Rizhao (), alternatively romanized as Jihchao, 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 southeastern

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

, China. It is situated on the coastline along the

Yellow Sea The Yellow Sea, also known as the North Sea, is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. Names It is one of four ...

, and features a major seaport, the

Port of Rizhao The Port of Rizhao is a natural deep-water seaport on the coast of the city of Rizhao, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China, located on the southern shore of Shandong Peninsula, opening to the Yellow Sea The Yellow Sea, also known ...

. It borders

Qingdao Qingdao, Mandarin: , (Qingdao Mandarin: t͡ɕʰiŋ˧˩ tɒ˥) is a prefecture-level city in the eastern Shandong Province of China. Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, Qingdao was long an important fortress. In 1897, the city was ceded to G ...

to the northeast,

Weifang Weifang ( zh, s=潍坊, t=濰坊, p=Wéifāng) is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The city borders Dongying to the northwest, Zibo to the west, Linyi to the southwest, Rizhao to the south, Qingdao ...

to the north,

Linyi Linyi ( zh, s=临沂 , t=臨沂 , p=Línyí) is a prefecture-level city in the south of Shandong province, China. As of 2011, Linyi is the largest prefecture-level city in Shandong, both by area and population, Linyi borders Rizhao to the eas ...

to the west and southwest, and faces

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

across the

to the east. The name of the city literally means "sunshine".

Worldwatch Institute The Worldwatch Institute was a globally focused environmental research organization based in Washington, D.C., founded by Lester R. Brown. Worldwatch was named as one of the top ten sustainable development research organizations by Globescan S ...

. (2007). '' State of the World : Our Urban Future.'' The city is known for its sustainability, and it mandates solar-water heaters in all new buildings. Rizhao city was recognized by the United Nations as one of the most habitable cities in the world in 2009. The city population stands at 2,968,365 people as of the

2020 Chinese census The Seventh National Population Census of the People's Republic of China (), also referred to as the 2020 Chinese Census, was the seventh National Population Census of the People's Republic of China, national census conducted by the National Bure ...

, of whom 1,172,205 live in the urban area of

Donggang District Donggang District () is the main urban district of the city of Rizhao, Shandong province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territ ...

. Compared with the 2,801,013 people in

2010 Chinese census The 2010 Chinese census, officially the Sixth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国第六次全国人口普查), was conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China wi ...

, there has been a total increase of 167,352 people in the past decade, an increase of 5.97%, with an average annual growth rate of 0.58%.

History

Rizhao is located at the place where the ancient

Dawenkou culture The Dawenkou culture was a Chinese Neolithic culture primarily located in the eastern province of Shandong, but also appearing in Anhui, Henan and Jiangsu. The culture existed from 4300 to 2600 BC, and co-existed with the Yangshao culture. Turquo ...

and the

Longshan culture The Longshan culture, also sometimes referred to as the Black Pottery Culture, was a late Neolithic culture in the middle and lower Yellow River valley areas of northern China from about 3000 to 1900 BC. The first archaeological find of this cu ...

flourished. Rizhao belonged to the

Dongyi The Dongyi or Eastern Yi () was a collective term for ancient peoples found in Chinese records. The definition of Dongyi varied across the ages, but in most cases referred to inhabitants of eastern China, then later, the Korean peninsula and Jap ...

people during the Xia and

Shang The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty that ruled in the Yellow River valley during the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Western Zhou dyn ...

dynasties (2070-1046 BC), and to Ju and Yue States in the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period () was a period in History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...

(770-476 BC) and the

Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

(476-221 BC). It became a part of Langye Commandery in the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ) was the first Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China. It is named for its progenitor state of Qin, a fief of the confederal Zhou dynasty (256 BC). Beginning in 230 BC, the Qin under King Ying Zheng enga ...

(221-206 BC). Rizhao was named Haiqu County () during the

Western Han The Han dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and a warring int ...

(206 BC-25 AD) and Xihai County under the

Eastern Han The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

(25-220 AD). During the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, together with Ju County, Rizhao belonged to

Mi Prefecture Mizhou or Mi Prefecture was a ''Zhou (country subdivision), zhou'' (prefecture) in history of China, imperial China in modern southeastern Shandong, China. It existed (intermittently) from 585 until 1368 upon the foundation of the Ming dynasty. ...

of Henan Prefecture. In the 10th century, Rizhao city and county was established, with the name meaning "(the first to get) sunshine". In 1940 it came under the control of the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

. After being a county and since 1985 a city under the administration of

, Rizhao became a prefecture-level city within Shandong province in 1989. The Field Museum of Natural History in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

has done field survey archaeological work in Rizhao over the years.

Climate

Rizhao has a temperate, four-season,

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 climate that lies in the transition between the

humid subtropical A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between la ...

(

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 ...

''Cwa'') and

humid continental 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 depe ...

(Köppen ''Dwa'') regimes. Winter is cool to cold and windy, but generally dry, with a January average of . Summer is generally hot and humid, but sweltering days are rare, with an August average of . Due to its proximity to the coast and being on a peninsula, it experiences a one-month delayed spring compared to much of the province. Conversely, fall is milder than inland areas in Shandong. The annual mean temperature is . On average, there are 2,530 hours of bright sunshine annually, and the relative humidity is 70–74 %.

Administration

The

of Rizhao administers four county-level divisions, including two

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

and two

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

. *

() * Lanshan District () *

Ju County Ju County or Juxian () is a county of Rizhao City, in the south of Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization al ...

() *

Wulian County Wulian County () is a county of the prefecture-level city of Rizhao, Shandong. The county is known for and named after its eponymous Wulian Mountain. It borders Zhucheng to the north, Donggang District to the south, Ju County to the west and Xi ...

()

Landmarks and tourist attractions

The Zaishui Art Museum on an artificial lake was completed in 2023, along with a promenade and café by the Spanish firm

SelgasCano SelgasCano is a Spanish architectural office based in Madrid and founded in 1998 by José Selgas and Lucía Cano. The atelier focuses on the use of Polychrome, polychromy, creative exploration of new materials and the relationship between archit ...

. In addition to the museum,

Jun'ya Ishigami (born 1974 in Kanagawa prefecture) is a Japanese architect. Ishigami completed his master's degree in architecture and planning at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 2000. Between 2000 and 2004, he worked with Kazuyo Sejima at ...

designed a horseback-riding center, a hotel, and a 148-foot-high, concrete church. The following locations have a 4-star rating according to Chinese classification for scenic spots () * Wulian Mountain () * Fulai Mountain () * Daqing Mountain () * Wanpingkou Beach () * Rizhao Beach National Park () * Longmengu () * Liujiawan Park ()

Sustainable development

The city now mandates the incorporation of

solar panel A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. These electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct ...

s in all new buildings, and oversees the construction process to ensure the panels are correctly installed. The effort to install solar water heaters began in 1992.

Transportation

Rizhao features a major seaport (

), located approximately north of

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, southwest of

, and north of

Lianyungang Lianyungang () is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Jiangsu province of China, province, China. It borders Yancheng to its southeast, Huai'an and Suqian to its south, Xuzhou to its southwest, and the province of Shandong to its north. Its ...

. The seaport serves as a site for loading and unloading iron ore and coal. Other products passing through the harbor include cement, nickel, bauxite, and the like. In 2011 the Port of Rizhao, together with the cities of Qingdao, Weihai and Yantai in

, signed a strategic alliance with

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

, the largest port of the

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. The alliance aims at building a shipping and logistics center in Northeast Asia. The new iron ore port of

Lanqiao Lanqiao is a deep water port in Shandong, China, located south of Rizhao. Built between 2010 and 2016 by reclaiming land, Lanqiao is a prominent port for loading and discharging mineral ores and other bulk cargoes. It also has an oil terminal. Pr ...

is located close to it as is the Lanshan port region. Rizhao Shanzihe Airport (IATA: RIZ) is an airport serving the city of Rizhao. The airport received approval from the State Council and the Central Military Commission in October 2013. It is located in the town of (),

. It was opened on 22 December 2015. The city is served by two railway stations, Rizhao railway station for local trains and Rizhao West railway station for both local and high-speed services.

Education

Universities and colleges

Since becoming a city, Rizhao has seen a significant growth in the number of universities and colleges, *

Qufu Normal University Qufu Normal University () is a public university located in the cities of Qufu, which is the ancient home of Confucius, and in Rizhao, Shandong province, China. Its focal points include studies of history, calligraphy, law, management, chemistry ...

() *

Jining Medical University Jining Medical University ( is a public institution of higher learning in Jining and Rizhao, Shandong province, China. It was founded in 1952 as ''Jining Medical Assistant School'' (), in 1958 it became Jining Medical College (), and from 1959 ...

() * Rizhao Polytechnic () * Shandong Foreign Languages Vocational College () * Shandong Maritime Vocational College () * Shandong Sport College () * Shandong Water Polytechnic(山东水利学院)

Image gallery

File:Wanping kou beach.jpg, Wanpingkou Beach File:Fulai mountain.jpg, Fulaishan File:Dengta square beach.jpg, Dengta Lighthouse File:Wulian .jpg, Wulian Mountain File:日照站2022.jpg, Rizhao Railway Station File:Rizhao Railway Station.jpg, Rizhao Railway Station File:日照灯塔 - panoramio (1).jpg, Rizhao Lighthouse File:Rizhao1.jpg, Rizhao scenery File:日照市万平口海洋公园2022.jpg, Rizhao Wanpingkou Ocean Park 2022 File:Rizhao sea port.jpg, Rizhao sea port

International relations

Rizhao

twin towns and sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

are: *

Türkmenabat Türkmenabat (), formerly Amul, Cärjew/Chardzhou (until 1924 and from 1940-1999), and Novy Chardzhuy (from 1927-1940), is the second-largest city in Turkmenistan and the administrative centre of Lebap Province. , it had a population of approxima ...

, Türkmenistan (2014)

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Shandong Prefecture-level divisions of Shandong National Civilized City