Zaozhuang (枣庄)

1. Introduction

Zaozhuang City, abbreviated as Zao, historically known as Yizhou, Lanling Commandery, Chengzhou, Yi County, and Cheng County, is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Shandong Province, People's Republic of China, located in the southern part of Shandong Province. The city borders Linyi City to the east, Jining City to the north and west, and Xuzhou City of Jiangsu Province to the south. Situated in the heart of the Huang-Huai Plain and on the southwestern edge of the Shandong Hills, it lies west of Weishan Lake. The northeastern part is hilly, while the western and southern areas consist of lake-retreated plains and transitional depressions. Major rivers include the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, Yijia River, Xue River, Cheng River, Beisha River, and Jie River. The Municipal People's Government is located at No. 2621 Guangming Avenue, Xuecheng District.

Zaozhuang has a long history, having been the site of ancient state capitals such as Teng, Xue, Zhu, Lesser Zhu, Ni, Zeng, Ji, and Biyang. During the Tang and Song dynasties, it developed into a village, named for its abundance of jujube trees. Zaozhuang is China's first "Cross-Strait Exchange Base" and a "National Fitness Yangko City," renowned both domestically and internationally for the Railway Guerrillas and the Battle of Taierzhuang.

2. Origin of the Name

The place name Zaozhuang was first officially used in the "Zhongxing Company Articles of Association" implemented by the Sino-German Zhongxing Coal Mining Company in the first year of the Republic of China (1912). It stated: "The company's main mine is located in Zaozhuang, north of Yi County." After this, the name Zaozhuang gradually gained prominence in society.

3. History

3.1 Prehistoric Civilization

The earliest civilization in Zaozhuang can be traced back to the Beixin Culture site from 7,300 years ago. Archaeological discoveries indicate that humans inhabited the area as early as the Neolithic Age. More than 20 sites from the Dawenkou Culture and Longshan Culture, dating to the late primitive society, have been discovered throughout the city, further proving that human activity in the Zaozhuang region has a long history.

3.2 Ancient History

During the Xia Dynasty, the southern part was the State of Zeng, while the northern and northwestern parts were the States of Teng and Xue. As early as the Qin Dynasty, Yi County was established. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, it became Lanling Commandery, and during the Jin Dynasty, it was changed to Yi Prefecture. It was later downgraded to a county.

3.3 Modern and Contemporary History

During the Republic of China period, the northern part belonged to Teng County, and the southern part to Yi County. In 1878, the Zhongxing Coal Mining Company was established, with its mine located in Zaozhuang Town in the northern part of Yi County, Shandong (now the Shizhong District of Zaozhuang City).

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the area remained divided between Teng County and Yi County. In May 1950, both counties were placed under the administration of the Teng County Special District, governed by Jining. In 1958, the Yi County government relocated to Zaozhuang Town and was renamed the county-level Zaozhuang City. In 1961, the prefecture-level Zaozhuang City was established.

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the urban development focus of Zaozhuang gradually shifted westward. In 2004, the Zaozhuang Municipal Government moved from Shizhong District to Xuecheng District.

4. Geography

Zaozhuang is located in the southwestern part of Shandong Province, at the junction of Shandong, Jiangsu, and Anhui provinces. It spans from 116°48′ to 117°49′ east longitude and 34°27′ to 35°19′ north latitude. To the east, it borders Pingyi County, Fei County, and Cangshan County of Linyi City; to the south, it neighbors Tongshan County and Pizhou City in Jiangsu Province; to the west and north, it adjoins Weishan County and Zoucheng City of Jining City, respectively. The city measures 56 kilometers from east to west and 96 kilometers from north to south, with a total area of 4,563 square kilometers, accounting for 2.97% of the total area of Shandong Province. It experiences a temperate monsoon climate, characterized by cold, dry winters and hot, rainy summers.

Average Meteorological Data for Shizhong District, Zaozhuang City (1981-2010)

| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | |--------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| | Avg. High °C (°F)| 5.1 (41.2) | 8.1 (46.6) | 13.6 (56.5) | 21.0 (69.8) | 26.4 (79.5) | 30.4 (86.7) | 31.2 (88.2) | 30.4 (86.7) | 27.0 (80.6) | 21.6 (70.9) | 13.9 (57.0) | 7.2 (45.0) | 19.7 (67.4) | | Daily Mean °C (°F)| 0.1 (32.2) | 2.8 (37.0) | 8.0 (46.4) | 15.1 (59.2) | 20.7 (69.3) | 24.9 (76.8) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.1 (79.0) | 22.0 (71.6) | 16.1 (61.0) | 8.5 (47.3) | 2.1 (35.8) | 14.4 (58.0) | | Avg. Low °C (°F)| -3.8 (25.2) | -1.4 (29.5) | 3.1 (37.6) | 9.6 (49.3) | 15.2 (59.4) | 20.0 (68.0) | 23.3 (73.9) | 22.5 (72.5) | 17.7 (63.9) | 11.4 (52.5) | 4.2 (39.6) | -1.9 (28.6) | 10.0 (50.0) | | Avg. Precipitation mm (inches)| 15.4 (0.61) | 22.6 (0.89) | 38.3 (1.51) | 69.3 (2.73) | 107.8 (4.24) | 234.9 (9.25) | 179.0 (7.05) | 69.1 (2.72) | 36.9 (1.45) | 23.3 (0.92) | 11.4 (0.45) | 11.4 (0.45) | 820.2 (32.3) | | Avg. Relative Humidity (%)| 61 | 59 | 57 | 58 | 62 | 65 | 79 | 80 | 71 | 66 | 65 | 63 | 66 |

4. Administrative Divisions

Zaozhuang City currently administers 5 municipal districts and manages 1 county-level city on behalf of the province:

• Municipal Districts: Shizhong District, Xuecheng District, Yicheng District, Taierzhuang District, Shanting District
• County-level City: Tengzhou City

| Division Code | Division Name | Chinese Pinyin | Area (sq km) | Resident Population (2020 Census) | Government Seat | Postal Code | Subdistricts | Towns | |-------------------|-------------------|---------------------|------------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------|-----------------|------------------|-----------| | 370400 | Zaozhuang City | Zaozhuang Shi | 4,563.53 | 3,855,601 | Xuecheng District | 277001 | 20 | 44 | | 370402 | Shizhong District | Shizhong Qu | 373.86 | 613,015 | Longshan Road Subdistrict | 277101 | 6 | 5 | | 370403 | Xuecheng District | Xuecheng Qu | 506.50 | 593,590 | Lincheng Subdistrict | 277000 | 5 | 4 | | 370404 | Yicheng District | Yicheng Qu | 636.80 | 362,524 | Tanshan Subdistrict | 277300 | 2 | 5 | | 370405 | Taierzhuang District | Taierzhuang Qu | 531.79 | 305,102 | Yunhe Subdistrict | 277400 | 1 | 5 | | 370406 | Shanting District | Shanting Qu | 1,019.43 | 406,722 | Shancheng Subdistrict | 277200 | 1 | 9 | | 370481 | Tengzhou City | Tengzhou Shi | 1,495.14 | 1,574,648 | Beixin Subdistrict | 277500 | 5 | 16 |

5. Economy

The GDP was 109.28 billion yuan in 2008, 136.204 billion yuan in 2010, 156.168 billion yuan in 2011, and 195.157 billion yuan in 2021.

Zaozhuang's Zhongxing Coal Mine was the first large-scale coal mine in modern China to be independently operated entirely with Chinese national capital. It was the largest privately-owned coal mine operated solely by national capital in old China, and the first joint-stock enterprise in Chinese history. It was also the first mechanized coal mining enterprise, the largest national capital enterprise in modern times, and the only enterprise to have two former presidents of the Republic of China (Xu Shichang and Li Yuanhong) serve as chairman, and two premiers of the Republic of China (Zhou Ziqi and Zhu Guixin) serve as financial supervisors (now the site of Huade Zhongxing Coal Mining Company).

6. Transportation

6.1 Railway

The Beijing-Shanghai Railway and the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway run north-south through the region. The Zaozhuang-Linyi Railway connects the Beijing-Shanghai Railway and the Yanzhou-Shijiusuo Railway, providing an eastern sea access channel for Zaozhuang. Currently, there are two high-speed rail stations: Zaozhuang Station and Tengzhou East Station, and three conventional passenger train stations: Zaozhuang West Station, Zaozhuang East Station, and Tengzhou Station.

6.2 Highway

The G3 Beijing-Taipei Expressway runs from north to south and connects with the S38 Lanhe Expressway in the southern part of Xuecheng District. National Highways 104 and 206 also run in a north-south direction.

6.3 Aviation

Zaozhuang City currently has one airport under construction (Zaozhuang Yiyun Airport). Additionally, it is located approximately 200 kilometers north of Jinan Airport, 60 kilometers south of Xuzhou Airport, and about 100 kilometers from both Linyi Airport and Jining Airport.

6.4 Water Transport

The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal passes through the southern part of the urban area. Supporting infrastructure such as Zaozhuang Port has been renovated and expanded, taking initial shape. The Zaozhuang area boasts five major ports, with throughput increasing year by year. A transportation network integrating railway, highway, and shipping connects to all parts of the country. It is adjacent to the Longhai Railway and four major seaports: Rizhao Port, Rizhao Lanshan Port, Qingdao Port, and Lianyungang Port.

6.5 BRT (Bus Rapid Transit)

On August 1, 2010, the "BRT Urban Rapid Transit" system constructed in Zaozhuang began operation, making Zaozhuang the second city in Shandong Province, after Jinan, to have a BRT system. As of July 1, 2016, the Zaozhuang BRT network consisted of 8 main lines (B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B10, T1, T2) and 3 feeder lines (Route 15, 25, 35), boasting the longest BRT operational mileage in China.

7. Education

7.1 Higher Education Institutions

• Zaozhuang University
• Zaozhuang Vocational College

7.2 Regular Senior High Schools

• Zaozhuang No.1 Middle School
• Tengzhou No.1 Middle School
• Zaozhuang No.3 Middle School
• Zaozhuang No.8 Middle School
• Zaozhuang No.16 Middle School

7.3 Regular Junior High Schools

• Zaozhuang No.15 Middle School
• Zaozhuang No.41 Middle School

8. Population

As of the end of 2022, Zaozhuang City had a permanent resident population of 3.8297 million, of which 2.3250 million were urban residents. The urbanization rate of the permanent resident population was 60.71%, an increase of 0.67 percentage points from the end of the previous year.

According to the Seventh National Population Census in 2020, the city's permanent resident population was 3,855,601. Compared with the 3,729,140 people from the Sixth National Population Census, there was an increase of 126,461 people over the ten-year period, representing a growth of 3.39% and an average annual growth rate of 0.33%. Among them, the male population was 1,978,529, accounting for 51.32% of the total population; the female population was 1,877,072, accounting for 48.68% of the total population. The overall sex ratio (with females as 100) was 105.41. The population aged 0-14 was 866,637, accounting for 22.48% of the total population; the population aged 15-59 was 2,273,751, accounting for 58.97% of the total population; the population aged 60 and above was 715,213, accounting for 18.55% of the total population, of which the population aged 65 and above was 528,256, accounting for 13.7% of the total population. The urban population was 2,287,321, accounting for 59.32% of the total population; the rural population was 1,568,280, accounting for 40.68% of the total population.

According to the Sixth National Population Census in 2010, the city's permanent resident population was 3.7293 million. Compared with the Fifth National Population Census, there was an increase of 182,700 people over the ten-year period. Among them, males numbered 1.9440 million, accounting for 52.13% of the total population; females numbered 1.7853 million, accounting for 47.87% of the total population. The overall sex ratio (with females as 100) was 108.89. The population aged 0-14 was 609,400, accounting for 16.34%; the population aged 15-64 was 2.7686 million, accounting for 74.24%; the population aged 65 and above was 351,200, accounting for 9.42%.

8.1 Ethnic Groups

Among the city's permanent resident population, the Han ethnic group numbered 3,836,807, accounting for 99.51%; ethnic minorities numbered 18,794, accounting for 0.49%. Compared with the Sixth National Population Census in 2010, the Han population increased by 121,878, a growth of 3.28%, with its proportion of the total population decreasing by 0.11 percentage points; the ethnic minority population increased by 4,583, a growth of 32.25%, with its proportion of the total population increasing by 0.11 percentage points.

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9. Sister Cities

• Sprakensehl, Germany
• Mine City, Japan
• New England North West, Australia
• Brockton, United States
• Gochang County, South Korea

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Named after the many jujube trees planted within its territory.

Xuecheng District

Tengzhou City

The Han ethnic group accounts for 99.51% of the population; ethnic minorities account for 0.49%.

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