Weinan () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Shaanxi province, northwest China. The city lies on the lower section of the Wei River confluence into the Yellow River, about east of the provincial capital Xi'an, and borders the provinces of Shanxi and Henan to the east.
The name "Weinan", literally meaning "south of the Wei River", describes the location of the city's urban districts being mostly south of the Wei River, although majority of its metropolitan area actually lies on the north side of the river.
History
As a significant area between the ancient Chinese capital Xi'an and Luoyang, Weinan has a long history.
Ancient
The ancient Dali Man lived in the modern area of Weinan. The Xiagui county was settled in the year of 668 BC by the state of Qin. Weinan got its name in the year of 360 by the Former Qin state. In the Tang dynasty, 10 emperors were buried in Weinan after their death. On the morning of 23 January 1556, the deadliest earthquake on record with its epicenter in Huaxian killed approximately 830,000 people, destroying an 840 kilometre-wide (520 mi) area.
Modern The Weinan prefecture-level city was established in 1995, in replacement of the Weinan prefecture. Due to the construction of the Sanmenxia Dam, the economy of the city was restricted to agricultural sections, and therefore the development level of the city is much lower than other cities in the province. The city developed rapidly after economic reform in China. The east part of Guanzhong Plain now belongs to the city, making Weinan the second most populated city in the Shaanxi province, after the capital Xi'an.
Administration The municipal executive, legislature and judiciary are in Linwei District, together with the CPC and Public Security bureaux.
Administrative divisions of Weinan City Division code English name Chinese name Pinyin Area (km) Seat Postal code Subdivisions Subdistricts Towns Residential communities Villages 610500 Weinan City 13030.56 Linwei District 714000 12 130 215 3218 610502 Linwei District 1263.76 Duqiao Subdistrict () 714000 8 16 56 514 610503 Huazhou District 1132.46 Huazhou Subdistrict () 714100 1 9 15 242 610522 Tongguan County 427.35 Chengguan Subdistrict () 714300 1 4 15 78 610523 Dali County 1690.60 Chengguan Subdistrict () 715100 1 15 26 400 610524 Heyang County 1317.15 Chengguan Subdistrict () 715300 1 11 19 353 610525 Chengcheng County 1121.64 Chengguan Subdistrict () 715200 1 9 14 266 610526 Pucheng County 1579.81 Chengguan Subdistrict () 715500 1 15 8 373 610527 Baishui County 983.95 Chengguan Subdistrict () 715600 1 7 11 194 610528 Fuping County 1245.99 Chengguan Subdistrict () 711700 1 14 9 337 610581 Hancheng City 1591.60 Xincheng Subdistrict () 715400 2 10 26 275 610582 Huayin City 676.26 Taihua Road Subdistrict () 714200 2 4 16 186 Note: The statistic of Linwei District includes the 2 subdistricts of Weinan High-Tech Industrial Development Zone.
Climate
Demographics + Breakdown of Weinan population by district and county (2010 census) Division Permanent residents(November 2010) Hukou residents(by end of 2010) Total Percentage Population density (persons/km2) Weinan City 5286077 100 405.67 5600599 Linwei District 877142 16.59 694.07 976822 Huazhou District 322148 6.09 284.47 347913 Tongguan County 155463 2.94 363.79 165860 Dali County 693392 13.12 410.15 718340 Heyang County 436441 8.26 331.35 451983 Chengcheng County 386150 7.31 344.27 404663 Pucheng County 743000 14.06 470.31 782571 Baishui County 279679 5.29 284.24 294823 Fuping County 743385 14.06 596.62 791246 Hancheng City 391164 7.40 245.77 399696 Huayin City 258113 4.88 381.68 266682 Note:The permanent residents of Linwei district include the 49209 permanent residents of Weinan High-Tech Industrial Development Zone. According to the sixth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China, there are 5,286,077 people resident in Weinan. Compared to the previous census data from 2000, the population has decreased by 108,729 persons. Among the residents, 50.75% are males and 49.25% are females. The number of male and female residents are separately 2,682,710 and 2,603,367. The sex ratio is 103.05.
Transportation Due to its location on the plain, Weinan is well connected, especially to the provincial capital Xi'an.
Public Transportation As of March 2015, there are 20 bus routes operated in the urban area of the city. Apart from line 1 and 2 with air-conditioning carrying a fare of 2 RMB, all other bus route fares are 1 RMB. There are also 1000 taxis in the urban city, The base fare is currently ¥5 which covers the first 2.5 km. Additional kilometers cost ¥1.4 or ¥1.5 each.
Roads China National Highway 108 and China National Highway 310 pass through the city. Major expressways in the city are G5 Beijing–Kunming Expressway, G30 Lianyungang–Khorgas Expressway and G65E Yulin–Lantian Expressway. 5 bridges connect north and south part of the city on the Wei River, there are also 3 road bridges connecting the city to the neighboring Shanxi Province on the Yellow River.
Rail
The urban city of Weinan owns 4 railway stations. Weinan railway station was open in 1934. Located on the important Longhai railway, almost all Chinese major cities can be reached through the train. Weinan North railway station is served by high-speed trains on the Xuzhou–Lanzhou and Datong–Xi'an lines. The station is part of the Weinan Weihe Grand Bridge, one of the longest bridges in the world. Weinan South railway station and Weinan West railway station are on the Nanjing–Xi'an Railway, they are both only served by the slowest trains.
In the suburban area, there are also 2 stations for high-speed railway: Huashan North Railway Station and Dali Railway Station, there are as well also stations for conventional rail like the Huashan railway station and Hancheng railway station.
Air There is no commercial passagenger airport in Weinan, the nearest airport is Xi'an Xianyang International Airport. A shuttle bus connects the Weinan Railway Station with the airport frequently throughout the day. A smaller airport is under construction in Huazhou District to serve the tourism of Hua Mountain.
Tourism Mount Hua, one of China's Five Great Mountains, which has a long history of religious significance. Xiyue Temple, Temple for the God of Mount Hua. Tong Pass, an important strategic pass with historical significance.
Education Schools As of the end of 2012, there are 2859 schools of all kinds; 75 high schools, 70 vocational schools, 310 junior high schools, 1266 primary schools, 1002 kindergartens and 7 special education schools.
Universities Weinan has 3 higher educational institutions. The Weinan Normal University is a comprehensive multi-discipline research university. Weinan has 2 other tertiary institutions, they are Shaanxi Railway Institute and Weinan Vocational and Technical College.
Notable people Sima Qian, historian of the Han dynasty, widely considered the father of Chinese historiography for his work, the Records of the Grand Historian. Emperor Wen of Sui, founder of the Sui dynasty. Guo Ziyi, general during the Tang dynasty, ended the An Shi Rebellion. Bai Juyi, renowned Chinese poet and Tang dynasty government official. Kou Zhun, a much-praised official of Song dynasty. Yang Hucheng, general who conducted the famous Xi'an Incident in 1936. Xi Zhongxun, communist revolutionary and a political leader of PRC, father of Xi Jinping. Bai Yulu, snooker player, 2 times Woman Snooker World Champion.
International relations
Weinan's twin towns and sister cities are:
Szeged, Hungary (since 1999) Gumi, South Korea (since 2014) North Las Vegas, United States (since 2015) Changwon, South Korea (since 2015) Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia (since 2016)
References
External links
Weinan Government official website Official website of Weinan Normal University