Xinzhou (忻州)

1. Introduction

Xinzhou City is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China, located in the north-central part of Shanxi Province, on the eastern bank of the Yellow River. The city borders Shuozhou City and Datong City to the north, as well as Hohhot City of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region; it is adjacent to Shijiazhuang City and Baoding City of Hebei Province to the east; it connects with Lüliang City, Taiyuan City, and Yangquan City to the south; and it borders Ordos City of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Yulin City of Shaanxi Province across the Yellow River to the west. Situated in the eastern part of the Loess Plateau, the western region features the Guancen Mountains and Luya Mountains, which are extensions of the Lüliang Mountains; the central area comprises the Yunzhong Mountains and the Xinding Basin; while the eastern part is dominated by the Hengshan Mountains, Wutai Mountains, and Taihang Mountains. The Hutuo River originates from the Wutai Mountains and flows out of the region to the southeast, while the Fen River runs through the central part of the city. The total area of the city is 25,152 square kilometers. One of China's Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains, Mount Wutai, is located in the eastern part of the city and was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2009. Its northern peak, Yedou Peak, stands at an elevation of 3,058 meters, making it the highest point in Shanxi Province. The People's Government of Xinzhou City is located at No. 18 Changzheng East Street, Xinfu District.

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2. History

During the Spring and Autumn period, most of the Xinzhou region belonged to the state of Jin. In the Warring States period, it was part of the state of Zhao. During the Qin and Han dynasties, it fell under the jurisdictions of Taiyuan, Yanmen, Taiping, and other commanderies. In the Sui dynasty, it was part of the Xinxing and Yanmen commanderies. Throughout the Tang, Five Dynasties, and Song periods, it was administered as Xinzhou Yanmen Commandery. During the Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, it was governed as Xinzhou, Daizhou, and Baodezhou. In the early Republic of China, it belonged to Yanmen Circuit and was later assigned to the First and Second Commissioner Offices of Shanxi. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the Xinxian Special District was formed. At the end of 1958, it merged with the Yanbei Special District to form the Jinbei Special District, and in 1961, the Xinxian Special District was re-established. In 1970, the special district was renamed a region, and in 1978, the region was changed to an administrative office. On June 14, 2000, with the approval of the State Council, the Xinzhou Region and the county-level Xinzhou City were abolished, and the prefecture-level Xinzhou City was established.

3. Geography

3.1 Natural Resources

Xinzhou has proven reserves of over 50 types of minerals. Among these, coal reserves amount to 80 billion tons, accounting for 13% of the province's total; bauxite reserves are 250 million tons, representing 27% of the province; iron ore reserves total 1.8 billion tons, making up 48% of the province; gold reserves are 19,000 kilograms, constituting 74% of the province; and titanium ore reserves are 76 million tons, ranking as the second-largest deposit in the country.

3.2 Climate

| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual | |------------------|-----------|-----------|------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|-----------|-----------|------------|------------| | Avg High °C | 0.0 | 4.1 | 10.6 | 19.7 | 25.9 | 28.8 | 29.1 | 27.5 | 23.5 | 17.3 | 8.0 | 1.3 | 16.3 | | Avg High °F | 32.0 | 39.4 | 51.1 | 67.5 | 78.6 | 83.8 | 84.4 | 81.5 | 74.3 | 63.1 | 46.4 | 34.3 | 61.4 | | Daily Mean °C| -9.1 | -4.3 | 2.9 | 11.8 | 18.3 | 21.7 | 22.8 | 20.9 | 15.4 | 8.7 | 0.1 | -7.1 | 8.5 | | Daily Mean °F| 15.6 | 24.3 | 37.2 | 53.2 | 64.9 | 71.1 | 73.0 | 69.6 | 59.7 | 47.7 | 32.2 | 19.2 | 47.3 | | Avg Low °C | -15.8 | -10.8 | -3.4 | 3.6 | 10.0 | 14.2 | 17.0 | 15.2 | 8.7 | 2.1 | -5.8 | -13.2 | 1.8 | | Avg Low °F | 3.6 | 12.6 | 25.9 | 38.5 | 50.0 | 57.6 | 62.6 | 59.4 | 47.7 | 35.8 | 21.6 | 8.2 | 35.3 | | Avg Precip mm| 2.6 | 4.0 | 12.0 | 18.1 | 35.8 | 62.7 | 99.5 | 101.2 | 55.0 | 24.4 | 10.1 | 2.5 | 427.9 | | Avg Precip in| 0.10 | 0.16 | 0.47 | 0.71 | 1.41 | 2.47 | 3.92 | 3.98 | 2.17 | 0.96 | 0.40 | 0.10 | 16.85 | | Avg Humidity %| 55 | 51 | 51 | 44 | 47 | 60 | 76 | 81 | 78 | 68 | 64 | 61 | 61 |

4. Administrative Divisions

Xinzhou City currently administers 1 district, 12 counties, and oversees 1 county-level city on behalf of the province.

• District: Xinfu District
• County-level City: Yuanping City
• Counties: Dingxiang County, Wutai County, Dai County, Fanshi County, Ningwu County, Jingle County, Shenchi County, Wuzhai County, Kelan County, Hequ County, Baode County, Pianguan County

| Division Code | Division Name | Hanyu Pinyin | Area (km²) | Resident Population (2020 Census) | Government Seat | Postal Code | Subdistricts | Towns | Townships | |-------------------|---------------------|----------------------|----------------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------|-----------------|------------------|-----------|---------------| | 140900 | Xinzhou City | Xinzhōu Shi | 25,151.55 | 2,689,668 | Xinfu District | 034000 | 9 | 65 | 115 | | 140902 | Xinfu District | Xinfū Qù | 1,986.53 | 577,089 | Xiurong Subdistrict | 034000 | 6 | 6 | 7 | | 140921 | Dingxiang County| Dingxiang Xiàn | 850.52 | 193,997 | Jinchang Town | 035400 | 3 | 6 | 6 | | 140922 | Wutai County | Wǔtāi Xiàn | 2,864.95 | 233,228 | Taicheng Town | 035500 | 7 | 12 | 12 | | 140923 | Dai County | Dài Xiàn | 1,728.91 | 178,870 | Shangguan Town | 034200 | 7 | 4 | 4 | | 140924 | Fanshi County | Fánshi Xiàn | 2,372.57 | 250,409 | Fancheng Town | 034300 | 4 | 9 | 9 | | 140925 | Ningwu County | Ningwú Xiàn | 1,944.21 | 136,470 | Fenghuang Town | 036700 | 4 | 10 | 10 | | 140926 | Jingle County | Jingle Xiàn | 2,036.57 | 119,277 | Echeng Town | 035100 | 4 | 10 | 10 | | 140927 | Shenchi County | Shénchi Xiàn | 1,470.75 | 75,757 | Longquan Town | 036100 | 3 | 7 | 7 | | 140928 | Wuzhai County | Wǔzhai Xiàn | 1,387.61 | 100,220 | Yancheng Town | 036200 | 3 | 9 | 9 | | 140929 | Kelan County | Kēlán Xiàn | 1,980.31 | 69,324 | Lanhu Town | 036300 | 2 | 10 | 10 | | 140930 | Hequ County | Héqū Xiàn | 1,317.22 | 123,505 | Xikou Town | 036500 | 6 | 6 | 6 | | 140931 | Baode County | Bǎodé Xiàn | 994.70 | 144,218 | Dongguan Town | 036600 | 4 | 9 | 9 | | 140932 | Pianguan County | Piānguān Xiàn | 1,666.75 | 73,382 | Xinguan Town | 036400 | 5 | 5 | 5 | | 140981 | Yuanping City | Yuánpíng Shì | 2,549.95 | 413,922 | Beicheng Subdistrict | 034100 | 3 | 7 | 11 |

5. Economy

Xinzhou is an underdeveloped region, with 11 counties designated as national key counties for poverty alleviation and development. Leveraging its abundant energy and mineral resources, the city has initially established an industrial system encompassing coal, electricity, metallurgy, chemical engineering, and equipment manufacturing. After the integration of coal resources, 81 coal mines have been retained.

6. Transportation

Railway Transportation: Datong-Xi'an Passenger Dedicated Line, Beijing-Yuanping Railway, Datong-Puzhou Railway, Hancheng-Yuanping Railway, Shuozhou-Huanghua Railway, Ningwu-Kelan Railway, and Xinzhou-Hequ Railway Highways: National Highway 108, National Highway 208, and National Highway 337 pass through the area.

7. Education

• Universities: Xinzhou Teachers College, Xinzhou Vocational and Technical College
• High Schools: Xinzhou No. 1 Middle School, Xinzhou Teachers College Affiliated Middle School, Xinzhou Experimental Middle School, Xinzhou No. 10 Middle School, Fanting Middle School
• Middle Schools: Xinzhou No. 5 Middle School, Xinzhou No. 6 Middle School, Xinzhou No. 7 Middle School, Xinzhou No. 11 Middle School, Xinzhou No. 12 Middle School, Xinzhou No. 13 Middle School, Xinzhou Experimental Middle School, Xinzhou Teachers College Affiliated Middle School, Xinzhou Beifang Middle School

8. Population

By the end of 2022, the permanent resident population of Xinzhou City was 2.6556 million, a decrease of 7,600 from the end of the previous year. Among them, the urban permanent resident population was 1.4696 million, accounting for 55.34% of the total permanent resident population.

According to the Seventh National Population Census in 2020, the city's permanent resident population was 2,689,668. Compared with the 3,067,503 people from the Sixth National Population Census, there was a total decrease of 377,835 people over the ten years, a decline of 12.32%, with an average annual growth rate of -1.31%. Among them, the male population was 1,384,527, accounting for 51.48% of the total population; the female population was 1,305,141, accounting for 48.52% of the total population. The overall sex ratio (with females as 100) was 106.08. The population aged 0–14 was 428,424, accounting for 15.93% of the total population; the population aged 15–59 was 1,650,182, accounting for 61.35% of the total population; the population aged 60 and above was 611,062, accounting for 22.72% of the total population, of which the population aged 65 and above was 428,457, accounting for 15.93% of the total population. The population residing in urban areas was 1,446,429, accounting for 53.78% of the total population; the population residing in rural areas was 1,243,239, accounting for 46.22% of the total population.

8.1. Ethnic Groups

Among the city's permanent resident population, the Han ethnic population was 2,684,720, accounting for 99.82%; the population of various ethnic minorities was 4,948, accounting for 0.18%. Compared with the Sixth National Population Census in 2010, the Han ethnic population decreased by 379,608, a decline of 12.39%, with its proportion of the total population decreasing by 0.08 percentage points; the population of various ethnic minorities increased by 1,773, a growth of 55.84%, with its proportion of the total population increasing by 0.08 percentage points.

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9. Culture

National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units

• Main Hall of Nanchan Temple
• Foguang Temple
• Site of Norman Bethune Model Ward
• Yanshan Temple
• Ancient Architectural Complex of Mount Wutai
• Mahavira Hall of Guangji Temple
• Ashoka Pagoda
• Bianjing Tower
• Hongfu Temple
• Jindong Temple
• Guanwang Temple in Dingxiang
• Yanqing Temple
• Sansheng Temple
• Confucian Temple in Daixian County
• Princess Temple
• Secret Temple
• Former Residence of Xu Xiangqian
• Site of Tunnel Warfare at Xihetou
• Mahavira Hall of Zhengjue Temple in Fanshi
• Huiji Temple in Yuanping
• Luohou Temple
• Yan Family Compound
• Site of the Eighth Route Army Headquarters at Nanru
• Great Wall—Yanmen Pass

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Emperor Gaozu of Han escaped the siege of Pingcheng and returned with his army to this place, where the six armies rejoiced, hence the name.

Xinfu District

Xinfu District

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Sophora japonica

Lilac