Kuandian Manchu Autonomous County (;

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) an ...

: ; Mölendroff: kuwandiyan manju beye dasangga siyan), is a county of eastern

Liaoning Liaoning () is a coastal province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmo ...

province,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

, bordering

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

to the southeast and

Jilin Jilin (; Postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kirin or Chilin) is one of the three Provinces of China, provinces of Northeast China. Its capital and largest city is Changchun. Jilin borders North Korea (Rasŏn, North Hamgyong, R ...

in the northeast. It is under the administration of Dandong City, the centre of which lies to the southwest, and is served by

China National Highway 201 China National Highway 201 (G201) runs from Hegang, Heilongjiang Province to Lushunkou, Liaoning Province. It is 1,964 kilometres in length and runs southeast from Hegang towards the border with Russia before turning southwest, going via Mudanj ...

. In Kuandian is the

Hushan Great Wall The Hushan or Tiger Mountain Great Wall (), is a section of the Ming Great Wall in Kuandian Manchu Autonomous County, Liaoning, China. The wall runs for about 1,200 metres over Hushan ("Tiger Mountain"). The wall starts 15 km northeast of ...

, the most easterly section of the

Great Wall of China The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic grou ...

. A short reconstruction of the wall is open to tourists. The area has an abandoned airstrip that was used by the Chinese airforce during the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

. As of 2009, the county's population was 434,900 people.

History

The area of present-day Kuandian belonged to the Yan state during the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

, and was then brought under the

Liaodong Commandery Liaodong Commandery ( zh, 遼東郡) was a commandery in imperial China that existed from the Warring States period to the Northern dynasties. It was located in modern Liaoning, to the east of the Liao River. The commandery was created by the st ...

in the

Qin Dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), ...

. From the

Eastern Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

until 408 CE, the southern part of the county was incorporated under the rule of various Chinese dynasties. The area became part of

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled mos ...

in 408 CE, and afterwards became part of the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

Protectorate General to Pacify the East The Protectorate-General to Pacify the East () was an administrative division of the Chinese Tang dynasty in Manchuria and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. It was established after the Tang dynasty defeated Goguryeo and annexed its ter ...

. The county's name originates from the Kingdom of Balhae, when the area was known as Kuandianzi (). The area would come under the reign of the

Liao dynasty The Liao dynasty (; Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed between 916 and 1125, ruled by the Yelü ...

, then the Jin dynasty, and then the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fif ...

. In 1467, the

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

built a defensive wall in the eastern part of the region that terminated at the

Yalu River The Yalu River, known by Koreans as the Amrok River or Amnok River, is a river on the border between North Korea and China. Together with the Tumen River to its east, and a small portion of Paektu Mountain, the Yalu forms the border between ...

. Various forts were added in 1546 and 1573. Kuandian County was established in 1876 under Fenghuang Ting (). The area belonged to during the early days of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeas ...

. The county was put under the jurisdiction of the

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 ...

Dandong Dandong (), formerly known as Andong, is a coastal prefecture-level city in southeastern Liaoning province, in the northeastern region of People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese border city, facing Sinuiju, North Korea across th ...

in 1965. Kuandian County was approved as an

autonomous county Autonomous counties () and autonomous banners () are county-level autonomous administrative divisions of China. The two are essentially identical except in name. There are 117 autonomous counties and three autonomous banners. The latter are ...

in September 1989, becoming the Kuandian Manchu Autonomous County.

Administrative divisions

There are 19

towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an or ...

, 2

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

and 1

ethnic township The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

in the county. The county's seat of government is located in the town of .

Towns

The county's 19 towns are Kuandian, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and .

Townships

The county's 2 townships are and .

Xialuhe Korean Ethnic Township

Xialuhe Korean Ethnic Township Xialuhe Korean Ethnic Township (), also known as Haroha Korean Ethnic Township (), is an ethnic township in Kuandian Manchu Autonomous County, Dandong, Liaoning Province, China. Located east of the county center, the township spans an area of , a ...

is the county's sole ethnic township.

Geography

Kuandian occupies the eastern half of Dandong City and is situated among the

Changbai Mountains The Changbai Mountains ( simplified Chinese:长白山; traditional Chinese:長白山) are a major mountain range in Northeast Asia that extends from the Northeast Chinese provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning, across the border bet ...

, on the northwest (right) bank of middle-lower reaches of the

, across which it borders the North Korean provinces of

North Pyongan North Pyongan Province (Phyŏnganbukto; , also spelled North P'yŏngan), is a western province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former P'yŏng'an Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, the ...

and

Chagang Chagang Province (Chagangdo; ) is a province in North Korea; it is bordered by China's Jilin and Liaoning provinces to the north, Ryanggang and South Hamgyong to the east, South Pyongan to the south, and North Pyongan to the west. Chagang was ...

. Domestically, it borders

Ji'an Ji'an () is a prefecture-level city situated in the central region of Jiangxi province of the People's Republic of China while bordering Hunan province to the west. It has an area of and as of the 2020 census, had a population of 4,469,176, of ...

(

) to the northeast, Fengcheng to the west,

Benxi Benxi (, ) is a prefecture-level city located in the east of Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, south-southeast of the provincial capital Shenyang. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,326,018 (1,709,538 in 2010) whom 809,655 ...

to the northwest, and Huanren County to the north. It has a total area of and of the

Sino-Korean border Sino-Korean may refer to: * Sino-Korean vocabulary, Korean vocabulary composed of morphemes of Chinese origin * People's Republic of China–North Korea relations * People's Republic of China–South Korea relations * Republic of China–South Kor ...

Climate

Kuandian 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

humid continental climate 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 ...

(

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 ...

''Dwa'') characterised by very warm, humid summers, due to the monsoon, and long, cold, and very dry winters, due to the

Siberian anticyclone The Siberian High (also Siberian Anticyclone; russian: Азиатский антициклон (''Aziatsky antitsiklon'')) is a massive collection of cold dry air that accumulates in the northeastern part of Eurasia from September until April. I ...

. The four seasons here are distinctive. A majority of the annual rainfall occurs in July and August. The monthly 24-hour average temperatures ranges from in January to in July, while the annual mean is . Due to the mountainous location, temperatures tend to be cooler, and summer rainfall is heavier. The average

relative humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity dep ...

is 71%, and the frost-free period is 140 days.

Demographics

Ethnic groups

The county is majority

as of 2002.

Historic population

Population censuses in the county have been undertaken since 1907. The county's population has declined since its peak of 444,609 people in 1991.

Urbanization

During the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

, the county's urban population, and proportion of people living in urban environments has grown significantly. In 1949, the year the People's Republic of China was proclaimed, 1.8% of the county's population lived in urban areas. By 1953, this rose to 4.0%. In 1982, 9.2% of the county's population lived in urban areas, which rose to 15.3% by 1985, 23.8% by 1991, and 25.5% by 1995. At 2005, 23.7% of the county's population lived in rural areas.

Economy

Kuandian's mineral deposits include

boron Boron is a chemical element with the symbol B and atomic number 5. In its crystalline form it is a brittle, dark, lustrous metalloid; in its amorphous form it is a brown powder. As the lightest element of the '' boron group'' it has t ...

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in ...

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, ...

zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pink ...

magnesite Magnesite is a mineral with the chemical formula ( magnesium carbonate). Iron, manganese, cobalt, and nickel may occur as admixtures, but only in small amounts. Occurrence Magnesite occurs as veins in and an alteration product of ultramafic ...

, and

talc Talc, or talcum, is a clay mineral, composed of hydrated magnesium silicate with the chemical formula Mg3Si4O10(OH)2. Talc in powdered form, often combined with corn starch, is used as baby powder. This mineral is used as a thickening agent a ...

. The county's boron output accounts for about 50% of China's total, and the area is sometimes called "boron sea" ().

Transport

National Highway 201 passes through the county. The county is served by two railroads: the Tie-Chang railway (), and the .

Notable people

Yu Zhenwu Yu Zhenwu (; born July 1931) is a retired pilot and general of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). As one of China's first test pilots, he conducted the 1958 maiden flight of the Shenyang JJ-1, China's first indigenously deve ...

(born 1931) - pilot * Tian Xueren (born 1947) - politician * Zhang Jiehui (born 1957) - politician * Zhang Shaochun (born 1958) - politician *

Zhu Yuchen Zhu Yuchen (; born February 27, 1979) is a Chinese film actor. He dated Tang Wei since 1995 and split shortly before both graduated from the Central Academy of Drama The Central Academy of Drama (), abbreviated Zhong Xi (), is a drama school ...

(born 1961) - business executive * Wang Qiang (1975-2005) - serial killer * He Xiangyu (born 1986) - contemporary artist

References

{{authority control County-level divisions of Liaoning Manchu autonomous counties