Pinghe County (simplified Chinese: 平和县; traditional Chinese: 平和縣; pinyin: Pínghé Xiàn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Pêng-hô-koān) is a county of the prefecture-level city of Zhangzhou, in southern Fujian province, PRC, bordering Guangdong province to the west.[1]

Pinghe County
平和县
Pinghwo; Pingho
Jinxi Creek Valley west of Xiaoxi Town
Jinxi Creek Valley west of Xiaoxi Town
Pinghe is located in Fujian
Pinghe
Pinghe
Location in Fujian
Coordinates: 24°21′48″N 117°18′54″E / 24.3634°N 117.3149°E / 24.3634; 117.3149
CountryPeople's Republic of China
ProvinceFujian
Prefecture-level cityZhangzhou
Area
 • Total1,957 km2 (756 sq mi)
Population
 (2020 census)
 • Total455,042
 • Density230/km2 (600/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)

Administrative Division

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Historical population
YearPop.±%
2000532,649—    
2010498,533−6.4%
2020455,042−8.7%
[2]

The administrative centre or seat of Pinghe County is Xiaoxi (小溪镇).

Towns (镇, zhen)

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Most of Pinghe's old People's communes, after spending the 80s and even 90s as Townships, have been upgraded to Towns. There are ten towns:[3]

  • Xiaoxi (小溪 Sió-khe)
  • Wenfeng (文峰 Bûn-hong)
  • Shange (山格 Soaⁿ-keeh)
  • Nansheng (南胜 Lâm-sèng)
  • Banzai (坂仔 Póaⁿ-á)
  • Anhou (Mandarin 安厚 Ānhòu, Hokkien 庵后 Am-āu)
  • Daxi (大溪 Tōa-khe)
  • Jiufeng (九峰 Kiú-hong)
  • Xiazhai (Mandarin 霞寨 Xiázhài, Hokkien 下寨 Ēe-chēe)
  • Luxi (芦溪 Lô͘-khe)

Townships (乡, xiang)

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There are five townships:

  • Wuzhai (五寨 Gō͘-chēe)
  • Guoqiang (国强 Kok-kiâng, originally 高坑 Ko-kheng)
  • Qiling (崎岭 Kiā-niá)
  • Changle (长乐 Tióⁿ-lo̍h)
  • Xiufeng (秀峰 Siù-hong)

Climate

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Climate data for Pinghe (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 30.8
(87.4)
31.8
(89.2)
33.7
(92.7)
36.2
(97.2)
36.1
(97.0)
38.7
(101.7)
39.7
(103.5)
39.3
(102.7)
37.6
(99.7)
35.4
(95.7)
34.3
(93.7)
31.1
(88.0)
39.7
(103.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 19.3
(66.7)
20.2
(68.4)
22.4
(72.3)
26.5
(79.7)
29.5
(85.1)
31.9
(89.4)
34.2
(93.6)
33.7
(92.7)
32.1
(89.8)
28.9
(84.0)
25.3
(77.5)
20.9
(69.6)
27.1
(80.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 13.7
(56.7)
14.8
(58.6)
17.1
(62.8)
21.2
(70.2)
24.5
(76.1)
27.2
(81.0)
28.7
(83.7)
28.1
(82.6)
26.7
(80.1)
23.3
(73.9)
19.5
(67.1)
15.1
(59.2)
21.7
(71.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 10.0
(50.0)
11.2
(52.2)
13.5
(56.3)
17.4
(63.3)
21.0
(69.8)
23.8
(74.8)
24.7
(76.5)
24.5
(76.1)
23.1
(73.6)
19.2
(66.6)
15.4
(59.7)
11.1
(52.0)
17.9
(64.2)
Record low °C (°F) −1.2
(29.8)
1.4
(34.5)
0.8
(33.4)
9.3
(48.7)
13.6
(56.5)
17.3
(63.1)
21.8
(71.2)
21.6
(70.9)
17.0
(62.6)
10.2
(50.4)
2.7
(36.9)
−2.9
(26.8)
−2.9
(26.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 52.6
(2.07)
75.2
(2.96)
124.7
(4.91)
156.4
(6.16)
208.8
(8.22)
277.8
(10.94)
205.6
(8.09)
300.0
(11.81)
195.5
(7.70)
55.5
(2.19)
45.5
(1.79)
45.1
(1.78)
1,742.7
(68.62)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 8.7 12.3 15.6 15.2 17.6 18.9 14.2 17.9 12.9 5.8 5.9 7.1 152.1
Average relative humidity (%) 77 79 80 79 81 81 77 80 79 75 76 76 78
Mean monthly sunshine hours 124.0 95.4 98.7 115.1 126.7 144.3 216.5 192.0 176.3 180.7 155.5 139.2 1,764.4
Percent possible sunshine 37 30 26 30 31 35 52 48 48 51 48 42 40
Source: China Meteorological Administration[4][5]

Economy

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A "Pinghe County honey pomelo" orchard near Xiazhai Town, with a sign indicating that this is where Walmart China sources its pomelos

Pinghe County is famous for its pomelos.

Tulou

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Surviving section of the front (southern) wall of Xishuang Lou

Numerous Fujian Tulou, earth buildings of round, rectangular and other shapes, can be found within Pinghe County, primarily in its western part (viz., various villages of Luxi, Xiazhai, Jiufeng and Daxi Towns). One of them, the Xishuang Lou (西爽楼), located in Xi'an Village a few kilometers north of Xiazhai town center, has been described by some researchers as the "largest of the rectangular [tulou] in existence".[6] Unfortunately, only parts of the compound have survived to this day.[7]

Notable people

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  • Chen, yi fei (陳義飛), scholar and senior official of Ming dynasty (AD 1368-AD 1644)
  • Lai Ching-te (賴清德), president of the Republic of China, born in Taiwan, his great-great grandfather migrated to Taiwan from Pinghe County.

References

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  1. ^ http://www1.fjta.com/zhangzhou/pinghexian/ Archived 2011-07-11 at the Wayback Machine (in Chinese)
  2. ^ "Fujian (Prefectures, Cities, Districts and Counties)". Citypopulation. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  3. ^ http://www.hdzxw.com/news/93/n-208293.html (in Chinese)
  4. ^ 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  5. ^ 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  6. ^ Fred Thompson (February 1996), "Earthly fortresses - communal housing in China", The Architectural Review
  7. ^ "霞寨镇西爽楼已倒塌 土楼成大土堆", 海峡都市报, 2011-09-26, archived from the original on 2013-01-16, retrieved 2012-04-07
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