Ruzhou () is a county-level city in the west-central part of Henan province, China, and is under the administration of Pingdingshan. It has more than 940,000 inhabitants. It is nationally known for its Ru ware porcelain.
Geography Ruzhou covers an area of . It is located in the valley between Song and Funiu Mountains in the north and east respectively. The , a tributary of the Ru River, flows eastwards through the city.
Name Ruzhou derives its name from the nearby Ru River. Other names used during the early dynasties of China, sometimes still used as epithets, are Rushang (), Ruhai (), Ruchuan (), and Rufan ().
Between 1913 and 1988, it was known as Linru County (), after Ruzhou's former administrative seat, also named after the river.
History During the Eastern Zhou dynasty, the area of modern-day Ruzhou was part of the royal domain directly under the king. In the early Warring States period, Ruzhou, as Rushang, was part of the Zheng state, with Liangcheng as it administrative seat. Rushang caame under the Han state in 375 BCE after it conquered the Zheng state, renaming it to Nanliang. During the Qin dynasty, it was part of Sanchuan Commandery. Ruzhou was established as a settlement in 605 during the Sui dynasty.
Ruzhou was one of the first towns in Henan chosen to participate in paramount leader Deng Xiaoping's second waves reform and opening up in 1993.
2004 stabbing
On the night of 25-26 November 2004, nine students were murdered in a break-in at the male dormitory of Ruzhou No. 2 High School. Eight were killed at the scene while another died at a hospital. The perpetrator, 21-year-old Yan Yanming, was arrested when his mother connected him to the attack following Yan's suicide attempt the day after. No motive was given and he was executed on 18 January 2005. The killing was internationally reported as an example of rising school violence.
Culture The Fengxue Temple of Ruzhou features the Qizu Pagoda, built in 738 during the Tang dynasty (618–907). The town is best well known for Ru ware, one of the Five Great Kilns during the Song dynasty period. Between 23-26 September 2010, the First China (International) Ru Porcelain Cultural Festival was held in Ruzhou. Ru ware is one of "Ruzhou’s Four Wonders", along with Ru jade stone (), Ru calligraphy tiē (), and Ru earthenware (). The Ruzhou Ru Porcelain Museum, opened in 1985, is where the most Ru ware is located. Structures such as the Fengxue Temple, Faxingsi Pagoda and Ruzhou Confucian Temple are recognised as national cultural heritage by the State Council.
Administrative divisions As of 2012, this city is divided to 5 subdistricts, 4 towns and 11 townships. Subdistricts
Meishan Subdistrict () Fengxue Road Subdistrict () Zhonglou Subdistrict () Xi'erhe Subdistrict () Runan Subdistrict ()
Towns
Jiliao () Wenquan () Linru () Xiaotun ()
Townships
Yanglou Township () Mangchuan Township () Wangzhai Township () Lingtou Township () Miaoxia Township () Zhifang Township () Shangzhuang Township () Qiling Township () Dayu Township () Xiadian Township () Jiaocun Township ()
Climate
Education Pingdingshan No.2 Senior High School Ruzhou Wangzhai Country Shangzhai Primary School Ruzhou Wangzhai Country Joint Middle School Ruzhou Wangzhai Country Qiezhuang Primary School Ruzhou No. 9 Junior Middle School Ruzhou Yanglou Township No. 3 Junior High School Ruzhou Yanglou Town Shitai Primary School Ruzhou Zhonglou Street Office Erlidian Primary School
Transportation China National Highway 207
References