Heze, formerly known as Caozhou, is the westernmost

prefecture-level city A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. During the Republican era, many of Chi ...

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in His ...

province, China, it borders

Jining Jining () is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Shandong province. It borders Heze to the southwest, Zaozhuang to the southeast, Tai'an to the northeast, and the provinces of Henan and Jiangsu to the northwest and south respectively. Jinin ...

to the east and the provinces of

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is a ...

and

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze Riv ...

to the west and south respectively.

History

Caozhou was at the center of the

Nian Rebellion The Nian Rebellion () was an armed uprising that took place in northern China from 1851 to 1868, contemporaneously with Taiping Rebellion (1851–1864) in South China. The rebellion failed to topple the Qing dynasty, but caused immense economic ...

during the 1850s and 60s. In August 1949, Heze was detached from Shandong and given to the experimental province of Pingyuan. It returned to Shandong just over three years later. In April 1953, Heze and

gained counties from the former prefecture of Huxi after its abolishment.

City Flower

Mudan is the city flower of Heze. The earliest documentary of Mudan is in ''

Classic of Poetry The ''Classic of Poetry'', also ''Shijing'' or ''Shih-ching'', translated variously as the ''Book of Songs'', ''Book of Odes'', or simply known as the ''Odes'' or ''Poetry'' (; ''Shī''), is the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, c ...

'' (诗经), which is almost 3,000 years away from now. Mudan is also called the King of flower from

Bencao Gangmu The ''Bencao gangmu'', known in English as the ''Compendium of Materia Medica'' or ''Great Pharmacopoeia'', is an encyclopedic gathering of medicine, natural history, and Chinese herbology compiled and edited by Li Shizhen and published in the ...

(本草纲目). It is a symbol of honor, peace, wealth, love, aristocracy, and feminine beauty. There are 9 types of Mudan based on the colors: red, white, purple, yellow, blue, green, black, pink, and multi-colored.

Climate

Heze has a

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

-influenced climate that lies between the

humid subtropical A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

and

humid continental A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

zones (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Cwa/Dwa''), with four well-defined seasons. The city is warm and nearly rainless in spring, hot and humid in summer, crisp in autumn and cold and dry in winter. The mean annual temperature is , with the monthly 24-hour average temperature ranging from in January to in July. Nearly 70% of the annual precipitation occurs from June to September. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 48% in July to 60% in May, the city receives 2,411 hours of bright sunshine annually.

Administration

The

of Heze administers nine county-level divisions. The municipal executive, legislature and

judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

are in

Mudan District Mudan District is an urban district of Heze, Shandong province. It is the seat of Heze's prefectural A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a ...

(), together with CPC and

Public Security Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensur ...

bureaux. There are two districts and seven counties: *

() *

Dingtao District Dingtao District () is a district under the jurisdiction of Heze in Shandong province, China. Emperor Gaozu of Han's ill-fated consort Qi Consort Qi may refer to: Consorts with the surname Qi *Consort Qi (Han dynasty) (224–194 BC), concubine of ...

() *

Cao County Cao County or Caoxian () is a county in Heze City in southwestern Shandong Province, China. It borders Henan Province to the west. History Bo, one of the capitals of the Shang dynasty, lay in what is now Cao . Prior to the Boxer Rebellio ...

() *

Chengwu County Chengwu County () is a county of southwestern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of Heze Heze, formerly known as Caozhou, is the westernmost prefecture-level city in Shandong province, China, it bo ...

() - originally in Huxi *

Shan County Shan County or Shanxian () is a county in the southwest of Shandong province, China, bordering the provinces of Anhui to the southeast and Henan to the southwest. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Heze Heze, for ...

() - originally in Huxi *

Juye County Juye () is a county in western Shandong province which is under the administration of Heze municipality. The county is 1,303 square km in area and has a population of approximately 910,000. History Juye originally belonged to Huxi prefecture. Q ...

() - originally in Huxi *

Yuncheng County Yuncheng () is a county in the southwest of Shandong province, China. It is the northernmost county-level division of the prefecture-level city of Heze. It borders the Yellow River and Henan (Taiqian County and Fan County) to the north, Liangshan ...

() *

Juancheng County Juancheng County falls under the jurisdiction of Heze, in the southwest of Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic ...

() *

Dongming County Dongming County in Heze Prefecture is the westernmost county of Shandong Province in the People's Republic of China. It borders Henan Province to the west across the Yellow River. Dongming County had a population of 677,563 in 1999. History Mo ...

() These are further divided into 158

township-level divisions The administrative divisions of China have consisted of several levels since ancient times, due to China's large population and geographical area. The constitution of China provides for three levels of government. However in practice, there ...

Demographics

According to the 2010 population census, Heze was home to 8,287,693 people, of whom 1,346,717 live in the built-up area around the seat of government in

Culture

Places of Interests

* Caozhou Mudan Garden: It is the largest Mudan Garden in Heze with the most varieties. * One Hundred Lion Square: It is famous for its column carved 100 different posture stone lions. It is the symbol of best wishes and longevities. The archway is 14 meters high and 9 meters wide. The 100 lions with different shapes represent superb architectural skills and immortal artistic value, which fully embodies the wisdom and strength of the ancient people. *

Shui Hu Hero City Shui may refer to: *Shui people The Sui people (; autonym: ''ai33 sui33''), also spelled as Shui people, are an ethnic group living mostly in Guizhou Province, China. They are counted as one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the ...

: It is famous for the teaching and communication of martial arts and ancient buildings. It is also the Chinese ancient residence museum, CCTV recommended tour routes, and the source of Water Margins.

Foods

* Shanxian Lamb Soup: The soup is founded in 1807. The taste is fresh but not mutton, and fragrant but not greasy. After more than 200 years of development and innovation of soup, it can be carried forward and accepted in many years. It is not only refreshing, but also functional in medicinal meal. *

Peony Cake The peony or paeony is a flowering plant in the genus ''Paeonia'' , the only genus in the Family (biology), family Paeoniaceae . Peonies are native to Asia, Europe and Western North America. Scientists differ on the number of species that can ...

: During the Flower Festival is the season when peonies are in full bloom, Wu Zetian led a maid to enjoy the flowers in the garden and ordered the maid to pluck a large number of flowers of various colors. After return to the palace, according to her design, she mashed them with rice, and steamed them to make a cake, which is called "Hundred Flower Cake". And she used this dessert as a gift to the officials. * Pijia Roast Chicken: The sauce is in color red, and you can smell the rich roast chicken scent just a few feet away from the pot. Its outstanding characteristics are fresh, fragrant, and tender with consistent taste inside and out. *

Caozhou Sesame Cake Caozhou or Cao Prefecture () was a '' zhou'' (prefecture) in imperial China centering on modern Heze or Cao County in Shandong, China. It existed (intermittently) from the 6th century to 1913. Geography Under the Sui, Cao Prefecture included Yua ...

: Its shape is round as moon, tender inside with a crispy crust. It has ingredients of wheat essence powder, sesame oil, salt, pepper, fennel powder and other ingredients made of oil flesh.

Transportation

*Highway:

China National Highway 220 China National Highway 220 (G220) runs from Binzhou, Shandong to Zhengzhou, Henan. It is 585 kilometres in length and runs southwest from Binzhou towards Zhengzhou. Route and distance See also * China National Highways External linksOfficial ...

; China National Highway 105; China National Highway 106; China National Highway 240; China National Highway 327 * Heze Mudan Airport opened on April 2, 2021. *Conventional rail services call at Heze railway station, high-speed services call at Heze East railway station.

Famous Figures

* Ancient times:

Fuxi Fuxi or Fu Hsi (伏羲 ~ 伏犧 ~ 伏戲) is a culture hero in Chinese legend and mythology, credited along with his sister and wife Nüwa with creating humanity and the invention of music, hunting, fishing, domestication, and cooking as well ...

, Yao,

Shun Shun may refer to one of the following: *To shun, which means avoiding association with an individual or group * Shun (given name), a masculine Japanese given name *Seasonality in Japanese cuisine (''shun'', 旬) Emperor Shun * Emperor Shun (舜 ...

Song Jiang A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition ...

Wu Yong Wu Yong is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Knowledgeable Star", he ranks third among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny. Backg ...

Cao Zhi Cao Zhi (; ; 192 – 27 December 232), courtesy name Zijian (), posthumously known as Prince Si of Chen (陈思王), was a prince of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China, and an accomplished poet in his time. His style ...

* Current:

Peng Liyuan Peng Liyuan (; born 20 November 1962) is a Chinese soprano and contemporary folk singer and the spouse of Xi Jinping, current General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and President of the People's Republic of China. Peng gained populari ...

Fan Shaohuang Fan commonly refers to: * Fan (machine), a machine for producing airflow, often used for cooling ** Hand fan, an implement held and waved by hand to move air for cooling * Fan (person), short for fanatic; an enthusiast or supporter, especially wit ...

Economy

Heze is the largest center in China for the cultivation of the "national flower"

peony The peony or paeony is a flowering plant in the genus ''Paeonia'' , the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae . Peonies are native to Asia, Europe and Western North America. Scientists differ on the number of species that can be distinguished, ...

, after which the

was named. Over 30% of its GDP comes from the sale of peony.

Sister Cities

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-most-populous city in Alabama ...

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Cities in Shandong Prefecture-level divisions of Shandong