Dongping County (simplified Chinese: 东平县; traditional Chinese: 東平縣; pinyin: Dōngpíng Xiàn; lit. 'eastern peace') is a county in the southwestern part of Tai'an, which is located in the west of Shandong Province, China.

Dongping County
Chinese: 东平县
Location in Tai'an
Location in Tai'an
Dongping is located in Shandong
Dongping
Dongping
Location of the seat in Shandong
Coordinates: 35°56′13″N 116°28′12″E / 35.937°N 116.470°E / 35.937; 116.470
CountryPeople's Republic of China
ProvinceShandong
Prefecture-level cityTai'an
Seat35°54′30″N 116°18′00″E / 35.90833°N 116.30000°E / 35.90833; 116.30000
Area
 • Total1,339 km2 (517 sq mi)
Population
 (2019)[1]
 • Total761,500
 • Density570/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal Code
271500
Area code0538
Websitewww.dongping.gov.cn[dead link]

In 2007 a remarkable series of well-preserved frescoes dating to the Western Han Period (206 BC - 25 AD) was discovered in a tomb as construction workers were excavating for a planned shopping mall. The frescoes show, among other things, one of the earliest pictorial representations of Confucius meeting Laozi.

Examples of the frescoes

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Fresco showing Queen Mother of the West
 
Fresco showing Confucius and Laozi meeting

History

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This region is home to many Buddhist temples and some remarkable Buddhist inscriptions, originally texts were carved during the Northern Qi, but in the eleventh century these were carved over with pictorial images of Buddhas.[2]

In 1438, migrating Hui people introduced Islam to Dongping County.[3] During the reign of the Wanli Emperor, the Zhoucheng Mosque [zh] was built.[3]

During the Cultural Revolution in Dongping County, religious activities were prohibited.[3] Mosques were destroyed, imams were expelled, and the Quran was burned.[3] The practice of Islam in the county was resumed in 1979.[3]

The Shandong provincial government and the Dongping County government allocated special funding to restore Zhoucheng Mosque in 1997, and again in 2001.[3]

Administration

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As 2020, this county is divided to 3 subdistricts, 9 towns and 2 townships.[4]

Subdistricts
Towns
Townships

Demographics

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In 2016, Dongping County had a permanent population of about 762,100 people, of which, 41.35% lived in urban areas.[5]

Vital statistics

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As of 2016, Dongping County had a birth rate of 14.9 per thousand, and a death rate of 5.0 per thousand, giving the county a rate of natural increase of 9.9 per thousand.[5]

Ethnic groups

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Most of the county's population is ethnically Han Chinese, however, Dongping County is home to 18 ethnic minorities, comprising about 4,300 people.[5] The largest ethnic minority is the Hui people, who number about 4,100 as of 2016.[5] Other ethnic minorities in the county include the Mongolian, Tibetan, Miao, Dong, Bai, Tujia, Hani, Dai, Lisu, Li, Jingpo, Yi, Zhuang, Buyi, Korean, Manchu, and Wa peoples.[5] With the exception of the Hui people, many of Dongping County's ethnic minorities recently moved to the county for work, marriage, or other regions, and are not concentrated in any particular place within the county.[5] The county has four designated ethnic villages: Beimazhuang Village [zh] (Chinese: 北马庄村) in Dongping Subdistrict [zh], Xiwangzhuang Village (Chinese: 西王庄村) in Xinhu [zh], Zhanzhuang Village (Chinese: 展庄村) in Laohu [zh], and Beimen Village (Chinese: 北门村) in Zhoucheng Subdistrict.[5]

Hui people

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Unlike the other minorities in Dongping County, the Hui people are concentrated within certain areas within the county.[5] Large concentrations of Hui people can be found in Laohu, Zhoucheng Subdistrict, and Dongping Subdistrict.[5] Smaller concentrations can be found within Timen [zh], Xinhu, Daimiao [zh], Dayang [zh], and Shanglaozhuang Township.[5]

Culture

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Language

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The Dongping dialect, a dialect of Mandarin Chinese, is spoken widely throughout the county.[6] In some southern portions of the county, as well as regions surrounding Dongping Lake, retroflexes are dropped, resulting in certain characters with different pronunciations in Standard Mandarin (such as Chinese: ; pinyin: and Chinese: ; pinyin: shí) being pronounced similarly.[6] Some areas in the southeast and north of the county also employ erhua.[6]

Religion

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As of 2021, Dongping County is home to 19 religious venues approved by the county government, representing 5 different faith groups: Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Daoism, and Buddhism.[7] These venues include the Zhoucheng Mosque [zh] and the Daoist site of La Mountain [zh].[7]

Climate

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Climate data for Dongping (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.0
(60.8)
22.1
(71.8)
28.2
(82.8)
32.1
(89.8)
35.7
(96.3)
41.2
(106.2)
40.5
(104.9)
36.0
(96.8)
36.6
(97.9)
34.3
(93.7)
28.3
(82.9)
18.5
(65.3)
41.2
(106.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 4.7
(40.5)
8.6
(47.5)
14.7
(58.5)
21.1
(70.0)
26.5
(79.7)
31.5
(88.7)
31.8
(89.2)
30.5
(86.9)
27.1
(80.8)
21.3
(70.3)
13.0
(55.4)
6.3
(43.3)
19.8
(67.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) −0.4
(31.3)
3.1
(37.6)
8.9
(48.0)
15.2
(59.4)
20.8
(69.4)
25.8
(78.4)
27.3
(81.1)
26.0
(78.8)
21.5
(70.7)
15.3
(59.5)
7.7
(45.9)
1.4
(34.5)
14.4
(57.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −4.3
(24.3)
−1.3
(29.7)
4.0
(39.2)
10.0
(50.0)
15.6
(60.1)
20.8
(69.4)
23.6
(74.5)
22.4
(72.3)
17.1
(62.8)
10.6
(51.1)
3.5
(38.3)
−2.4
(27.7)
10.0
(49.9)
Record low °C (°F) −16.5
(2.3)
−15.7
(3.7)
−10.5
(13.1)
−3.0
(26.6)
2.3
(36.1)
10.5
(50.9)
16.3
(61.3)
13.5
(56.3)
5.7
(42.3)
−2.0
(28.4)
−12.1
(10.2)
−13.7
(7.3)
−16.5
(2.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 5.3
(0.21)
10.1
(0.40)
12.3
(0.48)
31.2
(1.23)
52.5
(2.07)
75.8
(2.98)
169.2
(6.66)
143
(5.6)
56.2
(2.21)
31.0
(1.22)
25.4
(1.00)
7.5
(0.30)
619.5
(24.36)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 2.1 3.4 3.1 4.9 6.3 7.7 10.5 10.3 7.3 5.3 4.5 2.7 68.1
Average snowy days 2.2 2.3 0.6 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.7 1.8 7.8
Average relative humidity (%) 60 56 54 61 64 63 78 81 75 68 67 64 66
Mean monthly sunshine hours 152.3 153.4 203.0 224.5 246.5 215.9 194.3 193.2 184.3 182.2 157.2 147.8 2,254.6
Percent possible sunshine 49 50 55 57 56 50 44 47 50 53 52 49 51
Source: China Meteorological Administration[8][9]

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ a b 最新人口信息 www.hongheiku.com (in Chinese). hongheiku. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  2. ^ Wang and Ledderose
  3. ^ a b c d e f 东平风物志,第五节 伊斯兰教 [Dongping Customs History, Segment Five: Islam]. lib.sdsqw.cn (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2021-09-10. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  4. ^ 2020年统计用区划代码(东平县) [2020 Statistical Division Codes (Dongping County)]. www.stats.gov.cn (in Chinese). National Bureau of Statistics of China. 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-11-29. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 区划人口 [Administrative Divisions and Population]. lib.sdsqw.cn (in Chinese). 2017. Archived from the original on 2021-06-15. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
  6. ^ a b c 东平县志(1986-2003),第一节 语 音 [Dongping County Annals (1986-2003), Segment One: Accent]. lib.sdsqw.cn/ (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2021-09-10. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  7. ^ a b 民族宗教 [Ethnicity and Religion] (in Chinese). Dongping County People's Government. 2021-04-13. Archived from the original on 2021-09-10. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  8. ^ 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  9. ^ 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 东平年鉴(2004-2012),东平历史名人选介 [Dongping Annual Yearbook (2004-2012), Selection of Historical Dongping Notable Figures]. lib.sdsqw.cn (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2021-09-10. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  • Ha, Jungmin. (2016) Shaping Religious and Cultural Aspiration: Engraved Sutras in Southwestern Shandong Province from the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577 CE), China. Phd Dissertation. Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies, Duke University. https://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/10161/12216/Ha_duke_0066D_13425.pdf
  • Wang, Yongbo and Ledderose, Lothar. (2014) Buddhist Stone Sutras in China. (Vol.1) Shandong Sheng = Shandong Province. edited by Wang Yongbo and Lothar Ledderose. Wiesbaden : Harrassowitz ; Hangzhou : China Academy of Art Press, 2014.