Guangyuan (广元)

1. Introduction

Guangyuan City, historically known as Lizhou, is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China, located in the northern part of Sichuan Province. The city borders Bazhong City to the east, Nanchong City to the south, Mianyang City to the west, and Longnan City in Gansu Province and Hanzhong City in Shaanxi Province to the north. Situated at the junction of Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces, on the northern edge of the Sichuan Basin, it lies at the center of Xi'an, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Lanzhou, at the southern foothills of the Micang Mountains and Daba Mountains, and in the upper reaches of the Jialing River. The city covers a total area of 16,319 square kilometers with a population of 2.63 million. The municipal people's government is located in Lizhou District. Guangyuan has long been known as the "Gateway to Northern Sichuan" and is a modern emerging city characterized by its landscape gardens.

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2. History

In the 9th year of the reign of King Huiwen of Qin (316 BCE), the Qin state annexed the Ju state and established Jiameng County within its territory. The Qin Dynasty and the two Han Dynasties continued the administrative system of Jiameng County. In the 22nd year of the Jian'an era of the Eastern Han Dynasty (217 CE), Liu Bei renamed Jiameng County to Hanshou County. During the Western Jin Dynasty, it was changed to Jinshou County. In the 15th year of the Taiyuan era of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (390 CE), Xing'an County was established from part of Jinshou County, with its seat in present-day Guangyuan urban area, and Jinshou Commandery was also established. Jinshou County was renamed Yichang County, with both the commandery and county seats located in present-day Zhaohua Town. During the Datong era of the Southern Liang Dynasty, Li Prefecture was established. In the 3rd year of the reign of Emperor Fei of Western Wei (554 CE), Li Prefecture was renamed Li Prefecture.

At the beginning of the Sui Dynasty's Kaihuang era, Jinshou Commandery was abolished. In the 18th year of the Kaihuang era (598 CE), Xing'an County was renamed Miangu County. At the beginning of the Daye era, Li Prefecture was renamed Yicheng Commandery, with its seat in Miangu County. In the 1st year of the Wude era of the Tang Dynasty (618 CE), Yicheng Commandery was renamed Li Prefecture, belonging to the Shannan West Circuit. During the Song Dynasty, Li Prefecture was part of the Lizhou Circuit. In the 5th year of the Kaibao era of the Northern Song Dynasty (972 CE), Emperor Taizu of Song renamed Yichang County to Zhaohua County, meaning "to proclaim the imperial grace and transform the people." In the 14th year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty (1277 CE), Guangyuan Route was established, and Miangu County was renamed Guangyuan County. The Unified Gazetteer of the Great Ming records: "In the Book of Changes, it is said 'vastness matches heaven and earth'; in the Spring and Autumn Annals, 'one' is called 'yuan,' signifying expansion." In the 24th year of the Zhiyuan era (1287 CE), Jiameng County was merged into Zhaohua County. In the 4th year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1371 CE), Guangyuan Route was renamed Guangyuan Prefecture; in the 9th year of the Hongwu era (1376 CE), it was downgraded to a department; in the 22nd year (1389 CE), it was further downgraded to Guangyuan County, belonging to Baoning Prefecture, and Miangu County was abolished. The Qing Dynasty followed the Ming system. In the 2nd year of the Republic of China (1913 CE), Guangyuan County belonged to the North Sichuan Circuit, and in 1914, it was part of the Jialing Circuit. In 1935, the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army established a Soviet government in Guangyuan and five other counties. In the 24th year of the Republic of China (1935 CE), the 14th Administrative Inspection District of Sichuan Province was established, and Guangyuan County was part of it.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Guangyuan County belonged to the Jiange Special District of the North Sichuan Administrative Region, with the administrative office located in Guangyuan County. In 1952, it became the Guangyuan Special District of Sichuan Province. In 1953, Guangyuan Special District was merged into the Mianyang Special District. In March 1959, Zhaohua County was abolished and merged into Guangyuan County. In 1968, Mianyang Special District was renamed Mianyang Region. In February 1985, Guangyuan County was abolished, and the prefecture-level Guangyuan City was established; the former Guangyuan County became the Central District of Guangyuan City; Wangcang, Qingchuan, and Jiange counties, originally part of Mianyang Region, were incorporated. In September, Cangxi County from the Nanchong Region was incorporated. In May 1989, Yuanba and Chaotian districts were established from the Central District. In March 2007, the Central District was renamed Lizhou District. On May 12, 2008, the Wenchuan earthquake occurred, with the subordinate Qingchuan County being a severely affected area, and the entire county seat was reduced to ruins. In April 2013, Yuanba District was renamed Zhaohua District.

3. Geography

Guangyuan City Meteorological Data (1981–2010)

| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | |--------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| | Avg high °C (°F)| 9.7 (49.5) | 12.1 (53.8) | 16.7 (62.1) | 22.7 (72.9) | 27.5 (81.5) | 29.9 (85.8) | 31.2 (88.2) | 30.8 (87.4) | 26.0 (78.8) | 21.0 (69.8) | 16.2 (61.2) | 10.7 (51.3) | 21.2 (70.2) | | Daily mean °C (°F)| 5.4 (41.7) | 7.8 (46.0) | 11.8 (53.2) | 17.0 (62.6) | 21.6 (70.9) | 24.6 (76.3) | 26.2 (79.2) | 25.6 (78.1) | 21.4 (70.5) | 16.6 (61.9) | 11.6 (52.9) | 6.6 (43.9) | 16.3 (61.4) | | Avg low °C (°F)| 2.3 (36.1) | 4.6 (40.3) | 8.1 (46.6) | 12.7 (54.9) | 17.1 (62.8) | 20.5 (68.9) | 22.5 (72.5) | 22.0 (71.6) | 18.4 (65.1) | 13.8 (56.8) | 8.5 (47.3) | 3.6 (38.5) | 12.8 (55.1) | | Avg precipitation mm (inches)| 4.3 (0.17) | 8.3 (0.33) | 16.0 (0.63) | 45.7 (1.80) | 88.7 (3.49) | 112.2 (4.42) | 256.6 (10.10) | 170.5 (6.71) | 158.9 (6.26) | 46.4 (1.83) | 17.5 (0.69) | 3.8 (0.15) | 928.9 (36.58) | | Avg relative humidity (%)| 64 | 64 | 62 | 63 | 63 | 68 | 75 | 75 | 76 | 74 | 69 | 66 | 68 |

4. Administrative Divisions

Guangyuan City administers 3 municipal districts and 4 counties.

• Municipal Districts: Lizhou District, Zhaohua District, Chaotian District
• Counties: Wangcang County, Qingchuan County, Jiange County, Cangxi County

Additionally, the Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve, located within Qingchuan County, is a deputy-county-level institution directly under the Sichuan Provincial Forestry Department.

| Division Code | Division Name | Hanyu Pinyin | Area (km²) | Resident Population (2020 Census) | Government Seat | Postal Code | Subdistricts | Towns | Townships | Of which: Ethnic Townships | |-------------------|-------------------|------------------|----------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------|-----------------|------------------|-----------|---------------|-------------------------------| | 510800 | Guangyuan City | Guǎngyuán Shì | 16,318.71 | 2,305,657 | Lizhou District | 628000 | 9 | 113 | 21 | 2 | | 510802 | Lizhou District | Lìzhōu Qū | 1,533.76 | 621,978 | Dongba Subdistrict | 628000 | 5 | 3 | | | | 510811 | Zhaohua District | Zhāohuà Qū | 1,433.72 | 134,202 | Yuanba Town | 628000 | | 12 | | | | 510812 | Chaotian District | Cháotiān Qū | 1,613.04 | 126,506 | Chaotian Town | 628000 | | 10 | 2 | | | 510821 | Wangcang County | Wàngcāng Xiàn | 2,987.17 | 330,108 | Donghe Town | 628200 | | 21 | 2 | | | 510822 | Qingchuan County | Qīngchuān Xiàn | 3,214.57 | 156,387 | Qiaozhuang Town | 628100 | | 12 | 8 | 2 | | 510823 | Jiange County | Jiàngé Xiàn | 3,202.83 | 423,859 | Xiasi Town | 628300 | | 28 | 2 | | | 510824 | Cangxi County | Cāngxī Xiàn | 2,333.62 | 512,617 | Lingjiang Town | 628400 | | 25 | 6 | |

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5. Transportation

The Baoji-Chengdu Railway and the Xi'an-Chengdu Passenger Dedicated Line run north-south through Guangyuan, forming a cross intersection with the Lanzhou-Chongqing Railway that traverses southeast to northwest. National Highways 108 and 212 intersect within the region. The G5 Mianyang-Guangyuan Expressway has been fully opened to traffic. The Guangyuan-Bazhong Expressway, Guangyuan-Ningqiang (Shaanxi) Expressway, Guangyuan-Nanchong Expressway, Guangyuan-Gansu Expressway, and the Chengdu-Guangyuan-Xi'an High-Speed Railway are all under construction. Guangyuan Airport operates multiple direct flights to cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Shanghai. The Jialing River waterway provides access to Chongqing.

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6. Population

At the end of 2023, the permanent resident population of Guangyuan City was 2.249 million, including 1.1148 million urban residents and 1.1342 million rural residents.

According to the Seventh National Population Census in 2020, the city's permanent resident population was 2,305,657. Compared with the 2,484,122 people from the Sixth National Population Census, the population decreased by 178,465 over the ten years, a decline of 7.18%, with an average annual growth rate of -0.74%. Among them, the male population was 1,153,365, accounting for 50.02% of the total population; the female population was 1,152,292, accounting for 49.98% of the total population. The sex ratio of the total population (with females as 100) was 100.09. The population aged 0–14 was 354,300, accounting for 15.37% of the total population; the population aged 15–59 was 1,386,435, accounting for 60.13% of the total population; the population aged 60 and above was 564,922, accounting for 24.5% of the total population, of which the population aged 65 and above was 433,802, accounting for 18.81% of the total population. The urban population was 1,084,525, accounting for 47.04% of the total population; the rural population was 1,221,132, accounting for 52.96% of the total population.

6.1 Ethnic Groups

Among the city's permanent resident population, the Han ethnic population was 2,287,563, accounting for 99.22%; the population of various ethnic minorities was 18,094, accounting for 0.78%. Compared with the Sixth National Population Census in 2010, the Han ethnic population decreased by 186,489, a decline of 7.54%, with its proportion of the total population decreasing by 0.38 percentage points; the population of various ethnic minorities increased by 8,024, a growth of 79.68%, with its proportion of the total population increasing by 0.38 percentage points.

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Lizhou District

Lizhou District

The Han ethnic group accounts for 99.22% of the population; ethnic minorities account for 0.78%.

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