Anqing (simplified Chinese: 安庆; traditional Chinese: 安慶; pinyin: Ānqìng; lit. 'Peaceful Celebration', also Nganking, formerly Hwaining, now the name of Huaining County) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Anhui province, People's Republic of China. Its population was 4,165,284 as of the 2020 census, with 804,493 living in the built-up (or metro) area made up of three urban districts.[2] Anqing is famous as the birthplace of Chen Duxiu, one of the founding fathers of the Chinese Communist Party, who served as the first General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party from 1921 to 1928. Huangmei opera, a renowned Chinese opera style, originated in the city of Anqing. This captivating art form gained immense popularity since the 1950s, largely attributed to the exceptional talents of local actors and actresses from Anqing. Huangmei opera is a significant cultural treasure that defines the rich heritage of the city of Anqing.

Anqing
安庆市
Anking
Clockwise from top: The riverfront, the Anqing railway station, and the Anqing Yangtze River Bridge.
Location of Anqing City jurisdiction in Anhui
Location of Anqing City jurisdiction in Anhui
Coordinates (Anqing municipal government): 30°31′54″N 117°06′55″E / 30.5318°N 117.1153°E / 30.5318; 117.1153
CountryPeople's Republic of China
ProvinceAnhui
County-level divisions11
Municipal seatYixiu District
Government
 • CPC SecretaryWei Xiaoming (魏晓明)
 • MayorChen Bingbing (陈冰冰)
Area
13,486.6 km2 (5,207.2 sq mi)
 • Urban821 km2 (317 sq mi)
 • Metro
821 km2 (317 sq mi)
Population
 (2020 census)[2]
4,165,284
 • Density310/km2 (800/sq mi)
 • Urban
804,493
 • Urban density980/km2 (2,500/sq mi)
 • Metro
804,493
 • Metro density980/km2 (2,500/sq mi)
GDP[3]
 • Prefecture-level cityCN¥ 265.7 billion
US$ 34.5 billion
 • Per capitaCN¥ 63,699
US$ 9,874
Time zoneUTC+8 (CST)
Area code0556
ISO 3166 codeCN-AH-08
License Plate Prefix皖H
Websitewww.anqing.gov.cn
"Anhui". Nieuhof: L'ambassade de la Compagnie Orientale des Provinces Unies vers l'Empereur de la Chine, 1665

History

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Anqing was built during the Southern Song dynasty in 1217.[4] Anqing was held by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom for almost nine years, from June 1853 to December 1861. It served as the capital of the Taiping's Anhui province during this period.[5] The final Battle of Anqing, in which the Qing forces laid siege to the city, began in 1860, and the Xiang Army and other Qing forces were able to retake Anqing by December 1861. The constant battles around Anqing devastated the city, and it took long to fully recover. In 1938, the Japanese occupied Anqing, which again caused major damage to the city. Following the Japanese defeat, the capital of Anhui was moved to Hefei, which eventually lead to Anqing's gradual loss of status as one of the "Five Tigers of the Yangtze".

Culture

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The people of Anqing have a unique dialect that mixed with the Gan Chinese, Wu Chinese and Lower Yangtze Mandarin. It is therefore quite different from the rest of the province, which is predominantly Huizhou-speaking. Huangmei Opera is performed in the local dialect.[6][7]

The early presence of actors from Anqing in the world of Peking opera (Beijing Opera) has significantly impacted the development of this renowned Chinese theatrical art form. This influence is evident in various aspects, including language accents and cultural nuances within Peking Opera.

Administration

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The prefecture-level city of Anqing administers 10 county-level divisions, including 3 districts, 2 county-level cities and 5 counties.[8]

Map

Geography

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Anqing is located in the southwestern part of Anhui province, and on the northern shore of the lower Yangtze. To the north are the Dabie Mountains. Neighbouring prefectures are:

The total area of the prefecture is 16,300 square kilometres (6,290 sq mi), with an urban area of 550 square kilometres (212 sq mi), which is only 3.4% of the total.

Climate

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Anqing has a four-season, monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), with chilly, damp winters and very hot, humid summers. Cold northwesterly winds from Siberia can occasionally cause nightly temperatures to drop below freezing (although snow is uncommon), while summer can see extended periods of 35 °C (95 °F)+ days. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 4.3 °C (39.7 °F) in January to 29.2 °C (84.6 °F) in July, while the annual mean is 17.20 °C (63.0 °F). Precipitation tends to reach a maximum in tandem with the meiyu (plum rains) while wintertime rainfall is generally light. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 30% in March to 54% in August, the city receives 1,831 hours of bright sunshine annually.[9]

Climate data for Anqing (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 22.8
(73.0)
27.4
(81.3)
32.1
(89.8)
33.8
(92.8)
35.8
(96.4)
38.3
(100.9)
39.5
(103.1)
40.9
(105.6)
38.0
(100.4)
34.3
(93.7)
29.7
(85.5)
24.5
(76.1)
40.9
(105.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 7.8
(46.0)
10.7
(51.3)
15.5
(59.9)
21.9
(71.4)
26.9
(80.4)
29.5
(85.1)
32.8
(91.0)
32.3
(90.1)
28.3
(82.9)
23.0
(73.4)
16.8
(62.2)
10.3
(50.5)
21.3
(70.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) 4.4
(39.9)
6.9
(44.4)
11.3
(52.3)
17.4
(63.3)
22.6
(72.7)
25.7
(78.3)
29.1
(84.4)
28.5
(83.3)
24.4
(75.9)
18.8
(65.8)
12.5
(54.5)
6.5
(43.7)
17.3
(63.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 1.7
(35.1)
4.0
(39.2)
8.0
(46.4)
13.7
(56.7)
19.0
(66.2)
22.8
(73.0)
26.1
(79.0)
25.6
(78.1)
21.4
(70.5)
15.6
(60.1)
9.3
(48.7)
3.6
(38.5)
14.2
(57.6)
Record low °C (°F) −10.1
(13.8)
−12.5
(9.5)
−4.3
(24.3)
−0.3
(31.5)
8.3
(46.9)
13.2
(55.8)
17.1
(62.8)
17.6
(63.7)
11.7
(53.1)
3.2
(37.8)
−3.8
(25.2)
−8.5
(16.7)
−12.5
(9.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 63.6
(2.50)
80.1
(3.15)
124.4
(4.90)
150.8
(5.94)
174.5
(6.87)
268.6
(10.57)
251.0
(9.88)
137.4
(5.41)
62.8
(2.47)
61.1
(2.41)
66.7
(2.63)
38.2
(1.50)
1,479.2
(58.23)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 10.8 10.7 13.7 12.9 12.4 13.5 11.8 11.2 7.5 8.1 8.8 7.9 129.3
Average snowy days 4.4 2.4 1.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.4 1.5 9.8
Average relative humidity (%) 75 74 74 73 74 79 77 78 76 73 74 72 75
Mean monthly sunshine hours 97.1 100.5 123.6 150.2 162.5 140.5 203.4 197.7 162.6 155.3 130.9 122.5 1,746.8
Percent possible sunshine 30 32 33 39 38 33 48 49 44 44 41 39 39
Source: China Meteorological Administration[10][11]

Transport

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Anqing has one Yangtze River crossing, the Anqing Yangtze River Bridge. [12]

Anqing Tianzhushan Airport serves the city.[13]

The Nanjing–Anqing Intercity Railway opened in December 2015, allowing a 90-minute journey time to Nanjing, and 3 hours to Shanghai.[14] Wuhan-Hangzhou High-Speed Railway is also under construction.

One of the bus operators in Anqing, the Anqing Zhongbei Bus Company, is owned by a joint venture between Nanjing Public Utilities Development (formerly Nanjing Zhongbei) and RATP Dev Transdev Asia (RDTA).[15] RDTA itself is a joint venture between Transdev and RATP Dev.

 
Anqing No. 1 Middle School

Tourism

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Sister cities

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cox, W (2018). Demographia World Urban Areas. 14th Annual Edition (PDF). St. Louis: Demographia. p. 22. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-05-03. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
  2. ^ a b "China: Ānhuī (Prefectures, Cities, Districts and Counties) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map". www.citypopulation.de.
  3. ^ "《安徽统计年鉴2022》电子查阅版". tjj.ah.gov.cn. Archived from the original on 2022-10-18. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
  4. ^ Index anqing.gov.cn [dead link]
  5. ^ The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Rebellion and the Blasphemy of Empire. By Thomas H. Reilly
  6. ^ Yan, Margaret Mian (2006). Introduction to Chinese Dialectology. LINCOM Europa. p. 148. ISBN 978-3-89586-629-6.
  7. ^ Kurpaska, Maria (2010). Chinese Language(s): A Look Through the Prism of "The Great Dictionary of Modern Chinese Dialects". Walter de Gruyter. p. 70. ISBN 978-3-11-021914-2.
  8. ^ "zh:2023年用区划代国家局" [Replacing the National Board with zoning in 2023]. National Bureau of Statistics (in Chinese). 2024-06-17.
  9. ^ "zh:安庆气候背景分析" [Climatological background analysis for Anqing]. China Weather (in Chinese). 2024-06-18.
  10. ^ 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Experience Template" 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  12. ^ "zh:安徽安庆长江大桥今日建成通车" [Anhui Anqing Yangtze River Bridge opens to traffic today]. sina (in Chinese). 2004-12-17. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
  13. ^ "Anqing (Anhui) City Information". Provinces & Cities. Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  14. ^ "Nanjing – Anqing PDL opened". Railway Gazette International. 7 December 2015. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  15. ^ "RDTA website". Archived from the original on December 25, 2017. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  16. ^ "Sister-city delegation from Anqing, China meets in Calabasas". The Acorn - Serving Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Oak Park & Westlake Village. October 9, 2003.
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