Shuozhou

For the county in North Korea's North Pyongan Province with the same Chinese name, see Sakchu County.
Shuozhou
朔州市
Prefecture-level city
The Pagoda of Fogong Temple, Ying County, built in 1056.
The Pagoda of Fogong Temple, Ying County, built in 1056.
Location of Shuozhou City jurisdiction in Shanxi
Location of Shuozhou City jurisdiction in Shanxi
Shuozhou is located in Shanxi
Shuozhou
Shuozhou
Shuozhou city center in Shanxi
Coordinates (Shuozhou municipal government): 39°19′54″N 112°25′58″E / 39.3317°N 112.4329°E / 39.3317; 112.4329
CountryPeople's Republic of China
ProvinceShanxi
County-level divisions6
Municipal seatShuocheng District
Government
 • TypePrefecture-level city
 • CPC Shuozhou SecretaryWang Maoshe (王茂设)
 • MayorLI Zhengyin (李正印)
Area
10,662 km2 (4,117 sq mi)
 • Urban
[1]
176.00 km2 (67.95 sq mi)
 • Districts[1]4,093.7 km2 (1,580.6 sq mi)
Population
 (2010)[2]
1,714,857
 • Density160/km2 (420/sq mi)
 • Urban
[1]
433,700
 • Districts[1]
745,000
GDP[3]
 • Prefecture-level cityCN¥ 110 billion
US$ 17.3 billion
 • Per capitaCN¥ 69,152
US$ 11,064
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code
036000
Area code0349
ISO 3166 codeCN-SX-06
Licence plates晋F
Administrative division code140600
Websitewww.shuozhou.gov.cn
Shuozhou
Chinese朔州
Literal meaningSeat of Shuo Prefecture
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinShuòzhōu
Wade–GilesShuo-chou
Former names
Mayi
Traditional Chinese馬邑
Simplified Chinese马邑
Literal meaningHorse Town
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinMǎyì
Wade–GilesMa-i

Shuozhou is a prefecture-level city in northern Shanxi province, China, bordering Inner Mongolia to the northwest. It is situated along the upper reaches of the Fen River. The prefecture as a whole has an area of about 10,662 km2 (4,117 sq mi) and, in 2010, a population of about 1.71 million.[2]

History

See also: Dai Prefecture and Battle of Mayi

The site of Shuozhou was the ancient Chinese frontier town of Mayi (马邑),[4] which was used as a trading post between China and the Xiongnu nomads of the eastern Eurasian steppe.

In 201 BC, the founder of the Han dynasty Liu Bang (posthumously known as Emperor Gaozu or the "High Ancestor") moved Han Xin from his fief around Yuzhou in Henan to Mayi, where he was attacked by the Xiongnu. Finding himself distrusted by the Han emperor, Han Xin allied with the Xiongnu instead and joined them on their raids against China until his death in battle in 196 BC. Mayi was subsequently the capital of Dai Prefecture and the scene of an attempted ambush of the Xiongnu by Chinese troops in 133 BC.

During the chaos between the fall of the Sui and rise of the Tang, Mayi was the base of the would-be emperor Liu Wuzhou.

Administrative divisions

The seat of government is in Shuocheng District, the urban core of the city.

Map
Name Hanzi Hanyu Pinyin Population
(2003 est.) 		Area (km2) Density (/km2)
Shuocheng District 朔城区 Shuòchéng Qū 380,000 1,793 212
Pinglu District 平鲁区 Pínglǔ Qū 190,000 2,314 82
Shanyin County 山阴县 Shānyīn Xiàn 220,000 1,652 133
Ying County 应县 Yìng Xiàn 270,000 1,708 158
Youyu County 右玉县 Yòuyù Xiàn 100,000 1,965 51
Huairen city 怀仁市 Huáirén Shì 250,000 1,230 203

Climate

Shuozhou has a continental, monsoon-influenced semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk),[5] with cold, very dry, and somewhat long winters, and warm, somewhat humid summers. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from −9.8 °C (14.4 °F) in January to 21.9 °C (71.4 °F) in July, and the annual mean is 7.42 °C (45.4 °F). Typifying the influence of the East Asian Monsoon, over three-fourths of the annual 399 millimetres (15.7 in) of precipitation occurs from June to September.

Climate data for Shuozhou, elevation 1,115 m (3,658 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.8
(51.4) 		19.5
(67.1) 		26.0
(78.8) 		36.0
(96.8) 		35.6
(96.1) 		39.3
(102.7) 		35.8
(96.4) 		34.2
(93.6) 		35.1
(95.2) 		29.0
(84.2) 		22.4
(72.3) 		14.7
(58.5) 		39.3
(102.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −1.1
(30.0) 		3.6
(38.5) 		10.3
(50.5) 		18.2
(64.8) 		23.9
(75.0) 		27.7
(81.9) 		28.7
(83.7) 		26.9
(80.4) 		22.6
(72.7) 		16.0
(60.8) 		7.7
(45.9) 		0.6
(33.1) 		15.4
(59.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) −9.5
(14.9) 		−5.0
(23.0) 		2.3
(36.1) 		10.3
(50.5) 		16.8
(62.2) 		20.8
(69.4) 		22.4
(72.3) 		20.5
(68.9) 		15.1
(59.2) 		8.1
(46.6) 		0.0
(32.0) 		−7.2
(19.0) 		7.9
(46.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −16.1
(3.0) 		−12.0
(10.4) 		−5.0
(23.0) 		2.3
(36.1) 		8.5
(47.3) 		13.4
(56.1) 		16.3
(61.3) 		14.5
(58.1) 		8.7
(47.7) 		1.5
(34.7) 		−6.1
(21.0) 		−13.3
(8.1) 		1.1
(33.9)
Record low °C (°F) −31.5
(−24.7) 		−28.3
(−18.9) 		−21.9
(−7.4) 		−11.1
(12.0) 		−4.3
(24.3) 		2.1
(35.8) 		5.7
(42.3) 		4.2
(39.6) 		−4.2
(24.4) 		−10.4
(13.3) 		−26.2
(−15.2) 		−32.0
(−25.6) 		−32.0
(−25.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 1.6
(0.06) 		3.2
(0.13) 		8.0
(0.31) 		20.8
(0.82) 		32.4
(1.28) 		60.4
(2.38) 		113.3
(4.46) 		89.1
(3.51) 		60.5
(2.38) 		24.3
(0.96) 		10.0
(0.39) 		1.9
(0.07) 		425.5
(16.75)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 1.7 2.4 3.5 4.9 6.7 10.5 12.9 11.9 9.5 5.9 3.2 1.9 75
Average snowy days 2.9 4.1 3.4 1.3 0.1 0 0 0 0 0.4 2.9 3.0 18.1
Average relative humidity (%) 51 46 41 39 40 51 65 70 66 60 54 52 53
Mean monthly sunshine hours 182.4 183.9 220.2 237.2 255.3 228.2 222.6 215.8 200.0 213.7 187.8 177.5 2,524.6
Percent possible sunshine 60 60 59 59 57 51 50 52 54 63 63 61 57
Source: China Meteorological Administration[6][7]

Economy

It is a centre of industry, and its notable industries are primarily mining of coal and other ores such as iron, bauxite, mica, manganese, and graphite. Other economic sectors include agriculture, chemical industry, ceramics, and fishing.

Education

Tourism

Western tourists rarely come to this area of China, but there are some attractions. The Yingxian Tower, built in 1056 during the Liao Dynasty, is one of the main sites of the region. It was built entirely of wood, without using nails, and serves as a museum of calligraphy. There are also some paleolithic ruins, and ancient gravesites from the Dongyi people.

Transportation

The Dayun Expressway (Datong—Yuncheng) passes through it, and it has 5 specialized train lines.

Shuozhou Zirun Airport opened on December 18, 2023.

Notable people

References

  1. ^ a b c d Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, ed. (2019). China Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook 2017. Beijing: China Statistics Press. p. 46. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  2. ^ a b 朔州市2010年第六次全国人口普查主要数据公报（Sixth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China）. National Bureau of Statistics of China. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  3. ^ 山西省统计局、国家统计局山西调查总队 (December 2021). 《山西统计年鉴－2021》. 中国统计出版社. ISBN 978-7-5037-7824-7.
  4. ^ Anecdotes about Spirits and Immortals, Vol. II, Waiwen Chubanshe, 2004, p. 749. (in Chinese) & (in English)
  5. ^ Peel, M. C., Finlayson, B. L., and McMahon, T. A.: Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 11, 1633-1644, doi:10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007, 2007.
  6. ^ 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  7. ^ 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 26 August 2023.