Chaoyang, Liaoning

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Chaoyang
Chinese transliteration(s)
 - Simplified
 - Pinyin Cháoyáng
Location of Chaoyang in Liaoning
Location of Chaoyang in Liaoning
Coordinates: 41°18′07″N 123°45′54″E / 41.302, 123.765
Country China
Province Liaoning
Districts and Counties
Government
 - CPC Chaoyang Committee Secretary
 - Mayor
Time zone China Standard (UTC+8)
Area code(s) 421
Website: http://www.chaoyang.gov.cn/en
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Chaoyang (simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: Cháoyáng) is a prefecture-level city in Liaoning province of the People's Republic of China.

Within the prefecture there is a variety of mining. The Songling Mountains, where fossils have been found, are not far from here. Indeed, two of the most remarkable Early Cretaceous birds known to date were recovered nearby from Jiufotang Formation rocks and named Longipteryx chaoyangensis and Sapeornis chaoyangensis in reference to the city.

Chaoyang has a population of 3,340,000 and is located almost directly in between the capital of the province, Shenyang, and the capital of China, Beijing. It has a total land area of 1,970,000㎢. The area under Chaoyang’s jurisdictional control is split up into two counties (Jianping, Chaoyang), two county-level districts (Longcheng, Shuangta), two county-level cities (Beipiao, Lingyuan), and the Harqin Left Mongol Autonomous County. The urban area where the municipal government office is located, which is comprised of the Shuangta and Longcheng districts, has a population of 300,000 and forms the core of Chaoyang.

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[edit] History

Chaoyang has a long history. With the discovery of 5 to 6,000 year old Niuheliang Hongshan Cultural Ruins and the 4000 years of Chinese culture since then, Chaoyang has drawn attention as one birthplace of ancient Chinese culture. Historically, this area first appeared as “Liucheng County” in the Early Han period of the 3rd century B.C. From the 4th to 5th century during the Period of Sixteen Kingdoms, the states of Former Yan, Later Yan, and the Northern Yan were created here, so this area was called the “Yan Area”. Since the Tang Dynasty, Chaoyang flourished as a center of Northeast Asian culture, politics, and economy and has been called “The leader of the northeast which has prospered for hundreds of years”.

[edit] Fossils

Liaoning, and in particular Chaoyang, has become the focus of great interest in the world of palaeontology. During the 1990's, many new, unique and fascinating fossils were discovered in this region. Some of the finds have completely revolutionised our ideas of dinosaurs and shed new light on the origin of birds. Chaoyang's fossils are in the Jiufotang Formation. These fossils include: Liaoxipterus, a genus of ctenochasmatid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Lower Cretaceous; Microraptor, a feathered dinosaur; and several early birds such as Longipteryx Chaoyangensis, Sapeornis Yanornis and Shenzhouraptor an eary bird. Insects have also been found such as Dictyoptera, a fossilised cockroach and Hymenoptera, a fossil bee, which also date to the Lower Cretaceous period.

[edit] Name

The name “Chaoyang” comes from a poem in one of the oldest collections of Chinese poetry. The poem found in the famous Shijing goes,“A wutong tree grew on a mountain. A fenghuang bird perched at the top and sang towards the morning sun” (Chaoyang’s name means “morning sun” in Chinese). In the eastern part of Chaoyang, there is a mountain that has been called Fenghuang Mountain since old times. In 1778, this mountain was connected with the poem from the Shijing and Chaoyang was given its current name.

[edit] Administrative Divisions

The prefecture is divided into 7 administrative areas. There are 2 districts, 2 subordinate cities and 3 counties of which one county is and Autonomous County for the Mongol nation.

[edit] Industry

 Agriculture and livestock are Chaoyang’s key industries, but it can also be seen as a newly industrialized city. Its agriculture is particularly prosperous. In addition to wheat, corn, beats, beans, and potatoes that we grow here in Obihiro, Chaoyang also produces cotton and fruit. The city has also begun to venture into the production of mushrooms, shaji (sea-buckthorn berries), apricots, and other healthy foods. Shaji has become a big topic in China because of its dual use as food and as medicine. Chaoyang is home to the largest manmade thicket of shaji. Chaoyang is also abundant in mineral resources and its mining and manufacturing industry is prospering. In addition to ironworks famous across China, Chaoyang has diesel engine factories and tire plants.

[edit] Friendship cities


Coordinates: 41°35′N 120°26′E / 41.583, 120.433a