1 (98.8) | 39.4 (102.9) | 40.6 (105.1) | 38.2 (100.8) | 32.8 (91.0) | 25.9 (78.6) | 17.5 (63.5) | 40.6 (105.1) | | Avg. High (°C / °F) | 9.7 (49.5) | 12.9 (55.2) | 17.9 (64.2) | 23.3 (73.9) | 27.1 (80.8) | 29.3 (84.7) | 32.4 (90.3) | 31.8 (89.2) | 27.7 (81.9) | 21.7 (71.1) | 16.7 (62.1) | 10.6 (51.1) | 21.8 (71.2) | | Daily Mean (°C / °F) | 5.9 (42.6) | 8.6 (47.5) | 12.5 (54.5) | 17.6 (63.7) | 21.6 (70.9) | 24.5 (76.1) | 27.2 (81.0) | 26.4 (79.5) | 22.8 (73.0) | 17.5 (63.5) | 12.3 (54.1) | 7.0 (44.6) | 17.0 (62.6) | | Avg. Low (°C / °F) | 3.2 (37.8) | 5.6 (42.1) | 8.6 (47.5) | 13.2 (55.8) | 17.3 (63.1) | 20.8 (69.4) | 23.3 (73.9) | 22.6 (72.7) | 19.5 (67.1) | 14.8 (58.6) | 9.4 (48.9) | 4.6 (40.3) | 13.6 (56.4) | | Record Low (°C / °F) | -3.0 (26.6) | -1.1 (30.0) | 0.3 (32.5) | 3.6 (38.5) | 10.1 (50.2) | 15.1 (59.2) | 18.6 (65.5) | 17.0 (62.6) | 13.3 (55.9) | 7.0 (44.6) | 0.9 (33.6) | -3.6 (25.5) | -3.6 (25.5) | | Avg. Precipitation (mm / inches) | 10.8 (0.43) | 16.6 (0.65) | 30.6 (1.20) | 68.1 (2.68) | 124.0 (4.88) | 160.8 (6.33) | 244.8 (9.64) | 170.8 (6.72) | 153.0 (6.02) | 84.9 (3.34) | 38.1 (1.50) | 14.7 (0.58) | 1,117.2 (43.97) | | Avg. Precipitation Days (≥0.1mm) | 7.3 | 7.4 | 10.8 | 12.3 | 13.5 | 13.6 | 14.8 | 11.4 | 14.0 | 13.8 | 10.2 | 7.7 | 136.8 | | Avg. Relative Humidity (%) | 79 | 76 | 72 | 71 | 71 | 77 | 77 | 76 | 79 | 83 | 82 | 82 | 77 |

4. Administrative Divisions

Bazhong City administers 2 municipal districts and 3 counties.

• Municipal Districts: Bazhou District, Enyang District
• Counties: Tongjiang County, Nanjiang County, Pingchang County

| Division Code | Division Name | Chinese Pinyin | Area (km²) | Resident Population (2020 Census) | Government Seat | Postal Code | Subdistricts | Towns | Townships | |-------------------|-------------------|---------------------|----------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------|-----------------|------------------|-----------|---------------| | 511900 | Bazhong City | Bāzhōng Shì | 12,296.90 | 2,712,894 | Bazhou District | 636000 | 17 | 116 | 6 | | 511902 | Bazhou District | Bāzhōu Qū | 1,403.65 | 719,038 | Dongcheng Subdistrict | 636000 | 9 | 14 | 2 | | 511903 | Enyang District | Ēnyáng Qū | 1,155.17 | 345,728 | Dengke Subdistrict | 636000 | 3 | 15 | | | 511921 | Tongjiang County | Tōngjiāng Xiàn | 4,119.78 | 521,875 | Bizhou Subdistrict | 636700 | 1 | 30 | 2 | | 511922 | Nanjiang County | Nánjiāng Xiàn | 3,389.51 | 467,609 | Jizhou Subdistrict | 636600 | 1 | 29 | 2 | | 511923 | Pingchang County | Píngchāng Xiàn | 2,228.79 | 658,644 | Tongzhou Subdistrict | 636400 | 3 | 28 | |

nix

5. Transportation

Located within the golden triangle region of Chongqing Municipality, Chengdu City, and Xi'an City. The municipal government seat is situated 275 kilometers south of Chongqing, 300 kilometers west of Chengdu, and 550 kilometers north of Xi'an. It is approximately 200 kilometers away from neighboring cities such as Dazhou, Nanchong, and Hanzhong, as well as from the Baoji-Chengdu Railway and Xiangyang-Chongqing Railway.

Within the region, the Guangyuan-Dazhou Railway is in operation, while the Hanzhong-Bazhong-Nanchong High-Speed Railway is currently under construction and is expected to be completed and operational by 2023. This will be the city's first high-speed railway. In terms of expressways, the city is served by the Bazhong-Dazhou, Chengdu-Bazhong, Bazhong-Guang'an-Chongqing, Bazhong-Shaanxi, and Bazhong-Wanyuan expressways. Additionally, the Chengdu-Mianyang-Bazhong Expressway is expected to be fully connected by 2022. National Highway 347 passes through the area. Regular passenger trains operate daily between cities like Chongqing and Chengdu and Bazhong. The Bazhong Railway Station currently has nine ticket counters open to the public.

Bazhong Enyang Airport (BZX) is located in the Enyang District, 12 kilometers southwest of the city center. It was completed and put into operation in February 2019, serving as the city's first civil airport. Currently, it operates round-trip flights to six cities in mainland China: Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Yinchuan, and Haikou. In the future, the Hanzhong-Bazhong-Nanchong High-Speed Railway will be extended to Enyang Airport, enabling seamless transfers between air and rail travel.

6. Education

6.1 Higher Education

• Bazhong Vocational and Technical College

7. Population

According to the Seventh National Population Census in 2020, the city's resident population was 2,712,894. Compared with the 3,283,148 people from the Sixth National Population Census, there was a decrease of 570,254 people over the past ten years, a decline of 17.37%, with an average annual growth rate of -1.89%. Among them, the male population was 1,380,002, accounting for 50.87% of the total population; the female population was 1,332,892, accounting for 49.13% of the total population. The sex ratio (with females as 100) was 103.53. The population aged 0–14 was 470,675, accounting for 17.35% of the total population; the population aged 15–59 was 1,578,740, accounting for 58.19% of the total population; the population aged 60 and above was 663,479, accounting for 24.46% of the total population, of which the population aged 65 and above was 533,704, accounting for 19.67% of the total population. The urban population was 1,252,293, accounting for 46.16% of the total population; the rural population was 1,460,601, accounting for 53.84% of the total population.

7.1 Ethnic Groups

Among the city's resident population, the Han ethnic group population was 2,704,256, accounting for 99.68%; the population of various ethnic minorities was 8,638, accounting for 0.32%. Compared with the Sixth National Population Census in 2010, the Han ethnic group population decreased by 578,647, a decline of 17.63%, with its proportion of the total population decreasing by 0.31 percentage points; the population of various ethnic minorities increased by 8,393, a growth of 3,425.71%, with its proportion of the total population increasing by 0.31 percentage points.

nix

nix

nix

nix

nix

nix

nix

Bazhou District

Bazhou District

Han Chinese account for 99.68% of the population; ethnic minorities account for 0.32%.

nix

nix