Changzhi ( zh, s=长治) is a

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

in the southeast of

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

Province, China, bordering the provinces of

Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...

and

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

to the northeast and east, respectively. Historically, the city was one of the 36 administrative areas (see Administrative Divisions of Qin Dynasty) extant under the reign of the first emperor of a unified China (see

Qin Shi Huang Qin Shi Huang (, ; February 25912 July 210 BC), born Ying Zheng () or Zhao Zheng (), was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of China. He is widely regarded as the first ever supreme leader of a unitary state, unitary d ...

). Nowadays, Changzhi is a transportation centre in Shanxi. Transportations is facilitated by: four

controlled-access highway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

s, (

Taiyuan Taiyuan; Mandarin pronunciation: (Jin Chinese, Taiyuan Jin: /tʰai˦˥ ye˩˩/) is the capital of Shanxi, China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province. It is an industrial base foc ...

-Changzhi, Changzhi-

Jincheng Jincheng is a prefecture-level city situated in the southeast of Shanxi province, China. It shares its border with Henan province to the south and southeast. The city is recognized as an industrial hub, with coal mining being one of its key indu ...

, Changzhi-

Linfen Linfen () is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shanxi province, People's Republic of China, China, bordering Shaanxi province to the west. Linfen City is located in the southern part of Shanxi Province, with the remaining branches of T ...

, and Changzhi-

Handan Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwest of Hebei province, China. The southernmost prefecture-level city of the province, it borders Xingtai on the north, and the provinces of Shanxi on the west, Henan on the south and Shando ...

); two railways, (

Taiyuan–Jiaozuo Railway The Taiyuan–Jiaozuo or Taijiao railway (), is a major trunkline railroad in northern China. The railway is named after its terminal cities, Taiyuan in Shanxi Province and Jiaozuo in Henan Province. The line, in length, lies mainly in Shan ...

and

Handan–Changzhi Railway The Handan–Changzhi railway or Hanchang railway (), is a major railroad in northern China for the transportation of coal. The railway is named after its terminal cities, Handan in Hebei Province and Changzhi in Shanxi Province. The line is i ...

); three

national highways National Highways (NH), formerly Highways England and before that the Highways Agency, is a State-owned enterprise, government-owned company charged with operating, maintaining and improving Roads in England, motorways and major A roads in Eng ...

China National Highway 207 China National Highway 207 (G207) runs from Ulanhot, Inner Mongolia to Hai'an, Guangdong. It is in length and runs south from Xilinhot through Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Guangxi, and ends in Guangdong. Route and distance ...

208 Year 208 ( CCVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Geta (or, less frequently, year 961 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 208 for this year ...

and

309 __NOTOC__ Year 309 ( CCCIX) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Licinianus and Constantius (or, less frequently, year 1062 ''Ab urbe condita''). The ...

; and

Changzhi Wangcun Airport Changzhi Wangcun Airport is an airport serving Changzhi, Shanxi, China. Airlines and destinations See also *List of airports in China This is a list of public airports in the People's Republic of China grouped by Provinces of China, prov ...

( ITAT Code: CIH, ICAO Code: ZBCZ). Internal transportation also includes a bus and taxi network. The city is a rising commercial and industrial centre in the southeastern area of Shanxi. In 2011, its

GDP Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performance o ...

ranked 1st out of 11 prefecture-level cities in the province. According to the latest census, in 2020 the city was home to 3,180,884 residents whom 1,214,940 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of Luzhou and Shangdang Districts. The other 2 urban districts Tunliu and Lucheng are not conurbated yet.

History

In ancient times the area around Changzhi (Including

) was known as

Shangdang Shangdang Commandery or Shangdang Prefecture (, also named Shangtang) was an administrative subdivision of ancient China from the time of the Spring and Autumn period (771–403 BCE). Consisting of a number of districts or ''Zhōu'' (, or prefectu ...

.Lew, Christopher R. ''The Third Chinese Revolutionary War, 1945-1949: An Analysis of Communist Strategy and Leadership''. The USA and Canada: Routelage. 2009, p.22–23. Changzhi was the site of the 1945 Shangdang Campaign, the first battle between the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...

and the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The campaign began in August 1945 and lasted until October. It began when the local Shanxi warlord,

Yan Xishan Yan Xishan (; 8 October 1883 – 22 July 1960; also romanized as Yen Hsi-shan) was a Chinese warlord who served in the government of the Republic of China from June 1949 to March 1950 as its last premier in mainland China and first premi ...

, attempted to retake the region from Communist forces. Yan's forces were eventually defeated by an army led by

Liu Bocheng Liu Mingzhao (; 4 December 1892 – 7 October 1986), more commonly known as Liu Bocheng (), was a Chinese military officer and Marshal of the People's Republic of China. Known as the 'half' of the "Three and A Half" Strategists of China in mode ...

, who was later named one of China's Ten Great Marshals. Liu's political commissar was

Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping also Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Teng Hsiao-p'ing; born Xiansheng (). (22 August 190419 February 1997) was a Chinese statesman, revolutionary, and political theorist who served as the paramount leader of the People's R ...

, who later became China's "

paramount leader Paramount leader () is an informal term for the most important Supreme leader, political figure in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The paramount leader typically controls the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Liberatio ...

". The campaign ended with the complete destruction of Yan's army ( Jingsui army, 晋绥军), most of which joined the Communists after surrendering. Following the Shangdang Campaign, the Communists remained in control of the region until they won the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

in 1949. The area under the control of People's Government of Changzhi City is divided into 12 county-level administration zone. They are 4 districts

Luzhou Luzhou ( zh, s=泸州, p=Lúzhōu; Sichuanese Pinyin: Nu2zou1; Minjiang dialect, Luzhou dialect: ) is a prefecture-level city located in the southeast of Sichuan Province, China. It is also known as the "Liquor City" (). It was named Jiangyang () ...

, Lucheng,

, and

Tunliu Tunliu () is a district of the city of Changzhi, Shanxi province, China. Lord Chang'an, Chengjiao, brother of Qin Shi Huang Qin Shi Huang (, ; February 25912 July 210 BC), born Ying Zheng () or Zhao Zheng (), was the founder of the Qi ...

; and 8 counties

Xiangyuan County Xiangyuan County () is a county in the southeast of Shanxi province, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Changzhi Changzhi ( zh, s=长治) is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Shanxi Province, China, ...

Pingshun County Pingshun County () is a county in the southeast of Shanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Hebei to the northeast and Henan to the east. It is under the administration of Changzhi Changzhi ( zh, s=长治) is a prefecture-level cit ...

Licheng County Licheng County () is a county in the southeast of Shanxi province, China, bordering Hebei province to the east. It is under the administration of Changzhi Changzhi ( zh, s=长治) is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Shanxi Province, ...

Huguan County Huguan County () is a county in the southeast of Shanxi province, China. It is under the administration of Changzhi city. Huguan county is the location of Huguan Taihang Grand Canyon, which is one of the AAAAA Tourist Attractions of China AAAAA ...

Zhangzi County Zhangzi County () is a county in the southeast of Shanxi province, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Changzhi Changzhi ( zh, s=长治) is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Shanxi Province, China, b ...

Wuxiang County Wuxiang County () is a county in the southeast of Shanxi province, China. It is the northernmost county-level division of the prefecture-level city of Changzhi Changzhi ( zh, s=长治) is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Shanxi Pro ...

Qin County Qin County or Qinxian () is a county in the southeast-central part of Shanxi province, China. It is under the administration of Changzhi Changzhi ( zh, s=长治) is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Shanxi Province, China, bordering ...

, and

Qinyuan County Qinyuan County () is a county in the south-central part of Shanxi province, China. It is the westernmost county-level division of Changzhi Changzhi ( zh, s=长治) is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Shanxi Province, China, borderin ...

. *Defunct - Jiao District ( zh, s=郊区, p=Jiāoqū) is largely made up of suburban surround the city center of the metropolitan area.

Geography

Changzhi is located in southeastern

province, along the southern section of the

Taihang Mountains The Taihang Mountains () are a Chinese mountain range running down the eastern edge of the Loess Plateau in Shanxi, Henan and Hebei provinces. The range extends over from north to south and has an average elevation of ; its principal peak is ...

. The majority of the city's area is mountainous, and much of the remaining geography is hilly in nature. The average elevation in the city is approximately above sea level, with prominent peaks including Liyu Mountain () and Shigao Mountain (), reaching and above sea level, respectively.

Climate

Changzhi has a rather dry,

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...

-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 cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dwa''), with cold and very dry winters, and very warm, somewhat humid summers. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in July, and the annual mean is . Typifying the influence of the East Asian Monsoon, a majority of the annual of precipitation occurs from June to August.The annual sunshine hours are 2400-2600 hours, and the average annual frost-free period is 160-180 days.

Pollution

Changzhi's

air quality index An air quality index (AQI) is an indicator developed by government agencies to communicate to the public how polluted the air currently is or how polluted it is forecast to become. As air pollution levels rise, so does the AQI, along with the a ...

is monitored by China's Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) and city government. A record of daily air quality is published by the local government. In 2013, a major chemical spill occurred at a fertilizer plant in Changzhi operated by Tianji Coal Chemical Industry Group, polluting major waterways in the region, and impacting areas downstream, such as the city of

. Government officials in Handan blamed the city government of Changzhi for covering up the spill for five days, and remaining silent on the spill for the subsequent two months. In February 2013, the

Xinhua News Agency Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: ),J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. It is a ...

announced the results of an official investigation into the spill, resulting in the punishment of 39 people, including then-mayor of Changzhi, Zhang Bao, who was removed from his position. In 2019, officials from the Shanxi Provincial Government publicly reprimanded officials from seven cities within the province, including Changzhi, following a noticeable spike in

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause harm. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the component ...

Education

Higher education

Changzhi Medical College Changzhi Medical College () is a university in Changzhi, Shanxi, China under the authority of the provincial government. It is one of several medical schools in the Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi ...

Changzhi College Changzhi University () is a full-time undergraduate publicly-run provincial ordinary college of higher learning in the People's Republic of China, located in the urban area of Changzhi City, Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, form ...

High schools

* Changzhi No.1 Middle School * Changzhi No.2 Middle School * Changzhi No.3 Middle School * Changzhi No.4 Middle School * Changzhi No.5 Middle School * Changzhi No.6 Middle School * Changzhi No.7 Middle School * Changzhi No.8 Middle School * Changzhi No.9 Middle School * Changzhi No.10 Middle School * Changzhi Experimental Middle School * Changzhi No.12 Middle School * Changzhi No.13 Middle School * Changzhi No.14 Middle School * Changzhi No.15 Middle School * Changzhi No.16 Middle School * Changzhi No.17 Middle School * Changzhi No.18 Middle School * Changzhi No.19 Middle School * Tai-Hang Middle School (Subsidiary Middle School of Changzhi College)

Transportation

Expressways

Portions of three

National Highways National Highways (NH), formerly Highways England and before that the Highways Agency, is a State-owned enterprise, government-owned company charged with operating, maintaining and improving Roads in England, motorways and major A roads in Eng ...

run through Changzhi:

China National Highway 208 China National Highway 208 (G208) runs from Erenhot, Inner Mongolia to Xichuan County, Henan province. It is 990 kilometres in length and runs south from Erenhot, via Shanxi towards Henan province. Route and distance See also * China National ...

, and

China National Highway 309 China National Highway 309 (G309) runs west from Rongcheng, Shandong, Rongcheng, Shandong towards Hebei Province, Shanxi Province, Shaanxi Province, Ningxia Autonomous Region, and ends in Lanzhou, Gansu. It is 2208 kilometres in length. Route an ...

. National Highways 207 and 208 run along a north–south axis, while National Highway 309 runs along a west–east axis. Other major expressways which run through Changzhi include the , and expressways which link the city to

, and

. The also runs through the city.

Railway

Airport

Changzhi Wangcun Airport is a civil-military airport located 7.5 kilometers north of Changzhi City, Shanxi Province, China, and is operated and managed by Shanxi Civil Aviation Airport Group. It is an important aviation port in Shanxi Province and a national second-class civil aviation airport. It plays a very prominent role in the great practice of transformation and leapfrog development of the city and even the province.

Notable people

* Faxian (334-420), a native of Wuyang, Pingyang County, Sizhou, Eastern Jin Dynasty (now Linfen area, Shanxi Province), was a famous monk in the history of Chinese Buddhism, an outstanding Buddhist reformer, the first Chinese master to go overseas to seek Buddhist scriptures and Dharma, and an outstanding traveler and translator. *

Li Yueru Li Yueru (; born 28 March 1999) is a Chinese basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She also plays for the Chinese national team. Li was drafted in the third round of the 2019 WNBA draft ...

, WNBA center for the

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Crypto.co ...

External links

Official website of Changzhi Government

Notes and references

{{Authority control Cities in Shanxi Prefecture-level divisions of Shanxi National forest cities in China National Civilized City