Fenghua
Encyclopedia
Fenghua is a county-level city
in the north of Zhejiang
province, China
. It is under the jurisdiction of Ningbo
prefecture-level city
. The city and its administrative hinterlands has a population of over 480,000.
Fenghua is most famous for being the hometown of Generalissimo and former ROC President Chiang Kai-shek
. Geographically, it is dominated by the Tiantai
and Siming
mountain ranges.
, in the territory of Mingzhou. Its name means "received teaching" and was a tribute to imperial rule. During the Song dynasty
, immigration from the north increased exponentially
, peaking during the loss of north China to the Jurchen invasions. In 1129, Fenghua was raided by Jurchen cavalry in pursuit of Emperor Gaozong. Local militia at Xiaowangmiao
(蕭王廟) fought off the invaders.
In late imperial times, Fenghua established itself as a meeting point for trade between the agrarian communities to the north, in Yinxian (鄞县), and the mountain-based communities in the south. In exchange for grain and cereals, the hill peoples would trade bamboo, timber and other cash crops such as tea and tobacco. In the east of Fenghua, around Xiangshan (象山), there existed also a number of fishing communities.
As with the rest of China, the 19th century brought about tumultuous changes. The Opium War
s with Britain devastated the economies of the coast. Around this time, many Fenghua men sought opportunity in the rising cities of Harbin
, Weihaiwei and Shanghai
. They later became famous in the 1920s for their dominance of the tailor
ing profession in downtown Shanghai, known as the "Feng Bang" (奉幫). But by far Fenghua's most famous export was Generalissimo
Chiang Kai-shek
, leader of the Kuomintang
(KMT) and former President of the Republic of China
. Chiang's family were originally salt merchants in the township of Xikou (溪口; old pronunciation "Qikou"), a town in the west of Fenghua county.
and 6 towns
.
Subdistricts:
Towns:
brand widely recognised in China. It is also home to the vast industrial facilities of Ningbo Bird
, a leading Chinese mobile phone manufacturer. As the port city of Ningbo is further integrated into the burgeoning economic region of Shanghai, Fenghua will attract increased foreign investment and continue to grow.
In 2008, the city's gross domestic product
was RMB
18.8 billion (per capita RMB 39,100), an increase of 8.1% from the previous year.
. Other sites, along with numerous local shrines, clan hall
s and genealogies
, also perished in those chaotic years.
To encourage the growing tourist trade, Fenghua municipality has made efforts to preserve remaining items of cultural interest. In 1988, for example, it rebuilt Xuedou Temple and also restored the Temple of King Xiao at Xiaowangmiao.
County-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....
in the north of Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
province, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. It is under the jurisdiction of Ningbo
Ningbo
Ningbo is a seaport city of northeastern Zhejiang province, Eastern China. Holding sub-provincial administrative status, the municipality has a population of 7,605,700 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 3,089,180 in the built up area made of 6 urban districts. It lies south of the Hangzhou Bay,...
prefecture-level city
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
. The city and its administrative hinterlands has a population of over 480,000.
Fenghua is most famous for being the hometown of Generalissimo and former ROC President Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
. Geographically, it is dominated by the Tiantai
Tiantai
Tiantai is an important school of Buddhism in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. In Japan the school is known as Tendai, and in Korea it is known as Cheontae. Tiantai is also called the "Lotus School", due to its emphasis on the Lotus Sūtra as its doctrinal basis...
and Siming
Siming
Siming District is on southeastern Xiamen Island and the capital district of Xiamen Municipality, Fujian province, the People's Republic of China.-History:...
mountain ranges.
History
Fenghua was established as a county in the Tang dynastyTang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, in the territory of Mingzhou. Its name means "received teaching" and was a tribute to imperial rule. During the Song dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
, immigration from the north increased exponentially
Exponential growth
Exponential growth occurs when the growth rate of a mathematical function is proportional to the function's current value...
, peaking during the loss of north China to the Jurchen invasions. In 1129, Fenghua was raided by Jurchen cavalry in pursuit of Emperor Gaozong. Local militia at Xiaowangmiao
Xiaowangmiao
Xiaowangmiao is a town in Fenghua county, Zhejiang province China. It lies on the south bank of the Shan River, and takes its name from the Temple of King Xiao....
(蕭王廟) fought off the invaders.
In late imperial times, Fenghua established itself as a meeting point for trade between the agrarian communities to the north, in Yinxian (鄞县), and the mountain-based communities in the south. In exchange for grain and cereals, the hill peoples would trade bamboo, timber and other cash crops such as tea and tobacco. In the east of Fenghua, around Xiangshan (象山), there existed also a number of fishing communities.
As with the rest of China, the 19th century brought about tumultuous changes. The Opium War
Opium War (disambiguation)
Opium Wars is a collective term for the Anglo-Chinese disputes that included the First Opium War and the Second Opium War .Opium War or The Opium War may also refer to:...
s with Britain devastated the economies of the coast. Around this time, many Fenghua men sought opportunity in the rising cities of Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
, Weihaiwei and Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
. They later became famous in the 1920s for their dominance of the tailor
Tailor
A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...
ing profession in downtown Shanghai, known as the "Feng Bang" (奉幫). But by far Fenghua's most famous export was Generalissimo
Generalissimo
Generalissimo and Generalissimus are military ranks of the highest degree, superior to Field Marshal and other five-star ranks.-Usage:...
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
, leader of the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
(KMT) and former President of the Republic of China
President of the Republic of China
The President of the Republic of China is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Republic of China . The Republic of China was founded on January 1, 1912, to govern all of China...
. Chiang's family were originally salt merchants in the township of Xikou (溪口; old pronunciation "Qikou"), a town in the west of Fenghua county.
Administrative divisions
Fenghua has 5 subdistrictsSubdistrict (China)
The subdistrict , is one of the smallest political divisions of China. It is a form of township-level division which is typically part of a larger urban area, as opposed to a discrete town surrounded by rural areas, or a rural townships known as a xiang .In general, urban areas are divided into...
and 6 towns
Town (China)
When referring to political divisions of China, town is the standard English translation of the Chinese 鎮 . It is a fourth-level administrative unit, i.e...
.
Subdistricts:
- Jinping (锦屏街道)
- Yuelin (岳林街道)
- Jiangkou (江口街道)
- Xiwu (西坞街道)
- Xiaowangmiao (萧王庙街道)
Towns:
- Xikou (溪口镇)
- Chunhu (莼湖镇)
- Shangtian (尚田镇)
- Dayan (大堰镇)
- Qiucun (裘村镇)
- Song'ao (松岙镇)
Economy
Today, Fenghua is a centre for light manufacturing and small scale farming. It boasts a number of premier garment and textiles factories, including the RomonRōmon
The is one of two types of two-storied gate presently used in Japan . Even though it was originally developed by Buddhist architecture, it is now used at both Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Its otherwise normal upper story is inaccessible and therefore offers no usable space...
brand widely recognised in China. It is also home to the vast industrial facilities of Ningbo Bird
Ningbo Bird
Ningbo Bird is a Chinese manufacturer of mobile phones.The company was established in 1992 in Fenghua and, in 1997, became China’s largest pager manufacturer. Ningbo Bird started manufacturing mobile phones in 1999. It was listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange the next year...
, a leading Chinese mobile phone manufacturer. As the port city of Ningbo is further integrated into the burgeoning economic region of Shanghai, Fenghua will attract increased foreign investment and continue to grow.
In 2008, the city's gross domestic product
Gross domestic product
Gross domestic product refers to the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living....
was RMB
Renminbi
The Renminbi is the official currency of the People's Republic of China . Renminbi is legal tender in mainland China, but not in Hong Kong or Macau. It is issued by the People's Bank of China, the monetary authority of the PRC...
18.8 billion (per capita RMB 39,100), an increase of 8.1% from the previous year.
Tourism
Largely as a result of Chiang's fame, Fenghua attracts a large number of tourists. Aside from Chiang's former residence and related nostalgia, Fenghua has relatively few relics from the past. The great Xuedou Temple (雪竇寺), once one of the ten great monasteries of Chan Buddhism, was all but destroyed during the Cultural RevolutionCultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
. Other sites, along with numerous local shrines, clan hall
Clan Hall
Clan Hall is a Scottish clan of Norman descent. The clan has no position under Scots law, and has no chief recognised by the Court of the Lord Lyon.-History:Scottish history indicates that the name "Hall", is a Norman surname...
s and genealogies
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
, also perished in those chaotic years.
To encourage the growing tourist trade, Fenghua municipality has made efforts to preserve remaining items of cultural interest. In 1988, for example, it rebuilt Xuedou Temple and also restored the Temple of King Xiao at Xiaowangmiao.