| Lüliang | |
| Other Name: | Lvliang, Lyuliang |
| Native Name: | 吕梁市 |
| Native Name Lang: | zh-Hans |
| Settlement Type: | Prefecture-level city |
| Pushpin Map: | Shanxi |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the city centre in Shanxi |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 240 |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | People's Republic of China |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Shanxi |
| Subdivision Type2: | County-level divisions |
| Subdivision Name2: | 1 District 2 county-level cities 10 counties |
| Seat Type: | Municipal seat |
| Seat: | Lishi District |
| Government Type: | Prefecture-level city |
| Leader Title: | CPC Lvliang Secretary |
| Leader Name: | Gao Weidong (Chinese: 高卫东) |
| Leader Title1: | Mayor |
| Leader Name1: | Ding Xuefeng (Chinese: 丁雪峰) |
| Area Total Km2: | 21,143 |
| Area Metro Km2: | 1,323 |
| Area Urban Km2: | 1,323 |
| Elevation M: | 952 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 census |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 3,398,431 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Metro: | 456,355 |
| Population Urban: | 456,355 |
| Population Density Metro Km2: | auto |
| Population Density Urban Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type2: | GDP[2] |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Prefecture-level city |
| Demographics2 Info1: | CN¥ 153.8 billion US$ 24.2 billion |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Per capita |
| Demographics2 Info2: | CN¥ 45,256 US$ 7,241 |
| Timezone: | China Standard |
| Utc Offset: | +8 |
| Coor Pinpoint: | Lüliang municipal government |
| Coordinates: | 37.519°N 111.1445°W |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 033000 |
| Area Code: | 0358 |
| Blank1 Name: | Licence plates |
| Blank1 Info: | Chinese: 晋J |
| Blank2 Name: | Administrative division code |
| Blank2 Info: | 141100 |
| Iso Code: | CN-SX-11 |
Lüliang, also spelled as Lvliang[3] or Lyuliang, is a prefecture-level city in the western Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. It borders Shaanxi province across the Yellow River to the west, Jinzhong and the provincial capital of Taiyuan to the east, Linfen to the south, and Xinzhou to the north. It has a total area of and a total population of 3,398,431 inhabitants according to the 2020 Chinese census, of whom 456,355 lived in the Lishi District metropolitan area.
Originally organized by the People's Republic of China as the Jinsui Border Region,[4] the region was sparsely populated in the early 20th century. However, the discovery of coal, iron, and aluminum deposits incentivized economic investment and population growth in the region. In May 1971, Lüliang was established as a prefecture-level area, and the area was reformed into a prefecture-level city in July 2004.
In 2010, the city had a GDP growth rate of 21%; at the time, prices for coal were high and the city had an active coal industry. There were plans to build a new business district in Lüliang, strongly supported by then-mayor Zhang Zhongsheng. However, in 2014, the GDP declined by 2%, and by 2015, due to a slowing economy, plans in Lüliang stalled and many apartment blocks were left unoccupied. Zhongsheng lost his job due to corruption in 2015, and was sentenced to death in 2021 on bribery charges, with a 2-year reprieve.[5] [6]
The Chinese-American reproductive biologist Min Chueh Chang was born in Lüliang in 1908.
Lüliang has direct jurisdiction over 1 district, 2 county-level cities, and 10 counties:
| Map | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Hanzi | Hanyu Pinyin | Population (2010 census)[7] | Area (km2) | Density (/km2) | ||
| 1 | Lishi District | Chinese: 离石区 | Líshí Qū | 320,142 | 1,323 | 242 | |
| 2 | Xiaoyi City | Chinese: 孝义市 | Xiàoyì Shì | 468,770 | 934 | 502 | |
| 3 | Fenyang City | Chinese: 汾阳市 | Fényáng Shì | 416,212 | 1,173 | 355 | |
| 4 | Wenshui County | Chinese: 文水县 | Wénshuǐ Xiàn | 421,199 | 1,069 | 394 | |
| 5 | Zhongyang County | Chinese: 中阳县 | Zhōngyáng Xiàn | 141,374 | 1,435 | 98 | |
| 6 | Xing County | Chinese: 兴县 | Xīng Xiàn | 279,373 | 3,164 | 88 | |
| 7 | Lin County | Chinese: 临县 | Lín Xiàn | 579,077 | 2,979 | 194 | |
| 8 | Fangshan County | Chinese: 方山县 | Fāngshān Xiàn | 143,809 | 1,433 | 100 | |
| 9 | Liulin County | Chinese: 柳林县 | Liǔlín Xiàn | 320,676 | 1,288 | 249 | |
| 10 | Lan County | Chinese: 岚县 | Lán Xiàn | 174,182 | 1,509 | 115 | |
| 11 | Jiaokou County | Chinese: 交口县 | Jiāokǒu Xiàn | 119,918 | 1,258 | 95 | |
| 12 | Jiaocheng County | Chinese: 交城县 | Jiāochéng Xiàn | 230,521 | 1,821 | 126 | |
| 13 | Shilou County | Chinese: 石楼县 | Shílóu Xiàn | 111,815 | 1,736 | 64 | |
Lüliang has a monsoon-influenced continental climate, that, under the Köppen climate classification, falls on the borderline between the semi-arid (Köppen BSk) and humid continental (Dwa) regimes, and features large diurnal temperature variation. Winters are cold and very dry, while summers are hot and slightly humid. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from NaN°C in January to in July, while the annual mean is 9.5°C. Close to three-fourths of the annual precipitation occurs from June to September.