Huai'an
Encyclopedia
Huai'an known as Huaiyin before 2001, is a prefecture-level city
in northern Jiangsu
province of Eastern China
. It borders Suqian
to the northwest, Lianyungang
to the north, Yancheng
to the east, Yangzhou
to the southeast, and the province of Anhui
to the southwest.
The municipality has 4,799,889 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 2,494,013 in the built up area (4 urban districts).
of Huai'an administers 8 county-level divisions, including 4 districts and 4 counties.
These are further divided into 127 township-level divisions, including 84 towns, 33 townships and 10 subdistrict
s.
Pre-History
Chinese mythology
recounts that Yu the Great
, the Chinese leader with a legendary ability for flood control techniques, was constantly taming the Huai River here in Huai'an area.
Traces of the activities of ancient Chinese living in about 5000 to 6000 years ago have been found in the area. The most famous one is the Qingliangang Hill Civilization.
Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasty
The borough area had been properly developed, and was leading China in convenience of transportation and irrigation. Gangou Drain (the section between Huaiyin and Yangzhou of the Grand Canal of China
) connected the Yangtze River
and the Huai He delta region. The Qian Road and Shan Road that traversed the region reached Southern and Northern China. Thus, Huaiyin was critical area for several strong states in Spring and Autumn period. The region was occupied by the Wu, Yue and Chu states, one after another.
Qin and Han Dynasty
After Qin Dynasty consolidated all states in China, County System was promoted throughout China. Huaiyin County (Matou Town of Huaiyin District today), Xuyi Country (Northern town of Xuyi County today), Dongyang (Maba of Xuyi County today) was built in the region today.
In a movement of rebelling farmers during the later years of Qin Dynasty, the people of Huai'an supported the rebel forces, including the famous militia Han Xin
who was highly honored for his bravery and meritorious deeds.
In the epoch of West Han Dynasty
, Huaipu County (Western Lianshui County today), Sheyang County (Southeast of Chuzhou District today) and Fulin County (under the water of Hongze Lake today) were built.
During the Qin and Han Dynasty, great improvements, especially in irrigation, were made to agriculture and manufacturing. In the later years of East Han Dynasty
, the Governor of Guanglin, Cheng Deng, built the Gaojiayang Levees (Hongze Lake Levees today). 30 miles in total, which kept out flood waters, and protected farmlands. He also built Pofu Pool for farm irrigation. Iron-made apparatus and bull-farming were widespread. Though a few wars and battles took place, agriculture, transportation and logistics made fair progress. The express way built by the first Qin Emperor went through the region, and the West Way of Gaogou Drain built by Cheng Deng, improved traffic between Yangtze
and Huai He area.
Handicrafts and business also developed during this period, while culture and the arts were at high levels, as well. Home-teaching and private schools flourished in Han Dynasty
and many famous artists appeared, for example, the Han-text composers Mei Chen and Mei Gao, and Chen Lin, one of the Seven Scholars of Jian'an.
Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties
Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties
Song and Yuan Dynasty
Ming and Qing Dynasty
District of Huaiyin
District of Huaiyin was established on April 21, 1949, operating 10 counties, which were: Huaiyin, Huaibao (built of west parts of Huai'an and Baoyin section of the Grand Canal of China
and county office located at town of Chahe), Siyang, Shuyang, Guanyun, Suqian, Suining, Xin'an (built of parts of Shuyang and Suqian and county office located at town of Xin'an), Pisui (built of southern Longhai Road of Pixian and northern Suining and county office located at town of Tushan) and Lianshui. The district office was at Huaiyin County.
Huaibao County was dissolved on May 12, 1950 to Huaiyin, Huai'an and Baoyin County (belonging to District of Yangzhou). And District of Huaiyin had 9 counties then.
The city area of Huaiyin County was separated as Qingjiang City on December 18, 1950 and District of Huaiyin then had 1 city and 9 counties.
With the establishment of Jiangsu
Province in January 1953, District of Huaiyin was transferred to the province. Xin'an County was renamed to Xinyi County and county office of Pisui was moved to town of Yunhe. District of Huaiyin then had Qingjiang City and 9 counties, Huanyin, Lianshui, Guanyun, Siyang, Shuyang, Xinyi, Suqian, Pisui and Suining. The district office was sited at Qingjiang City. Later in the year, Suining, Pisui and Xinyi was given to District of Xuzhou and then District of Huaiyin had one city and six counties.
Qingjiang City was promoted to prefectural level of Jiangsu Province though was still operated by District of Huaiyin. Soon the district was joined by Huai'an County from District of Yancheng and in December by Sihong County from District of Suxian and Xuyi County from District of Chuxian in Anhui Province. The amount of all counties belonging to District of Huaiyin was 9.
In 1956 Hongze County was created from parts of Sihong, Huaiyin and Xuyi County with the county office sited at town of Gaoliangjian. The amount of counties then was 10.
In 1957 Xin'an Administrative Office was built from joint parts of Guanyun and Lianshui County and soon later renamed to Guannan County. The counties number reached 11.
Huaiyin County was merged in 1958 to Qingjiang City which was renamed to Huaiyin City and operated by District of Huaiyin, which had one city and 10 counties then.
However in 1964, Huaiyin City was renamed back to Qingjiang City and Huaiyin County was restored but the county office was sited in Qingjiang City.
Xuyi County was transferred to District of Luhe in 1966 and District of Huaiyin then had one city and 10 counties.
Huaiyin Region
District of Huaiyin was renamed to Huaiyin Region in 1970 with the region office sited at Qingjiang City, operating Qingjiang City and 10 counties, which were Guanyun, Guannan, Shuyang, Suqian, Siyang, Lianshui, Huaiyin, Huai'an, Hongze and Sihong.
Xuyi County was returned by Luhe Region in 1971 as well as new transferred Jinhu County. Then one city and 12 counties belonged to Huaiyin Region.
In 1975 the office of Huaiyin County was relocated at the town of Wangyin.
Huaiyin City
Qingjiang City was renamed to Huaiyin City again in 1983 and operated directly by Jiangsu Province with the end of Huaiyin Region. Meanwhile 11 counties, which were Guannan, Shuyang, Suqian, Siyang, Lianshui, Huaiyin, Sihong, Huai'an, Hongze, Xuyi and Jinhu, was transferred to new Huaiyin City while Guanyun County to Lianyungang City. The municipal area of Huaiyin City was split into two districts, Qinghe and Qingpu. Then 11 counties and 2 districts were belonging to Huaiyin City.
Suqian and Huai'an County was promoted to county-level cities in December 1987 by the order approved by Department of State, then renamed to Suqian and Huai'an City respectively. At the moment, Huaiyin City was operating 2 cities, 9 counties and 2 districts.
Suqian City was promoted to prefectural level of Jiangsu Province in 1996 and Shuyang, Siyang and Sihong County was transferred to Suqian City while Guannan County to Lianyungang City. After the adjustment, Huaiyin City had 5 counties, which were Huaiyin, Lianshui, Jinhu, Hongze and Xuyi, and 2 districts, Qinghe and Qingpu and was operating Huai'an City.
Huai'an City
By the order approved by Department of State on December 21, 2000, Huaiyin City was renamed to Huai'an City with the city office sited at Qinghe District while Chuzhou District was established from original Huai'an City with the district office at town of Huaichen and Huaiyin District was established from original Huaiyin County with the district office at town of Wangyin. The county borders were also be slightly modified.
Now Huai'an City are operating over 4 districts, Qinghe, Qingpu, Chuzhou and Huaiyin, and 4 counties, Xuyi, Lianshui, Jinhu and Hongze.
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...
in northern Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
province of Eastern China
East China
East China is a geographical and a loosely-defined cultural region that covers the eastern coastal area of China.Although an intangible and loosely defined concept, for administrative and governmental purposes, the region is defined by the government of the People's Republic of China to include...
. It borders Suqian
Suqian
Suqian is a prefecture-level city in northern Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. It borders Xuzhou to the northwest, Lianyungang to the northeast, Huai'an to the south, and the province of Anhui to the west.-Administration:...
to the northwest, Lianyungang
Lianyungang
Lianyungang is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. It borders Yancheng to its southeast, Huai'an and Suqian to its south, Xuzhou to its southwest, and the province of Shandong to its north...
to the north, Yancheng
Yancheng
Yancheng is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. The city with the largest jurisdiction area in Jiangsu, Yancheng borders Lianyungang to the north, Huai'an to the west, Yangzhou and Taizhou to the southwest, Nantong to the south, and looks out to...
to the east, Yangzhou
Yangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
to the southeast, and the province of Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
to the southwest.
The municipality has 4,799,889 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 2,494,013 in the built up area (4 urban districts).
Administration
The prefecture-level cityPrefecture-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...
of Huai'an administers 8 county-level divisions, including 4 districts and 4 counties.
- Chuzhou DistrictChuzhou DistrictChuzhou District , formerly Huai'an County , is a district of Jiangsu, China. It is under the administration of Huai'an city.-References:*...
(楚州区) - Huaiyin District (淮阴区)
- Qinghe District (清河区)
- Qingpu DistrictQingpu District, Huai'anQingpu District, Huai'an is a district of Jiangsu, China. It is under the administration of Huai'an city.-References:*...
(清浦区) - Jinhu CountyJinhu CountyJinhu County is a county of Jiangsu, China. It is under the administration of Huai'an city.-References:*...
(金湖县) - Xuyi CountyXuyi CountyXūyì County is a county which falls under the jurisdiction of Huai'an, Jiangsu Province. The most renowned specialty in Xuyi County is the special flavoured crayfish（盱眙十三香手抓龙虾）. In every summer the international crayfish festival of China（中国国际龙虾节） is held, in which many pop stars perform the open...
(盱眙县) - Hongze CountyHongze CountyHongze County is a county of Jiangsu, China. It is under the administration of Huai'an city.Hongze County is located south-east of Lake Hongze.-References:*...
(洪泽县) - Lianshui CountyLianshui CountyLianshui County is a county of northern Jiangsu province, East China. It is under the administration of Huai'an City.-Administrative divisions:Towns : 涟城镇、高沟镇、唐集镇、保滩镇、大东镇、五港镇、梁岔镇、石湖镇、朱码镇、岔庙镇、东胡集镇、南集镇、义兴镇、成集镇、红窑镇、陈师镇、前进镇Townships : 徐集乡、黄营乡...
(涟水县)
These are further divided into 127 township-level divisions, including 84 towns, 33 townships and 10 subdistrict
Subdistrict
Subdistrict is a low level administrative division of a country. In Thailand it may refer to the King Amphoe or to the Tambon. In England and Wales it was part of a Registration district....
s.
Ancient China
The area of Huai'an spans over ancient canal of Huai River and the name of Huai'an takes the hope of the residents for lasting peaceful Huai River.Pre-History
Chinese mythology
Chinese mythology
Chinese mythology is a collection of cultural history, folktales, and religions that have been passed down in oral or written tradition. These include creation myths and legends and myths concerning the founding of Chinese culture and the Chinese state...
recounts that Yu the Great
Yu the Great
Yu the Great , was a legendary ruler of Ancient China famed for his introduction of flood control, inaugurating dynastic rule in China by founding the Xia Dynasty, and for his upright moral character....
, the Chinese leader with a legendary ability for flood control techniques, was constantly taming the Huai River here in Huai'an area.
Traces of the activities of ancient Chinese living in about 5000 to 6000 years ago have been found in the area. The most famous one is the Qingliangang Hill Civilization.
Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasty
The borough area had been properly developed, and was leading China in convenience of transportation and irrigation. Gangou Drain (the section between Huaiyin and Yangzhou of the Grand Canal of China
Grand Canal of China
The Grand Canal in China, also known as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is the longest canal or artificial river in the world. Starting at Beijing, it passes through Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the city of Hangzhou...
) connected the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
and the Huai He delta region. The Qian Road and Shan Road that traversed the region reached Southern and Northern China. Thus, Huaiyin was critical area for several strong states in Spring and Autumn period. The region was occupied by the Wu, Yue and Chu states, one after another.
Qin and Han Dynasty
After Qin Dynasty consolidated all states in China, County System was promoted throughout China. Huaiyin County (Matou Town of Huaiyin District today), Xuyi Country (Northern town of Xuyi County today), Dongyang (Maba of Xuyi County today) was built in the region today.
In a movement of rebelling farmers during the later years of Qin Dynasty, the people of Huai'an supported the rebel forces, including the famous militia Han Xin
Hán Xìn
Han Xin was a military general who served Liu Bang during the Chu–Han contention and contributed greatly to the founding of the Han Dynasty...
who was highly honored for his bravery and meritorious deeds.
In the epoch of West Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
, Huaipu County (Western Lianshui County today), Sheyang County (Southeast of Chuzhou District today) and Fulin County (under the water of Hongze Lake today) were built.
During the Qin and Han Dynasty, great improvements, especially in irrigation, were made to agriculture and manufacturing. In the later years of East Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
, the Governor of Guanglin, Cheng Deng, built the Gaojiayang Levees (Hongze Lake Levees today). 30 miles in total, which kept out flood waters, and protected farmlands. He also built Pofu Pool for farm irrigation. Iron-made apparatus and bull-farming were widespread. Though a few wars and battles took place, agriculture, transportation and logistics made fair progress. The express way built by the first Qin Emperor went through the region, and the West Way of Gaogou Drain built by Cheng Deng, improved traffic between Yangtze
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
and Huai He area.
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
and many famous artists appeared, for example, the Han-text composers Mei Chen and Mei Gao, and Chen Lin, one of the Seven Scholars of Jian'an.
Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties
Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties
Song and Yuan Dynasty
Ming and Qing Dynasty
Since P.R.China
Whole area of Huaiyin was occupied by Chinese communist army in December 1948 and became the territory of P.R.China.District of Huaiyin
District of Huaiyin was established on April 21, 1949, operating 10 counties, which were: Huaiyin, Huaibao (built of west parts of Huai'an and Baoyin section of the Grand Canal of China
Grand Canal of China
The Grand Canal in China, also known as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is the longest canal or artificial river in the world. Starting at Beijing, it passes through Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the city of Hangzhou...
and county office located at town of Chahe), Siyang, Shuyang, Guanyun, Suqian, Suining, Xin'an (built of parts of Shuyang and Suqian and county office located at town of Xin'an), Pisui (built of southern Longhai Road of Pixian and northern Suining and county office located at town of Tushan) and Lianshui. The district office was at Huaiyin County.
Huaibao County was dissolved on May 12, 1950 to Huaiyin, Huai'an and Baoyin County (belonging to District of Yangzhou). And District of Huaiyin had 9 counties then.
The city area of Huaiyin County was separated as Qingjiang City on December 18, 1950 and District of Huaiyin then had 1 city and 9 counties.
With the establishment of Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
Province in January 1953, District of Huaiyin was transferred to the province. Xin'an County was renamed to Xinyi County and county office of Pisui was moved to town of Yunhe. District of Huaiyin then had Qingjiang City and 9 counties, Huanyin, Lianshui, Guanyun, Siyang, Shuyang, Xinyi, Suqian, Pisui and Suining. The district office was sited at Qingjiang City. Later in the year, Suining, Pisui and Xinyi was given to District of Xuzhou and then District of Huaiyin had one city and six counties.
Qingjiang City was promoted to prefectural level of Jiangsu Province though was still operated by District of Huaiyin. Soon the district was joined by Huai'an County from District of Yancheng and in December by Sihong County from District of Suxian and Xuyi County from District of Chuxian in Anhui Province. The amount of all counties belonging to District of Huaiyin was 9.
In 1956 Hongze County was created from parts of Sihong, Huaiyin and Xuyi County with the county office sited at town of Gaoliangjian. The amount of counties then was 10.
In 1957 Xin'an Administrative Office was built from joint parts of Guanyun and Lianshui County and soon later renamed to Guannan County. The counties number reached 11.
Huaiyin County was merged in 1958 to Qingjiang City which was renamed to Huaiyin City and operated by District of Huaiyin, which had one city and 10 counties then.
However in 1964, Huaiyin City was renamed back to Qingjiang City and Huaiyin County was restored but the county office was sited in Qingjiang City.
Xuyi County was transferred to District of Luhe in 1966 and District of Huaiyin then had one city and 10 counties.
Huaiyin Region
District of Huaiyin was renamed to Huaiyin Region in 1970 with the region office sited at Qingjiang City, operating Qingjiang City and 10 counties, which were Guanyun, Guannan, Shuyang, Suqian, Siyang, Lianshui, Huaiyin, Huai'an, Hongze and Sihong.
Xuyi County was returned by Luhe Region in 1971 as well as new transferred Jinhu County. Then one city and 12 counties belonged to Huaiyin Region.
In 1975 the office of Huaiyin County was relocated at the town of Wangyin.
Huaiyin City
Qingjiang City was renamed to Huaiyin City again in 1983 and operated directly by Jiangsu Province with the end of Huaiyin Region. Meanwhile 11 counties, which were Guannan, Shuyang, Suqian, Siyang, Lianshui, Huaiyin, Sihong, Huai'an, Hongze, Xuyi and Jinhu, was transferred to new Huaiyin City while Guanyun County to Lianyungang City. The municipal area of Huaiyin City was split into two districts, Qinghe and Qingpu. Then 11 counties and 2 districts were belonging to Huaiyin City.
Suqian and Huai'an County was promoted to county-level cities in December 1987 by the order approved by Department of State, then renamed to Suqian and Huai'an City respectively. At the moment, Huaiyin City was operating 2 cities, 9 counties and 2 districts.
Suqian City was promoted to prefectural level of Jiangsu Province in 1996 and Shuyang, Siyang and Sihong County was transferred to Suqian City while Guannan County to Lianyungang City. After the adjustment, Huaiyin City had 5 counties, which were Huaiyin, Lianshui, Jinhu, Hongze and Xuyi, and 2 districts, Qinghe and Qingpu and was operating Huai'an City.
Huai'an City
By the order approved by Department of State on December 21, 2000, Huaiyin City was renamed to Huai'an City with the city office sited at Qinghe District while Chuzhou District was established from original Huai'an City with the district office at town of Huaichen and Huaiyin District was established from original Huaiyin County with the district office at town of Wangyin. The county borders were also be slightly modified.
Now Huai'an City are operating over 4 districts, Qinghe, Qingpu, Chuzhou and Huaiyin, and 4 counties, Xuyi, Lianshui, Jinhu and Hongze.
Transportation
Huai'an is served by the Xinyi-Changxing Railway, which has a station in Huaiyin District.Notable people
- Han XinHán XìnHan Xin was a military general who served Liu Bang during the Chu–Han contention and contributed greatly to the founding of the Han Dynasty...
(died 196 BC), late Qin DynastyQin DynastyThe Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 207 BC. The Qin state derived its name from its heartland of Qin, in modern-day Shaanxi. The strength of the Qin state was greatly increased by the legalist reforms of Shang Yang in the 4th century BC, during the Warring...
military general under Liu Bang, enfeoffed the Marquess of Huaiyin. - Wu Cheng'enWu Cheng'enWu Cheng'en , courtesy name Ruzhong , pen name "Sheyang Hermit," was a Chinese novelist and poet of the Ming Dynasty, best known for being the attributed author of one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, Journey to the West.-Biography:Wu was born in Lianshui, in Jiangsu...
(1500–1582), Ming DynastyMing DynastyThe Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
novelist, author of the Journey to the WestJourney to the WestJourney to the West is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. It was written by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century. In English-speaking countries, the tale is also often known simply as Monkey. This was one title used for a popular, abridged translation by Arthur Waley...
. - Guan Tianpei (1780–1841), Chinese national hero; died during the Opium War.
- Zhou EnlaiZhou EnlaiZhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...
(1898–1976), prominent Communist Party of ChinaCommunist Party of ChinaThe Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
leader, Premier of the People's Republic of ChinaPremier of the People's Republic of ChinaThe Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China , sometimes also referred to as the "Prime Minister" informally, is the Leader of the State Council of the People's Republic of China , who is the head of government and holds the highest-ranking of the Civil service of the...
since 1949 till death. - Ruth Bell Graham (1920–2007), born Ruth McCue Bell, wife of the famous evangelist Billy GrahamBilly GrahamWilliam Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
External links
- Government website of Huai'an (in Simplified Chinese)
- Huai'an comprehensive guide with open directory (Jiangsu.NET)