Baicheng Explained

Baicheng
Native Name:白城市
Native Name Lang:zh
Settlement Type:Prefecture-level city
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:People's Republic of China
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Jilin
Parts Type:County-level divisions
Parts Style:para
P1:5
Seat Type:City seat
Seat:Taobei District
Government Type:Prefecture-level city
Leader Title:CPC Baicheng Secretary
Leader Name:Li Jinxiu (Chinese: 李晋修)
Leader Title1:Mayor
Leader Name1:An Guiwu (Chinese: 安桂武)
Established Title1:Incorporated (town)
Established Date1:1915
Established Title2:Incorporated (city)
Established Date2:1958
Area Total Km2:25683
Elevation M:154
Population As Of:2010
Population Total:2033058
Population Density Km2:auto
Area Blank1 Title:Districts
Area Blank1 Km2:2568.8
Area Urban Km2:67.50
Area Urban Footnotes: (2017)[1]
Population Blank1 Title:Districts
Population Blank1:508000
Population Urban:332,826
Population Urban Footnotes: (2020)
Demographics Type2:GDP[2]
Demographics2 Title1:Prefecture-level city
Demographics2 Info1:CN¥ 70 billion
US$ 11.2 billion
Demographics2 Title2:Per capita
Demographics2 Info2:CN¥ 35,479
US$ 5,696
Timezone:China Standard
Utc Offset:+8
Coor Pinpoint:Baicheng municipal government
Coordinates:45.62°N 122.838°W
Pushpin Map:Jilin
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of the city centre in Jilin
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:137000
Area Code:0436
Blank2 Name:Licence plates
Blank2 Info:Chinese: 吉G
Iso Code:CN-JL-08

Baicheng is a prefecture-level city in the northwestern part of Jilin province, People's Republic of China, bordering Inner Mongolia to the north and west and Heilongjiang to the east and northeast. At the 2010 census, 2,033,058 people lived within its administrative area of 25683km2.[3]

History

The area around present day Baicheng was a nomadic area which was inhabited by several nomad tribes in Northeast China as early as the Late Neolithic Age, including the Eastern Hu, the Xianbei, the Fuyu, and the Khitans once inhabited the area. During the Liao Dynasty, Baicheng was the political center of four emperors, including Emperor Shengzong, Emperor Xingzong, Emperor Daozong, and Emperor Tianzuo, as the seat of the local government was located at Chengsijiazi Ancient fort in today's Taobei District. As Qing Government forsook the settlement of Han Chinese in the 19th century, no farming was allowed until 1902. In 1904 Baicheng became a county going by the name of Jing'an (Chinese: 靖安). In 1914 Jing'an County was renamed Tao'an (Chinese: 洮南). By 1938 it was finally renamed Baicheng, which in Chinese means white town. The name's origin is the Mongolian name of the city Chaghanhot, which also means "white town".[4] Baicheng used to belong to Nenjiang and Heilongjiang province, under the jurisdiction of the former provincial capital Qiqihar. In 1954, with the Heilongjiang Province merged with Songjiang Province, Baicheng was incorporated into Jilin Province.

Baicheng's importance started to increase after a railway from Qiqihar to Siping through Baicheng was constructed in the 1920s. In the 1930s another railway connecting Baicheng to Ulanhot and the mines at Arxan was opened northwestward. These two lines enabled Baicheng to become a regional transportation hub in western Jilin Province. One more rail line connecting Changchun was opened in the mid-1930s as well.[5]

Geography

Topography

Baicheng is located in the eastern part of the Horqin Grassland, and situated in the northwestern part of Jilin Province. Bordering prefecture cities are:

The city's metro area is located from the provincial capital of Changchun, from Qiqihar, from Siping, and 83km (52miles) from Ulanhot. The city is located at latitude 44° 13′—46° 18′ N and longitude 121° 38′—124° 22' E. At its greatest width, the city spans 230km (140miles) from north to south and from east to west. The total area of the city is, occupying a mere 13.7% of the provincial area. The eastern part of the Greater Khingan Mountains lies in the northwest of Baicheng. Grassland and wetlands are prominent throughout the city's southeastern part.

Climate

Baicheng has a rather dry, monsoon-influenced, humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa), with long (lasting from November to March), very cold, windy, but dry winters due to the influence of the Siberian high, and hot, humid summers, due to the East Asian monsoon. The coldest month, January, averages NaN°C, while the warmest month, July, averages 23.5°C; the annual mean is 5.5°C. More than 70% of the annual precipitation falls from June to August alone. Drought conditions are common in spring and autumn; from 1961 to 2009, there were 31 years with spring drought and 28 with autumn drought.

Administrative divisions

Map
NameHanziHanyu PinyinPopulation (2003 est.)Area (km2)Density (/km2)
1Taobei DistrictChinese: 洮北区Táoběi Qū490,0002,525194
2Da'an CityChinese: 大安市Dà'ān Shì420,0004,87986
3Taonan CityChinese: 洮南市Táonán Shì440,0005,10886
4Zhenlai CountyChinese: 镇赉县Zhènlài Xiàn310,0004,69566
5Tongyu CountyChinese: 通榆县Tōngyú Xiàn350,0008,47641

Economy

Textile industry is one of the main pillars of the economy.Agriculture of the area is centred on plantation of soy beans and oil plants. It is home to the Baicheng Weapons Test Centre.[6]

Transportation

Railway

Baicheng railway station is a railway hub in western Jilin Province. It is the terminus of the Changchun–Baicheng railway. There are multiple daily departures to other cities including Beijing, Harbin, Changchun, Shenyang, Dalian, Qiqihar, Ulanhot and several other cities in northern provinces of China.

Road

Expressways:

National Highway (GXXX):

Air

Baicheng Chang'an Airport is located in the town of Taohe (Chinese: 洮河) in Taobei District, from the city center. It has been under construction since October 26, 2012.[7] The total investment is 480 million yuan.[8] The airport was opened on 31 March 2017, the fifth civil airport in Jilin province.[9] The airport has a runway that is 2,500 meters long and 45 meters wide (class 4C), and a 4,471 square-meter terminal building. It is designed to handle 200,000 passengers and 700 tons of cargo annually by 2020.[9]

Sister cities

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development . Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development . China Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook 2017 . 2019 . China Statistics Press . Beijing . 50 . 11 January 2020 . 18 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190618043019/http://www.mohurd.gov.cn/xytj/tjzljsxytjgb/jstjnj/w02019012421874448287322500.xls . dead .
  2. Book: 吉林省统计局、国家统计局吉林调查总队 . 《吉林统计年鉴-2016》 . September 2016 . 中国统计出版社 . 978-7-5037-7899-5 . 2017-06-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180428025345/http://tjj.jl.gov.cn/tjnj/2016/ml/indexc.htm . 2018-04-28 . dead.
  3. Web site: http://www.jl.gov.cn/zwgk/gwgb/qtgb/201105/t20110506_985488.html . zh:2010年吉林省第六次全国人口普查主要数据公报 . Jilin Province People's Government . zh-cn . May 2011 . 2012-01-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111105182451/http://www.jl.gov.cn/zwgk/gwgb/qtgb/201105/t20110506_985488.html . 2011-11-05 . dead .
  4. Book: zh:白城市志 . History of Baicheng . 白城市地方志编纂委员会编 . 1993 . 中国广播电视出版社 . 7-5043-2568-6.
  5. Web site: Baicheng - China. Encyclopedia Britannica.
  6. News: Images emerge of new Chinese 8×8 assault gun . . Images have emerged showing what appears to be a new Chinese 8×8 assault gun equipped with a 105 mm main armament and a remote-controlled weapon station reportedly being trialled at what local media identified as the Baicheng Weapons Test Centre in northeastern China. . Richard D. Jr. . Fisher . February 5, 2019.
  7. Web site: http://www.jl.gov.cn/jjjs/xmjs/jtxm/201210/t20121030_1304012.html . zh:白城新空港:长安机场 . Government of Jilin Province . 2012-10-30 . 2013-01-22 . A Baicheng Airport: Changan airport . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130215040718/http://jl.gov.cn/jjjs/xmjs/jtxm/201210/t20121030_1304012.html . 2013-02-15 .
  8. Web site: http://www.jl.gov.cn/jjjs/xmjs/jtxm/201210/t20121030_1304012.html . zh:白城新空港:长安机场 . Government of Jilin Province . 2012-10-30 . 2013-01-22 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130215040718/http://jl.gov.cn/jjjs/xmjs/jtxm/201210/t20121030_1304012.html . 2013-02-15 .
  9. Web site: http://news.xinhuanet.com/local/2017-04/01/c_129523448.htm . zh:吉林白城长安机场正式通航 . Xinhua . 1 April 2017 .