Wenling

Wenling
温岭市
County-level city
Country China
Province Zhejiang
Town-level divisions 5 subdistricts, 11 towns
Area
  Land 926 km2 (358 sq mi)
  Water 1,079 km2 (417 sq mi)
Population
  Total 1,366,000
Time zone China Standard (UTC+8)
Area code(s) 576
License Plate Prefix 浙J
Website http://www.wl.gov.cn/

Wenling (Wenling dialect: Uen-lin Zy [ʔuəŋ ʔliŋ zɿ]; simplified Chinese: 温岭市; traditional Chinese: 溫嶺市; pinyin: Wēnlǐng Shì) is a coastal county-level city in the municipal region of Taizhou, in southeastern Zhejiang province, China. It borders Luqiao and Huangyan to the north, Yuhuan to the south, Yueqing to the west, looks out to the East China Sea to the east. Wenling locates on 28°22'N, 121°21'E, approximately 300 km south of Shanghai.

Jiangxia Tidal Power Station is located there as well as a number of e-waste recycling centers which have contributed to soil contamination in the region.[1]

Administration

The county-level city of Wenling currently administers 5 subdistricts and 11 towns.

Language

Like the majority of areas in Zhejiang, most people from Wenling speak a dialect of Wu Chinese, known as Wenling Hua. It is not mutually intelligible with Mandarin Chinese, and partially intelligible with Shanghainese. There is also a small portion of Min Nan speakers in the southeastern regions, especially in Shitang Town. The linguistic diversity of some regions has resulted in a segment of the population becoming fluent in speaking up to three languages, when Mandarin is included.

History

During the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, Wenling was not part of the Chinese state but rather part of the separate culture of Dong'ou. Following the 3rd-century BC conquests of the Qin Empire, it was incorporated into the Minzhong Prefecture before being moved to Kuaiji under the Han. From the Tang to the Ming, Wenling was divided between Taizhou's Huangyan District and Wenzhou's Yueqing District.

In 1469, Taiping County was formed in the area from Fangyan, Taiping, and Fanchang, three villages formerly incorporated into Huangyan. Yueqing County's Shanmen and Yuhuan villages were ceded in 1476. In 1513, the county seat built 2.5 kilometers (1.6 mi) of city wall, roughly squared, giving it the name of "Square Castle". In 1914, the county was renamed Wenling to distinguish it from counties with same name in Shanxi, Sichuan, and Anhei. Wenling ("warm mountain") was once another name of Wenqiao Town.

Wenling was conquered by Communist forces on May 28, 1949, and the county government was created. In March, 1994, Wenling withdrew the county to the city.

References

Coordinates: 28°022′N 121°022′E / 28.367°N 121.367°E