Luzhou

Luzhou 泸州市
Prefecture-level city
Location of Luzhou City jurisdiction in Sichuan
Luzhou Location in China
Coordinates: 28°53′N 105°27′E / 28.883°N 105.450°E / 28.883; 105.450Coordinates: 28°53′N 105°27′E / 28.883°N 105.450°E / 28.883; 105.450
Country	China
Province	Sichuan
County-level divisions	7
Established	151 BC
Government
• Type	Prefecture-level city
• CPC Luzhou Secretary	Jiang Fuyi (蒋辅义)
• Mayor	Liu Qiang (刘强)
Area
• Prefecture-level city	12,233.58 km2 (4,723.41 sq mi)
• Metro	981.7 km2 (379.0 sq mi)
Elevation	262 m (860 ft)
Population (2010 census)
• Prefecture-level city	4,218,427
• Density	340/km2 (890/sq mi)
• Metro	919,832
Demonym(s)	Luzhouese
Major ethnic groups
• Han	98.47%
• Miao	1.26%
• other ethnic groups	0.27%
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Postal code	646000
Area code(s)	830
GDP	2011
- Total	CNY 90.09 billion (USD 14.33 billion)
- Per capita	CNY 21,358 (USD 3,395)
- Growth	15.9%
City flower	Osmanthus fragrans
City tree	Longan tree
Regional dialect	Chuan: Luzhou dialect (泸州话)
License plate prefix	川E
Website	luzhou.gov.cn

Luzhou (simplified Chinese: 泸州; traditional Chinese: 瀘州; pinyin: Lúzhōu; Sichuanese Pinyin: Nu²zou¹; Luzhou dialect: [nu˨˩tsəu˥]), formerly transliterated as Lu-chou or Luchow, is a prefecture-level city located in the southeast of Sichuan Province, China. The city, named Jiangyang until the Southern and Northern Dynasties, is known as the "wine city". Situated at the confluence of the Tuo River and the Yangtze River, Luzhou is not only an important port on the Yangtze river, but also the largest port in both size and output in Sichuan province since Chongqing seceded from Sichuan province in 1997. At the 2010 census its population was 4,218,427 inhabitants whom 919,832 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of Jiangyang and Longmatan districts, as Naxi district isn't conurbated yet.^[1] Luzhou, which borders Yunnan, Guizhou and Chongqing, is the only geographic junction of the four provinces, and was therefore the logical place for a port in ancient China. After the PRC was founded in 1949, Luzhou became the capital of southern Sichuan province. In 1983, Luzhou was approved as a prefecture-level city administratively.

Luzhou is best known for its alcoholic beverages.^[2]

History

Luzhou was incorporated into the Ba state early in the Shang and Zhou period, in the 11th century BC. In 316 BC, during the Warring States period, King Huiwen of Qin established Ba prefecture, which included most of Luzhou, after he conquered the states of Ba and Shu. The local economy and culture expanded as a result of the advanced production technique and culture introduced by immigrants from the rest of China. During the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 23), Jiangyang county was set up in what is the current Jiangyang district, at the confluence of the Tuo River and Yangtze River. The county was further expanded during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. As a result, Luzhou became the portal of the Tuojing River leading to western Sichuan, which brought great prosperity to salt-refinery and agriculture in the area.

The Song Dynasty was an important period in Luzhou’s history. It was known as the natural granary of southern Sichuan as the wine-making and salt-refining industries expanded. The method to decoct salt with natural gas was discovered at that time, according to ancient literature. In addition, trade and business between Luzhou residents and ethnic groups was brisk and a protective wall as well as forts were constructed by the local government.

In the Yuan Dynasty, Luzhou remained an important place for the wine-making, salt-refinery and tea-making industry and trade. A large number of wooden ships were made to further the shipping industry. During the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), waves of immigrants from other parts of China brought rapid growth in economy and culture. Luzhou served as a political, economic, military and cultural center for the provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan.

The People's Liberation Army took control of Luzhou on December 6, 1949 from the Kuomintang government, two months after the founding of the People's Republic of China. In 1960, Luzhou prefecture was created with five counties that had been part of Yibin prefecture. The prefecture was upgraded to the prefecture-level city of Luzhou in 1983. Nowadays, Luzhou is considered a center of the chemical, machinery, and wine-making industries.

Panoramic view of downtown Luzhou (Jiangyang District) in 2008

Historic and cultural relics

Bao'en Pagoda

Bao’en Pagoda

Located in downtown Luzhou, the Bao’en pagoda was built in 1148 at the request of southern Song Dynasty, and was restored in 1983 and 1985, Qing Dynasty. It is an octagon 33.3 m high, built of brick and stone in a seven-tiered pavilion style. It has a bronze top and there are 107 steps in its spiral staircase. The base is an octagon of 4.1 m per side, 4.5 m high; inside are 256 figures set in 90 niches. The Bao’en pagoda was listed by the People’s Government of Sichuan Province as a historical and culture relic under provincial protection in April 1991.

Dragon Head Bridge

Constructed during the Ming Dynasty, Dragon Head Bridge spans the Nine Bends Creek and is a stone bridge in the style of the Ming Dynasty. It is 5 m high, 54 m long and 1.9 m wide, and has 14 piers. The eight midsection piers are characterized by traditionally carved auspicious beasts, such as dragons, lions, elephants and kylins. It was declared a key national culture relic in 1996.

Longtou Pass

Longtou Pass, about 2.5 km (1.6 mi) long, is located in the southern suburban area of Luzhou. Construction began in the Han Dynasty during Emperor Guangxu's reign. Its name, Longtou Pass, derives from its resemblance to a huge dragon crossing the Tuo River in the north and Yangtze river in the south. Longtou Pass is the location where Liu Bocheng waged the Luzhou Uprising. It was listed as a protected historic and cultural relic of Luzhou in 1984 and a provincial one in 1996.

National Vintage Square

National Vintage Square in Luzhou is typical of design in the community. There remain 460 wineries established in the Ming and Qing dynasties when wine was made by hand.

Scene of downtown Luzhou

Spring and Autumn Temple

Situated in Xuyong county, the Spring and Autumn Temple was built in 1906, during the Qing Dynasty. Originally, it was a temple for Guany (the Lord of Guan) and then rebuilt as a Shaanxi salt merchants' assembly hall. It has a typical local architecture style, and has been listed as a protected historic and cultural relic of Luzhou.

Baizitu

Baizitu is situated near the Tuojiang river, in the northwestern corner of Luzhou city. It is named for the stone inscription of the Qing Dynasty and was the protected historic and cultural relic of Luzhou.

Administrative divisions

Ethnic townships in South Sichuan: Yibin and Luzhou. Light green -Yi. Blue - miao.

Map
Jiangyang Naxi Longmatan Lu County Hejiang County Xuyong County Gulin County
#	Name	Hanzi	Hanyu Pinyin	Population (2004 est.)	Area (km²)	Density (/km²)
1	Jiangyang District	江阳区	Jiāngyáng Qū	610,000	649	940
2	Naxi District	纳溪区	Nàxī Qū	470,000	1,150	409
3	Longmatan District	龙马潭区	Lóngmǎtán Qū	320,000	333	961
4	Lu County	泸县	Lú Xiàn	1,040,000	1,532	679
5	Hejiang County	合江县	Héjiāng Xiàn	840,000	2,422	347
6	Xuyong County	叙永县	Xùyǒng Xiàn	660,000	2,977	222
7	Gulin County	古蔺县	Gǔlìn Xiàn	800,000	3,184	251

Geography

A rural township of Luzhou

Luzhou is situated in the southeast region of Sichuan province, at the intersection of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Chongqing, at longitude 105° 08' 41"E ~ 106° 28'E and latitude 27° 39' N ~ 29° 20'N. Covering an area of 12,246.87 square kilometres (4,728.54 sq mi), it is 121.64 kilometres (75.58 mi) wide from east to west and 181.84 kilometres (112.99 mi) long from south to north. A prefecture-level city of Sichuan with a registered population of 4.8 million, Luzhou is 267 km (166 mi) away from Chengdu, the provincial capital. It is adjacent to Chongqing in the east, borders Guizhou and Yunnan provinces in the south, Yibin City and Zizhong City in the west, Chongqing and Neijiang in the north. The city governs 7 administrative divisions, including 3 districts (Jiangyang, Longma, Naxi) and 4 counties (Lu, Hejiang, Xuyong, Gulin).

Owing to its position in the southern peripheral area of Sichuan Basin and the connective region with Yunnan and Guizhou plateau, Luzhou is characterised by the river valleys, hills, and level lands in the north and highland, mountains, sheer valleys and rushing rivers in the south. Fishing and agriculture are the primary industries in the northern area and forest and mineral resources to the southern region respectively. The lowest part is 203 metres (666 ft), at the surface of Yangtze river in Jiucengyan, Hejiang county while the highest point is located at the peak of Liangzi mountain, Xuyong County, reaching 1,902 metres (6,240 ft). Luzhou is also a region covered by rivers. The Yangtze river flows through the whole area from west to east, covering a total course of 133 kilometres (83 mi), and the maximum flood level was 18.68 metres (61.3 ft) during the past 30 years. Other rivers converging here, such as Tuo River, Yongling River, Chishui River, and Laixi Rivers.

Climate

Luzhou has mild weather

Luzhou has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) and is largely mild, except during the summer, and humid, with four distinct seasons and ample rainfall: winters are short, mild, and comparatively dry, while summers are long, hot, and humid. Within the prefecture, annual mean temperatures range from 17.1 to 18.5 °C (62.8 to 65.3 °F). In the urban area, monthly daily average temperatures range from 7.6 °C (45.7 °F) in January to around 27 °C (80.6 °F) in July and August, with August being slightly warmer. The diurnal temperature variation is 6.1 °C (11.0 °F) and is lowest during winter. Snow is rare here. The annual precipitation in the prefecture ranges from 748.4 to 1,184.2 millimetres (29.46 to 46.62 in), 70% of which occurs from May to September. Sunshine is quite low, with only 1200 to 1400 hours per year, and the frost-free period is lengthy, lasting 300 to 358 days.

Economy

Luzhou has always been a hub of economic activities in the tri-province border area of Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou. Food, liquor, and chemicals production, along with construction equipment manufacturing are the most important industries of the local economy. Total GDP reached 33.11 billion yuan in 2006 (per capita 7,819 yuan).

Liquor industry

Site of the original Old Cellar

Site of the original Old Cellar

Luzhou Old Cellar and Langjiu are the two best known brands of Baijiu with national and international reputations .

Luzhou is a center of liquor production, particularly baijiu, and two companies in particular are Luzhou Vintage and Gulin Langjiu. Over 200 liquor products are listed as national and provincial products with good market share in China and abroad.

Machine construction industry

Luzhou is a manufacturing center of hydraulic trucks, cranes and excavators in China. Among the cities along the Yangtze River, Luzhou is the second largest producer of hydraulic trucks, after Shanghai.

Chemical industry

The chemical industry, particularly natural gas production, is also important to Luzhou's economy natural gas industry. At present, Luzhou has developed a national chemical industry system covering production, education, scientific research, design, machine and architecture. A group of national large scale enterprises have been established and achieved a globally advanced level. Lutianhua enterprise is the most extensive carbamide and oil chemical production base in China, producing fatty acid, fatty amine, synthetic ammonia, and carbamide. Its annual output of carbamide is 1.24 million tons and 0.9 million tons of synthetic ammonia. It is one of the 500 largest national enterprises. Tianhua Co, Ltd is a key enterprise which brings in 0.3 million tons of synthetic ammonia and 0.6 million tons of carbamide, processing two sets of chemical fertilizer devices with world technical levels. Luzhou Chemical Factory participates in military and civil chemical production. State-owned Torch Chemical Factory is the only producer of "801" . It gained the national quality golden award, surpassing the America Standard.

Tourism industry

Downtown Luzhou

Luzhou is a tourist destination; specific scenic spots include Yuchan in Luxian county, Fobao in Hejiang county, Mt. Fangshan in Jiangyang county, the litchi and longan orchard along the Yangtze River and Tuojiang River, and many others. With the official approbation of the National Ministry of Forestry, Fobao Forest Park became a National Forestry Park and was classified as an “AAA” tourist attraction in 2001 by National Tourism Administration.

Luzhou and Xuyong county have national cultural significance. The Wine Cellar of Luzhou Vintage constructed in Ming Dynasty and Dragon Head Bridge were listed as a key protected cultural relic of the state. There are more than ten protected historical relics in Sichuan Province, including the site of Red Army’s Four-time Crossing the Chishui River; the Taiping Ferry Museum this site was nominated the “National Demonstration base for patriotic education” by the central Propaganda Ministry in 2001.

The Sci-tech Park of Luzhou Vintage is a national industry tourism demonstration spot and Luzhou Zhangba Longan Orchard is a national agricultural tourism spot. Other scenic areas nearby include Leshan, Yibin, Zigong and Chongqing, such as the Bamboo Forest, Mt. Simianshan in Chongqing and Sidong Channel in Guizhou Province.

Agriculture

Luzhou is a key comprehensive development zone in the upper Yangtze River and Sichuan province as well as an important production base of commodity rice, fruit such as litchi and longan, cured tobacco, poultry, tea, and traditional Chinese medicine ingredients.

Transport

Luzhou has the largest river port in Sichuan on the upper Yangtze, with the capability to load and unload container ships. Expressways connecting to Chengdu and Chongqing were completed in the 1990s. Railroads and an airport provide additional links to several cities in China. The city has four bridges over the Yangtze which form part of Sichuan's overland corridor to the South China Sea.

An expressway connecting Luzhou and Longchang is currently in place and another which is going to connect the city directly with Chongqing is under construction.

Luzhou International Container Pier

The Luzhou International Container Pier handled 4,505 containers in May 2007.

Luzhou Airport

Luzhou Lantian Airport was built in 1945 and initially provided an air route between China and India for the US Air Force during World War II. Services were suspended in the 1960s, but later it was used for training purposes by the Chinese Air Force. Major renovations and expansions were completed in January 2001, and now the airport serves direct flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kunming, Guiyang and Shenzhen..

Education

• Southwest Medical University (formerly Luzhou Medical College）
• Sichuan Police College (四川警察学院)
• Luzhou Vocational and Technical College (泸州职业技术学院)

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Luzhou.

• Luzhou Government website
• Luzhou Government website (English)