Luan (六安)

1. Introduction

Lu'an City, also known as Gaocheng, is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Anhui Province, People's Republic of China, located in the western part of Anhui Province. The city borders Hefei City to the east, Anqing City to the south, Huanggang City of Hubei Province to the southwest, Xinyang City of Henan Province to the northwest, Fuyang City to the north, and Huainan City to the northeast. Situated in the mountainous region of western Anhui, on the hilly terrain at the northern foot of the Dabie Mountains, the terrain is higher in the southwest and lower in the northeast, with the central part of the city forming the watershed between the Yangtze River Basin and the Huai River Basin. Rivers such as the Pi River, Shi River, Feng River, and Dongfei River flow primarily in a north-south direction, with five major reservoirs—Meishan, Xianghongdian, Foziling, Mozitan, and Longhekou—built in their upper reaches. The city covers a total area of 15,451 square kilometers, with a permanent population of approximately 4.38 million. The Municipal People's Government is located on Foziling Middle Road, Jin'an District. Lu'an is a major grain and tea production base in the province, renowned for its tea, particularly Lu'an Guapian and Huoshan Huangya.

nix

2. History

As early as the Neolithic Age, human activities were present in Lu'an. In ancient times, it is said that Gao Yao, the legendary founder of China's judicial system in remote antiquity, had his fief here, and his clan lived and multiplied in this area. Hence, Lu'an is also known as Gaocheng (City of Gao).

During the Xia and Shang dynasties, Lu (an ancient name for the area) was a state south of the Huai River. By the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn period, the region was dotted with various feudal states, mainly including the states of Ying, Lu, Liao, and the various Shu states. During the Warring States period, the Lu'an area was repeatedly contested between the states of Wu and Chu until the unification by the state of Qin.

In the Qin Dynasty, the Lu'an area was divided between Hengshan Commandery and Jiujiang Commandery. Most of the Huoshan and Shucheng regions in the southeast belonged to Hengshan Commandery, where Qian County was established. The rest of the area belonged to Jiujiang Commandery, divided among Lu, Anfeng, and Shouchun counties. After the fall of Qin, Xiang Yu, in 206 BC, granted Ying Bu the title of King of Jiujiang, with his capital at Lu County.

In the fourth year of Emperor Gaozu of the Western Han Dynasty (203 BC), Liu Bang granted Ying Bu the title of King of Huainan, still with his capital at Lu County. In the eleventh year of Emperor Gaozu (196 BC), Ying Bu rebelled and died. Liu Chang was then granted the title of King of Huainan, with his capital at Shouchun. In the sixteenth year of Emperor Wen (164 BC), the states of Hengshan and Lujiang were separated from the Kingdom of Huainan. In the second year of the Yuanshou era (121 BC), Emperor Wu of Han changed the Kingdom of Hengshan to the Kingdom of Lu'an. One theory says the name was derived from the meaning "peace in the Lu area," while another suggests it combined the first characters of the counties within its territory: Lu, Anfeng, and Anfeng. Simultaneously, the royal capital Lu County was changed to Lu'an County, marking the origin of the name "Lu'an."

During the Xin Dynasty, Wang Mang's reforms changed the Kingdom of Lu'an to Anfeng Commandery and Anfeng County to Meifeng County. After the collapse of the Xin Dynasty, the original names were gradually restored.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Lu'an was divided between Jiujiang Commandery and Lujiang Commandery. During the Three Kingdoms period, it belonged to the state of Wei. In the Western Jin Dynasty, it was divided between Anfeng Commandery of Yuzhou and Huainan Commandery and Lujiang Commandery of Yangzhou. During the Upheaval of the Five Barbarians and the southward migration of northern people, the Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties extensively established "qiao" (settler) commanderies and counties in the Lu'an area. During the Southern Qi Dynasty, Lu'an was divided between Yuzhou and Nanyuzhou, with Lujiang Commandery, Kaihua County, Qian County, Shu County, Meng County, and Songzi County established within its territory. During the Southern Liang Dynasty, Huozhou and Yue'an Commandery were established in Huoshan. The Northern Qi Dynasty abolished Huozhou.

In the Sui Dynasty, the Lu'an area was divided between Luzhou and Shouzhou. In the early years of the Kaihuang era (581 AD), Huoshan County was established, and in the nineteenth year of Kaihuang (599 AD), Huoqiu County was established. Emperor Yang of Sui changed the prefectures (zhou) into commanderies (jun), and the area was divided between Lujiang Commandery and Huainan Commandery.

In the early Tang Dynasty, commanderies were changed back to prefectures, and Lu'an was divided between Luzhou and Shouzhou. In the twenty-third year of the Kaiyuan era (735 AD), Shucheng County was established, and in the twenty-seventh year (739 AD), Sheng Tang County was established.

In the early Northern Song Dynasty, Lu'an County was established, belonging to Shouzhou. In the first year of the Chonghe era (1118 AD), Lu'an County was elevated to Lu'an Army, directly under the Huainan West Circuit.

During the Yuan Dynasty, it was divided between Anfeng Route and Luzhou Route of Henan Jiangbei Province. In the twenty-eighth year of the Zhiyuan era (1291 AD), Lu'an Prefecture was established, governing Lu'an and Yingshan counties, and belonging to Luzhou Route. During the Ming Dynasty, the north belonged to Shouzhou of Fengyang Prefecture, and the south belonged to Lu'an Prefecture of Luzhou Prefecture. In the seventh year of the Hongzhi era (1494 AD), Huoshan County was re-established within Lu'an Prefecture. In the second year of the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty (1724 AD), Lu'an Prefecture was elevated to a directly-administered prefecture under the direct jurisdiction of Anhui Province.

After the establishment of the Republic of China, prefectures and superior prefectures were abolished, retaining only counties. Lu'an Prefecture was changed to Lu'an County, and together with Huoqiu, Huoshan, Shucheng, Yingshan, Shou County, etc., it came directly under Anhui Province. From the 3rd to the 17th year of the Republic of China (1914–1928), Shucheng, Lu'an, and Huoshan belonged to the Anqing Circuit, while Huoqiu belonged to the Huaisi Circuit. In the 21st year of the Republic of China (1932), Shou County and Huoqiu belonged to the Fourth Administrative Inspection District of Anhui Province, while Lu'an, Shucheng, and Huoshan County belonged to the Third Administrative Inspection District. In October of the same year, parts of Huoshan, Huoqiu, Lu'an, Shangcheng, Gushi, and other counties were used to establish Lihuang County. In November of the same year, Yingshan was transferred to Hubei Province. During the War of Resistance against Japan, the Anhui Provincial Government was temporarily located in Lihuang County.

In September 1947, Lihuang County was renamed Jinzhai County, and in October, the Western Anhui Administrative Office was established. In January 1949, Lu'an was liberated. In April, the Lu'an Regional Commissioner's Office was established, governing Lu'an, Huoshan, Shucheng, Shou County, Huoqiu, Jinzhai, and other counties. Subsequently, Feixi County was twice incorporated into Lu'an Special District: in February 1952 and April 1961, and was then transferred to Hefei City in June 1958 and June 1983, respectively. Lujiang County was incorporated into Lu'an Special District in July 1958 and transferred to Chaohu Special District in July 1965. In March 1971, it was changed to the Lu'an Administrative Office. In 1978, based on the county seat and suburbs of Lu'an County, the county-level Lu'an City was established. In December 1992, Lu'an County was merged into the county-level Lu'an City. In September 1999, Lu'an Prefecture was abolished and the prefecture-level Lu'an City was established. The former county-level Lu'an City was divided into Jin'an District and Yu'an District. In March 2000, the prefecture-level Lu'an City was officially established. On October 12, 2015, based on the Yeji Reform and Development Pilot Zone established in Huoqiu County in 1998, the Yeji District of Lu'an City was established. On December 3, Shou County of Lu'an City was placed under the jurisdiction of Huainan City.

Historically, the seat of Lu'an Prefecture was located by the river on the west side of Lu'an City. The walls of Lu'an Prefecture city had four main gates: the East Gate (Chaojing Gate), the South Gate (Desheng Gate), the West Gate (Tongji Gate), and the North Gate (Wuding Gate). For convenience, there were also two side gates: the Kuixing Pavilion on the southeastern city wall and the Bianchu Gate by the river on the northwest side. The prefectural seat, i.e., the government administrative机构 of Lu'an Prefecture at that time, was established near the Drum Tower next to the Bianchu Gate.

In early 2007, the tomb of Liu Qing, the King of Lu'an, was discovered at the construction site of the Hefei-Wuhan High-Speed Railway.

3. Geography

Lu'an City is located between 115°20′–117°14′ east longitude and 31°01′–32°40′ north latitude, with mountainous terrain in the south and plains in the north, where heat and water resources are well-matched.

Lu'an experiences four distinct seasons, a mild climate, moderate rainfall, ample sunshine, and a long frost-free period. Annual sunshine hours range from 2,000 to 2,300, with an average annual temperature of 15.6°C. The average annual rainfall is approximately 1,100 mm, mainly concentrated from May to August, accounting for 55% of the total annual precipitation.

| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual | |-------------------------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|----------|----------|----------|---------|---------|---------|---------|----------------| | Record high °C | 22.5 | 26.9 | 32.5 | 34.7 | 37.6 | 38.4 | 40.6 | 39.4 | 40 | 34.1 | 30 | 23.8 | 40.6 | | Record high °F | 72.5 | 80.4 | 90.5 | 94.5 | 99.7 | 101.1 | 105.1 | 102.9 | 104 | 93.4 | 86 | 74.8 | 105.1 | | Average high °C | 6.8 | 8.8 | 13.3 | 20.9 | 26 | 29.1 | 32.1 | 31.6 | 26.8 | 21.8 | 15.5 | 9.7 | 20.2 | | Average high °F | 44.2 | 47.8 | 55.9 | 69.6 | 78.8 | 84.4 | 89.8 | 88.9 | 80.2 | 71.2 | 59.9 | 49.5 | 68.4 | | Daily mean °C | 2.6 | 4.5 | 9.1 | 16 | 21.2 | 24.8 | 27.8 | 27.2 | 22.4 | 17 | 10.6 | 4.9 | 15.7 | | Daily mean °F | 36.7 | 40.1 | 48.4 | 60.8 | 70.2 | 76.6 | 82 | 81 | 72.3 | 62.6 | 51.1 | 40.8 | 60.2 | | Average low °C | −0.5 | 1.3 | 5.5 | 11.7 | 17 | 21.2 | 24.4 | 23.9 | 18.9 | 13.2 | 6.7 | 1.4 | 12.1 | | Average low °F | 31.1 | 34.3 | 41.9 | 53.1 | 62.6 | 70.2 | 75.9 | 75 | 66 | 55.8 | 44.1 | 34.5 | 53.7 | | Record low °C | −13.6 | −11.6 | −3.1 | 0.2 | 8 | 12.1 | 18 | 16.8 | 10.7 | 1.7 | −4.7 | −11.7 | −13.6 | | Record low °F | 7.5 | 11.1 | 26.4 | 32.4 | 46.4 | 53.8 | 64.4 | 62.2 | 51.3 | 35.1 | 23.5 | 10.9 | 7.5 | | Average precipitation mm | 40.5 | 54.7 | 86.5 | 83.8 | 113.9 | 162.3 | 185.6 | 137.3 | 83.4 | 77.3 | 55.2 | 27.3 | 1,107.80 | | Average precipitation inches | 1.59 | 2.15 | 3.41 | 3.3 | 4.48 | 6.39 | 7.31 | 5.41 | 3.28 | 3.04 | 2.17 | 1.07 | 43.6 | | Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 8.6 | 8.8 | 13 | 11.3 | 11.6 | 12.1 | 13 | 11.2 | 10.4 | 9.2 | 8 | 6.4 | 123.6 |

4. Administrative Divisions

Lu'an City administers 3 municipal districts and 4 counties.

• Municipal Districts: Jin'an District, Yu'an District, Yeji District
• Counties: Huoqiu County, Shucheng County, Jinzhai County, Huoshan County

| Division Code | Division Name | Chinese Pinyin | Area (km²) | Resident Population (2020 Census) | Government Seat | Postal Code | Subdistricts | Towns | Townships | |-------------------|-------------------|-------------------------|----------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------|-----------------|------------------|-----------|---------------| | 341500 | Lu'an City | Lù'ān Shì | 15,450.82 | 4,393,699 | Jin'an District | 237000 | 10 | 87 | 43 | | 341502 | Jin'an District | Jīn'ān Qū | 1,668.54 | 829,236 | Wangcheng Subdistrict | 237000 | 5 | 11 | 6 | | 341503 | Yu'an District | Yù'ān Qū | 1,907.95 | 923,301 | Pingqiao Township | 237000 | 3 | 12 | 7 | | 341504 | Yeji District | Yèjí Qū | 562.45 | 216,229 | Shihe Subdistrict | 237400 | 2 | 3 | 1 | | 341522 | Huoqiu County | Huòqiū Xiàn | 3,239.66 | 944,985 | Chengguan Town | 237400 | | 21 | 9 | | 341523 | Shucheng County | Shūchéng Xiàn | 2,109.51 | 697,250 | Chengguan Town | 231300 | | 15 | 6 | | 341524 | Jinzhai County | Jīnzhài Xiàn | 3,918.96 | 496,501 | Meishan Town | 237300 | | 12 | 11 | | 341525 | Huoshan County | Huòshān Xiàn | 2,043.76 | 286,197 | Hengshan Town | 237200 | | 13 | 3 |

5. Economy

In the process of continuous industrial upgrading in the Yangtze River Delta and Anhui's participation in the Pan-Yangtze River Delta cooperation, Lu'an City, as a crucial axis in the Wanjiang City Belt for undertaking the westward shift of industries from the eastern regions, plays a significant role in connecting the east and the west. Focusing on building the Lu'an Industrial Undertaking Concentration Zone along the Hefei-Lu'an Industrial Corridor, Lu'an integrates into the "one axis, two wings" industrial development strategy centered on Hefei, making it an important component of the Hefei Economic Circle.

In 2011, the city achieved a total agricultural output value of 32.25 billion yuan, with industrial added value from large-scale industries reaching 32.57 billion yuan. The city completed fixed asset investments totaling 55.81 billion yuan. The per capita disposable income of urban residents was 17,095 yuan, with per capita consumption expenditure at 12,993 yuan. The per capita net income of rural residents was 5,643 yuan.

6. Transportation

The region is served by National Highways 312, 237, 206, and 105, as well as the Hefei-Jiujiang and Nanjing-Xi'an railways. Under construction are the G40 Shanghai-Xi'an Expressway, G35 Jinan-Guangzhou Expressway, G45 Lu'an-Wuhan Expressway, and the Hefei-Fuyang Expressway. The Nanjing-Xi'an Railway and the high-speed electrified Hefei-Wuhan Railway (also known as the Shanghai-Wuhan-Chengdu Railway) pass through Lu'an. Additionally, the Fuyang-Lu'an Railway, which will extend directly to Shantou, is set to begin construction soon. This railway starts in Fuyang, Anhui, and passes through Lu'an, Anqing, Jingdezhen, Yingtan, Jinxi, Nancheng, Nanfeng, Guangchang, Ningdu, Ruijin, Huichang, Xunwu, Meizhou, and Shantou. In the north, the Huai River waterway provides direct access to the Yangtze River.

Hefei Xinqiao International Airport is located at the border between Lu'an and Hefei, just over 40 kilometers from downtown Lu'an. As a 4E-class international airport, Xinqiao International Airport aims to handle approximately 9.5 million passengers, 122,400 tons of cargo, and 100,400 aircraft movements annually by 2020, with a peak-hour capacity of 3,400 passengers.

nix

7. Population

At the end of 2022, the city's resident population was 4.379 million, a decrease of 26,000 from the end of the previous year. The urbanization rate of the resident population was 50.5%, an increase of 1.0 percentage points.

According to the Seventh National Population Census in 2020, the city's resident population was 4,393,699. Compared with the 4,603,585 people from the Sixth National Population Census, there was a total decrease of 209,886 people over the ten years, a decline of 4.56%, with an average annual growth rate of -0.47%. Among them, the male population was 2,257,485, accounting for 51.38% of the total population; the female population was 2,136,214, accounting for 48.62% of the total population. The sex ratio of the total population (with females as 100) was 105.68. The population aged 0–14 was 814,090, accounting for 18.53% of the total population; the population aged 15–59 was 2,645,572, accounting for 60.21% of the total population; the population aged 60 and above was 934,037, accounting for 21.26% of the total population, of which the population aged 65 and above was 740,901, accounting for 16.86% of the total population. The urban population was 2,130,346, accounting for 48.49% of the total population; the rural population was 2,263,353, accounting for 51.51% of the total population.

7.1. Ethnic Groups

Among the city's resident population, the Han ethnic group population was 4,377,775, accounting for 99.64%; the population of various ethnic minorities was 15,924, accounting for 0.36%. Compared with the Sixth National Population Census in 2010, the Han ethnic group population decreased by 213,153, a decline of 4.64%, with its proportion of the total population decreasing by 0.09 percentage points; the population of various ethnic minorities increased by 3,267, a growth of 25.81%, with its proportion of the total population increasing by 0.09 percentage points.

nix

8. Culture

8.1 National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units

• Li's Manor
• Lu'an Han Dynasty Royal Tomb Site
• Tomb of Cheng Duanzhong
• Revolutionary Sites of Dushan and Jinzhai

8.2 Local Specialties

• Lu'an Guapian Tea: One of China's top ten famous teas. It is mentioned multiple times in the classical masterpiece Dream of the Red Chamber and the popular contemporary drama Empresses in the Palace as "Lu'an Tea".
• Western Anhui White Goose.

9. Sister Cities

Varkaus, Finland September 7, 2004 Hannover, Germany April 15, 2012

nix

nix

nix

nix

Jin'an District

Huoqiu County

nix

Osmanthus tree

Azalea