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Zhaoyuan, Shandong
Zhaoyuan (simplified Chinese: 招远市; traditional Chinese: 招遠市; pinyin: Zhāoyuǎn Shì) is a county-level city within the prefecture-level city of Yantai, Shandong Province, China, located on the Bohai Sea.[1] Zhaoyuan is well known for its abundant gold deposit and production, and is occasionally nicknamed "China's gold capital" (simplified Chinese: 中国金都; traditional Chinese: 中國金都).[2][3] The city spans an area of 1,432.32 square kilometres (553.02 sq mi),[4] and has a population of 560,234 as of 2019.[5] HistoryThe area was first incorporated under the Han dynasty as Qucheng County (simplified Chinese: 曲成县; traditional Chinese: 曲成縣).[6] Gold was discovered at Zhaoyuan in the Tang dynasty.[citation needed] The myth accompanying the city's discovery of gold is that a giant tortoise named Ao once told villagers struggling with famine to dig, and upon digging, they struck gold.[2] The county was named Zhaoyuan County (simplified Chinese: 招远县; traditional Chinese: 招遠縣) in 1131.[6] People's Republic of ChinaFive townships in Zhaoyuan were upgraded to towns on September 1, 1988.[6] On December 21, 1991, Zhaoyuan was upgraded from a county to a county-level city.[6] Throughout the mid-1990s, three more townships were upgraded to towns.[6] On January 11, 1999, the town of Zhaocheng (simplified Chinese: 招城镇; traditional Chinese: 招城鎮) was divided into three subdistricts: Luofeng Subdistrict, Quanshan Subdistrict, and Mengzhi Subdistrict.[6] The Fifth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China reported that Zhaoyuan had a population of 593,705.[6] On December 19, 2000, Dahuchenjia Township (simplified Chinese: 大户陈家乡; traditional Chinese: 大戶陳家鄉) became the city's last township to be upgraded to a town.[6] 2014 murder of Wu ShuoyanIn late May 2014, five members of The Church of Almighty God, an outlawed new-age cult, entered a McDonald's in Zhaoyuan and began soliciting customers' phone numbers.[7] When 37 year-old Wu Shuoyan refused to give her phone number to the group, they claimed she was an "evil spirit", and began beating her with chairs and a metal mop handle, ultimately killing her.[7] In February 2015, two of the attackers were executed, and the other three received jail sentences ranging from seven years to life.[8] GeographyZhaoyuan's city center is located approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi) southwest of Yantai's urban center.[4] The city's terrain is higher in the northeast, middle and west, and lower in the northwest and southeast[4] ClimateThe city's annual average temperature is 11 °C (52 °F), and its annual average precipitation is 607.3 millimetres (23.91 in).[4]
Administrative divisionsZhaoyuan administers five subdistricts and nine towns.[11] SubdistrictsZhaoyuan's five subdistricts are Luofeng Subdistrict, Quanshan Subdistrict, Mengzhi Subdistrict, Wenquan Subdistrict, and Daqinjia Subdistrict.[11] TownsZhaoyuan's nine towns are Xinzhuang, Canzhuang, Jinling, Biguo, Linglong, Zhangxing, Xiadian, Fushan, and Qishan.[11] EconomyThe city has a significant amount of gold deposits, largely concentrated in its northeast.[4] Zhaojin Mining has its headquarters located in the city.[12] Additionally, Linglong Tire is headquartered in the city.[13] TransportNational Highway 206 runs through Zhaoyuan.[1] Tourist attractionsA large golden statue of Ao, a Chinese mythical giant turtle is located in the village of Oujiakuang (Chinese: 欧家夼村; pinyin: Ōujiākuǎng Cūn), in the town of Linglong.[14][15] Located in Luoshan National Forest Park (simplified Chinese: 罗山国家森林公园; traditional Chinese: 羅山國家森林公園),[14] the statue is Asia's largest statue of Ao, and is located at 37°27′36″N 120°28′22″E / 37.46000°N 120.47278°E.[citation needed] The statue is 15 meters tall and 20 meters long.[16][17][better source needed] The Qucheng Ancient City Site is located in Zhaoyuan.[1] Notable people
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