Changzhi, city in northern China, in Shanxi Province, is a transportation and industrial center. Manufactures include iron and steel and machinery; coal, iron ore, and asbestos are mined nearby.
230km from Taiyuan and 650km from Beijing, it has become centralized with politics, finance, culture, traffic and commodities in the southeast of Shanxi Province. Being the base of energy, heavy and chemical industries of the country and with the development of the mineral resources as the leading industry, it is regarded as a medium comprehensive industrial city.
An ancient city, dating from at least the Shang (Yin) dynasty (1600?-1050? BC), Changzhi was known as Luan until 1912.
Geography:
Changzhi lies to the northern side of the middle part of Longhai and Lanxin railways which are the Asian and European continental bridges. It is in the center of inland China, the southeast of Shanxi Province.
Changzhi,lying between Taihang Mountain and Taiyue Mountain, is surrounded by mountains .Its middle part is called "Shangdang basin". It is mainly composed of mountains and hills. The average height above sea level is 1,000meters.The highest is 2,453 meters. It covers an area of 13,896 square kilometers. The urban area is 334 square kilometers.
Climate:
Changzhi is situated between east longitude 111¡ã 58 and 113¡ã44, and north latitude 350 49 and 370 08 respectively. It belongs to the warm temperate zone with a damp continental climate and has clear four seasons. The annual average temperature is 5-110 C. It is neither too hot in summer nor too cold in winter. The annual average rainfall is 606 mm. So it is considered to be relatively rich in water in north China. The total water reserve is 2.3 billion cubic meters. The annual average sunshine amounts to 2418-2616 hours. The frost -free period lasts 151-184 days. Therefore the climate is really pleasant here.
Changzhi Economy:
Mineral Reserves
Changzhi has always been called the "Home of Coal" and has a vast reserve of coal that has the properties of wide distribution, complete varieties, high quality, easy cutting etc. Furthermore, the other minerals also have a high value of development, such as limestone, iron ore, silicon, lead soil, gypsum, marble, fire clay, potassium-bearing rock, ferromanganese, iron soil and dolomite.
Industrial Economy
Changzhi is the developing base of the light industry. Now the industrial systems with coal, power, metallurgy, chemistry, machinery, textile and food as the main industries have been formed. There are nearly 1300 town-ship and higher level enterprises, among which Luan Coal Industrial Group Co., Ltd, Zhangze Power Plant, Shanxi Cement Plant, Changzhi Steel Co., Ltd, Huihai Machinery Factory, Huifeng Machinery Factory, Qinghua Machinery Factory, Haitang Washing Machine Co., Ltd, Kangbao Biological Products Co., Ltd, Taihang Medicine Co., Ltd, Orient Body Building Devices Co., Ltd, Sea Gull Saw Group Co., Ltd, Changzhi Hydraulic Component Factory, Changzhi Metal Forming Factory are large and medium-sized enterprises. The main products include coal, steel, electricity, coke, cement, bearings, washing machines, hydraulic equipment, metal forming equipment, biological and chemical products, medicine, body building devices, explosive-proof electric appliances, saws, iron alloy, fertilizer and pig iron etc.
Agricultural Economy
Changzhi abounds in sunshine, heat and water resources. Therefore it has the advantages of developing the agriculture, forest, animal husbandry, by-products and fishing. The main agricultural products contain wheat, maize, cereal, beans and vegetable. The local specialities like Qinzhou millet, persimmon, walnut, edible fungus, mushroom, Shangdang ginseng, the root of membranous mile vetch are famous all over China.
History:
Changzhi is located on the top of Taihang Mountain. It is said that Changzhi area is high to the sky, so called "Shang Dang". There were human beings lining and labouring in Changzhi 10,000 years ago. It is one of the birthplaces of Chinese culture. It was here where Yandi, the ancestor of the Chinese people, tried various grasses and taught people how to farm. During the period of Emperor Yao and Shun. Changzhi was in the territory of Jizhou, directly under the control of the Capital City. During the Shang Dynasty, it was the territory of the Li State. The Shangdang Prefecture was set here in the Qin Dynasty. The name Luzhou was given as a administrative division in the Northern Zou Dynasty. It was renamed the Prefecture of Lu an during the Ming Dynasty, and Changzhi County was established under its control. "Changzhi" means "everlasting peace and security". The name of Changzhi was just from this time. Changzhi City was formally set up in 1946.
Arrive:
Changzhi enjoys very convenient communications. The national Tai-jiao Railway goes through 8 counties and districts of the city, connecting Taiyuan and South Tongpu Railway in the north, and Zhenzhou, Xinxiang in the south. Highways include Chang-Han, Chang-Jin, Tai-Luo, Yin-Lin, Gan-Lin and Yu-Chang etc. Chang-Han and Chang-Jin highways are to be open soon. The highways are 4060 km long in the city and the density is 32km/100km. So far a highway transportation network has been formed. Big planes can land in and take off from Changzhi Airport after the renovation of the airport is completed. People from Changzhi can easily get to Beijing, Taiyuan, Wuhan and Zhengzhou by plane (Changzhi Airport: 0355¡ª2176469)
Changzhi Tourism:
Changzhi is one of the cradles of Chinas ancient culture with many scenic spots, historical sites and natural landscapes. Several ancient legends are said to have happened here, for example "Jingwei filled the sea", "Nuwa mended the sky", "Houyi shot the suns", "Yugong removed the mountains" and "Shennong held the meeting". Linkong Mountain is a summer resort with lovely scenery. The tourist spots are Huangya Cave, Baiyun Cave, Baigu Mountain, Zituan Mountain, Guangzhi Mountain, Xiantang Mountain, Taihang Mountain Large Gorge, Laoding Mountain Forest Park etc. The historical sites are Shangdang Gate, Town Gods Temple, Guanyin Temple, Faxing Temple, Yuanqi Temple, Jindeng Temple and Tiantai Nunnery. All these form the sole tourist resources with Changzhi characteristics.
Shopping:
Changzhi has more than 18000 commercial enterprises and 50000 commercial stalls with over 120,000 employees. The main shopping centers in urban area are Changzhi Commercial Mansion, Southeast Shopping Center, Jinwei Trade Town, Bayi Department Store, Jiulong Commercial Mansion and Dayang Commercial Mansion etc. They can provide the perfect service for the investors.
Changzhi Attractive points:
Pujiu Temple
The temple lies on a mound, 12 kilometers northwest of the county seat of Yongji. The temple is where the story of Western Chamber, a famous opera of the Yuan Dynasty, took place. The construction of the temple dates back to the times of Wuzetian, the woman emperor of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The huge original structure was destroyed in wars and earthquakes over a long period of 1,000 years. Yingying Tower in the temple was rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty. Pujiu Temple has regained its splendor after renovations in recent years.
Tangkaiyuan Iron Cattle
The iron cattle, seen as a national treasure, were excavated in 1989 in Yongji County. According to historical records, the icon cattle were cast for the construction of a bridge under the order of Li Longji, an emperor of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Compared with others unearthed, these cattle not only rank first in size, weight and age, they are also some of the most exquisite relics unearthed up to now.
Huangya Cave
Huangya, or Yellow Cliff Cave, lies 30 kilometers north the county seat of Licheng. Appearing like it is hanging on the cliff of a yellow mountain, it was named Yellow Cliff Cave. The natural cave is 20 meters long, 20 meters wide and 60 meters deep. The surrounding natural environment and unusual cliffs make for a beautiful landscape. During the War of Resistance against Japan (1937-45), it was used as an arsenal for the Eighth Route Army of China. In a historic battle here Chinese troops defeated the Japanese army. |
