Wuhu
Encyclopedia
Wuhu is a prefecture-level city
in the southeastern Anhui
province, People's Republic of China
. Sitting on the southeast bank of the Yangtze River
, Wuhu borders Xuancheng
to the southeast, Chizhou
and Tongling
to the southwest, Chaohu to the northwest, Ma'anshan
to the northeast, and the province of Jiangsu
to the east(approximately 90 kilometers southwest to Nanjing
).
of Wuhu administers 7 county-level divisions, including 4 districts and 3 counties.
, though there are some Muslim Hui people
as minorities.
Jiang-Huai Mandarin, a branch of Mandarin Chinese, was widely spoken in urban area, while some people in the counties spoke Wu Chinese. Standard Chinese
was commonly used in this area.
period (220 BC-65 AD), when it was controlled by the Eastern Wu
. At this time it was known as Jiuzi (Chiu-tzu 鳩茲). Under the Ming dynasty
Wuhu developed into a major commercial center and river port, and since that time has been known as a center of the rice trade.
In 1644, the Hongguang Emperor (better known as the Prince of Fu), one of the last emperors of the Ming Dynasty
, was captured by forces of the new Qing Dynasty
in Wuhu. The city became a treaty port in 1876 and has remained a commercial center since that time. The city's Roman Catholic cathedral, St. Joseph Cathedral (圣若瑟主教座堂), dates from this time. Most downtown area alongside the Yangtze River was ceded as the British concession.
Trade in rice, wood, and tea flourished at Wuhu until the Warlord Era
of the 1920s and 1930s, when bandits were active in the area.
At the beginning of Second Sino-Japanese War
,also part of the Second World War, Wuhu was occupied by Japan on Dec.10, 1937, which was also a prelude to the Battle of Nanking,ending in Nanking Massacre
.Under the Japanese occupation in the Second World War, Chinese resistance fighters hid in the lakes around Wuhu, by submerging themselves and breathing through reeds.
Major industries began to be developed in Wuhu after the Second World War, with the development of the textile industry, shipbuilding ,and paper mills. Despite this, Wuhu had been lagged behind Ma'anshan
and Tongling
in industrial production for decades after the establishment of PRC, and remained primarily as a commercial center for trade in rice, silk, cotton, tea, wheat and eggs. However, with recent years' economic rise, Wuhu has also been a hub for manufacturing in the area.
. In 2009, Wuhu’s GDP reached RMB 90.2 billion, an increase of 15.4% over the previous year. Its per capita GDP was RMB 39,142, with a year-on-year rise of 15.3%.
Wuhu Economic &Technological Development Area in the north of the city launched in 1993 is one of the first state-level economic & technological development area in Anhui province, also has the only export processing zone in the province. Chery Automobile
and Anhui Conch Cement Company
are both headquartered in this development area.
Wuhu is the fifth largest port alongside Yangtze River
. Yuxikou Pier is the largest inland river coal harbor in China.
spent his late life in Wuhu, it is said, due to its striking landscape. Li Bai
was born in a Central Asian town and raised in the southwestern China. Xie Tiao
, one of the most distinctive Six Dynasty poets whom he greatly admired, left many poems when holding positions here.
In the Tang dynasty
(619-907), the poet Du Mu
wrote a famous poem Thoughts on Staying Again at Wuhu. A factory in Wuhu carries on the local craft of making wrought iron
pictures. Other local handicrafts are embossed lacquerware
and rice straw pith patchwork. A famous stone tablet in Wuhu recording local events of the Song dynasty
period (ca. 1000 AD) is considered to be a masterpiece of the renowned calligrapher Mi Fu
. In the Western world, Wuhu is now known as the home city to many adopted Chinese children.
Another blacksmith of the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC) named Gan Jiang
was famous for sword making. Zhe Shan (Reddish Brown Hill) is said to get its colour from the flames of Gan Jiang's furnace. Sheng Shan (Sacred Hill) is the legendary location of his sword grinding rock and tempering pool.
are noted centers of the Yanjiang cuisine. It specializes in freshwater fish and poultry, and features special techniques of chopping, shaping, and colouring. The flavour of Yanjiang dishes is often enhanced by sweetening and smoking.
Notable High Schools
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 the southeastern 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...
province, People's Republic of 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...
. Sitting on the southeast bank of 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...
, Wuhu borders Xuancheng
Xuancheng
Xuancheng is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Anhui province of Eastern China. It borders Wuhu to the northwest, Chizhou to the west, Huangshan to the southwest, and the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu to the southeast and northeast respectively....
to the southeast, Chizhou
Chizhou
Chizhou is a prefecture-level city in Anhui province, People's Republic of China. It borders Anqing to the northwest, Tongling and Wuhu to the northeast, Xuancheng to the east, Huangshan to the southeast, and the province of Jiangxi to the southwest....
and Tongling
Tongling
Tongling is a prefecture-level city in southern Anhui province, People's Republic of China. A river port along the Yangtze River, Tongling borders Chaohu to the north, Wuhu to the east, Chizhou to the southwest and Anqing to the west....
to the southwest, Chaohu to the northwest, Ma'anshan
Ma'anshan
Ma'anshan , also written as Maanshan, is a prefecture-level city in the east of Anhui province in Eastern China. An industrial city stretching across the Yangtze River, Ma'anshan borders Hefei to the west, Wuhu to the southwest, and Nanjing to the east...
to the northeast, and the province 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...
to the east(approximately 90 kilometers southwest to Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
).
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 Wuhu administers 7 county-level divisions, including 4 districts and 3 counties.
- Sanshan DistrictSanshan DistrictSanshan District is a district of Anhui Province, China. It is under the administration of Wuhu city....
(三山区) - Yijiang DistrictYijiang DistrictYijiang District is a district of Anhui Province, China. It is under the administration of Wuhu city....
(弋江区) - Jinghu DistrictJinghu DistrictJinghu District is a district of Anhui Province, China. It is under the administration of Wuhu city....
(镜湖区) - Jiujiang DistrictJiujiang DistrictJiujiang District is a district of Anhui Province, China. It is under the administration of Wuhu city....
(鸠江区) - Wuhu CountyWuhu CountyWuhu County is a county of Anhui Province, China. It is under the administration of Wuhu city....
(芜湖县) - Fanchang CountyFanchang CountyFanchang County is a county of Anhui Province, China. It is under the administration of Wuhu city....
(繁昌县) - Nanling CountyNanling CountyNanling County is a county of Anhui Province, China. It is under the administration of Wuhu city....
(南陵县)
Demographics
According to the statistics by the end of 2008, the total population was estimated to be 2,263,123 whom 1,009,824 live in the 4 urban districts and 964,932 in the built up area made of 3 out of 4 urban districts. Vast majority of the local population are Han ChineseHan Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
, though there are some Muslim Hui people
Hui people
The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...
as minorities.
Jiang-Huai Mandarin, a branch of Mandarin Chinese, was widely spoken in urban area, while some people in the counties spoke Wu Chinese. Standard Chinese
Standard Chinese
Standard Chinese, or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
was commonly used in this area.
History
Wuhu is known to have been inhabited since at least 770 BCE. It became a strategically important town during the Three KingdomsThree Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...
period (220 BC-65 AD), when it was controlled by the Eastern Wu
Eastern Wu
Eastern Wu, also known as Sun Wu, was one the three states competing for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period after the fall of the Han Dynasty. It was based in the Jiangnan region of China...
. At this time it was known as Jiuzi (Chiu-tzu 鳩茲). Under the Ming dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The 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...
Wuhu developed into a major commercial center and river port, and since that time has been known as a center of the rice trade.
In 1644, the Hongguang Emperor (better known as the Prince of Fu), one of the last emperors of the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The 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...
, was captured by forces of the new Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
in Wuhu. The city became a treaty port in 1876 and has remained a commercial center since that time. The city's Roman Catholic cathedral, St. Joseph Cathedral (圣若瑟主教座堂), dates from this time. Most downtown area alongside the Yangtze River was ceded as the British concession.
Trade in rice, wood, and tea flourished at Wuhu until the Warlord Era
Warlord era
The Chinese Warlord Era was the period in the history of the Republic of China, from 1916 to 1928, when the country was divided among military cliques, a division that continued until the fall of the Nationalist government in the mainland China regions of Sichuan, Shanxi, Qinghai, Ningxia,...
of the 1920s and 1930s, when bandits were active in the area.
At the beginning of Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
,also part of the Second World War, Wuhu was occupied by Japan on Dec.10, 1937, which was also a prelude to the Battle of Nanking,ending in Nanking Massacre
Nanking Massacre
The Nanking Massacre or Nanjing Massacre, also known as the Rape of Nanking, was a mass murder, genocide and war rape that occurred during the six-week period following the Japanese capture of the city of Nanjing , the former capital of the Republic of China, on December 13, 1937 during the Second...
.Under the Japanese occupation in the Second World War, Chinese resistance fighters hid in the lakes around Wuhu, by submerging themselves and breathing through reeds.
Major industries began to be developed in Wuhu after the Second World War, with the development of the textile industry, shipbuilding ,and paper mills. Despite this, Wuhu had been lagged behind Ma'anshan
Ma'anshan
Ma'anshan , also written as Maanshan, is a prefecture-level city in the east of Anhui province in Eastern China. An industrial city stretching across the Yangtze River, Ma'anshan borders Hefei to the west, Wuhu to the southwest, and Nanjing to the east...
and Tongling
Tongling
Tongling is a prefecture-level city in southern Anhui province, People's Republic of China. A river port along the Yangtze River, Tongling borders Chaohu to the north, Wuhu to the east, Chizhou to the southwest and Anqing to the west....
in industrial production for decades after the establishment of PRC, and remained primarily as a commercial center for trade in rice, silk, cotton, tea, wheat and eggs. However, with recent years' economic rise, Wuhu has also been a hub for manufacturing in the area.
Economy
The city is the second largest economy in Anhui province, after HefeiHefei
Hefei is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province in Eastern China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural centre of Anhui...
. In 2009, Wuhu’s GDP reached RMB 90.2 billion, an increase of 15.4% over the previous year. Its per capita GDP was RMB 39,142, with a year-on-year rise of 15.3%.
Wuhu Economic &Technological Development Area in the north of the city launched in 1993 is one of the first state-level economic & technological development area in Anhui province, also has the only export processing zone in the province. Chery Automobile
Chery Automobile
Chery Automobile Co Ltd is a state-owned automobile manufacturer in the People's Republic of China.Chery became the 7th most-productive Chinese vehicle manufacturer in 2010, selling nearly 700,000 units.-History:...
and Anhui Conch Cement Company
Anhui Conch Cement Company
Anhui Conch Cement Company or simply Anhui Conch Cement, Anhui Conch or Conch Cement, is the largest cement manufacturer or seller in Mainland China, headquartered in Anhui Province...
are both headquartered in this development area.
Wuhu is the fifth largest port alongside 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...
. Yuxikou Pier is the largest inland river coal harbor in China.
Rail
Wuhu is served by the Anhui-Jiangxi and the Nanjing-Tongling Railways.Culture
The great poet Li BaiLi Bai
Li Bai , also known in the West by various other transliterations, especially Li Po, was a major Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty poetry period. He has been regarded as one of the greatest poets in China's Tang period, which is often called China's "golden age" of poetry. Around a thousand existing...
spent his late life in Wuhu, it is said, due to its striking landscape. Li Bai
Li Bai
Li Bai , also known in the West by various other transliterations, especially Li Po, was a major Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty poetry period. He has been regarded as one of the greatest poets in China's Tang period, which is often called China's "golden age" of poetry. Around a thousand existing...
was born in a Central Asian town and raised in the southwestern China. Xie Tiao
Xie Tiao
Xie Tiao , his style name is Xuan Hui. Xie Tiao was born in Yangjia.He was one of the foremost Chinese poets of the Southern and Northern Dynasties.He was known as "Xiao Xie" compared with Xie Lingyun....
, one of the most distinctive Six Dynasty poets whom he greatly admired, left many poems when holding positions here.
In the Tang dynasty
Tang 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...
(619-907), the poet Du Mu
Du Mu
Du Mu was a leading Chinese poet of the late Tang Dynasty. His courtesy name was Muzhi , and sobriquet Fanchuan .He was born in Chang'an into an elite family whose fortunes were declining...
wrote a famous poem Thoughts on Staying Again at Wuhu. A factory in Wuhu carries on the local craft of making wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
pictures. Other local handicrafts are embossed lacquerware
Lacquerware
Lacquerware are objects decoratively covered with lacquer. The lacquer is sometimes inlaid or carved. Lacquerware includes boxes, tableware, buttons and even coffins painted with lacquer in cultures mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere.-History:...
and rice straw pith patchwork. A famous stone tablet in Wuhu recording local events of 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...
period (ca. 1000 AD) is considered to be a masterpiece of the renowned calligrapher Mi Fu
Mi Fu
Mi Fu , also known as Mi Fei , was a Chinese painter, poet, and calligrapher born in Taiyuan, Shanxi during the Song Dynasty. In painting he gained renown for his style of painting misty landscapes. This style would be deemed the "Mi Fu" style and involved the use of large wet dots of ink applied...
. In the Western world, Wuhu is now known as the home city to many adopted Chinese children.
Folklore
An itinerant blacksmith named Tang Tianchi is reputed to have invented the wrought-iron picture in Wuhu, when a painter whom he admired chided him, "You will never make pictures by beating iron."Another blacksmith of the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC) named Gan Jiang
Gan Jiang
Gan Jiang and Mo Ye were a swordsmith couple who lived during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. A pair of swords were forged by and named after them.-History:...
was famous for sword making. Zhe Shan (Reddish Brown Hill) is said to get its colour from the flames of Gan Jiang's furnace. Sheng Shan (Sacred Hill) is the legendary location of his sword grinding rock and tempering pool.
Food
Wuhu and AnqingAnqing
Anqing is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Anhui province, East China. It borders Lu'an to the north, Chaohu to the northeast, Tongling to the east, Chizhou to the southeast, and the provinces of Jiangxi and Hubei to the south and west respectively....
are noted centers of the Yanjiang cuisine. It specializes in freshwater fish and poultry, and features special techniques of chopping, shaping, and colouring. The flavour of Yanjiang dishes is often enhanced by sweetening and smoking.
Tourism
- Mirror Lake (镜湖)
- Jiuzi Plaza (鸠兹广场）
- Yangtze Riverside Park(滨江公园）
- Mount Zhe, a hill park（赭山）
- Wuhu Olympic StadiumWuhu Olympic StadiumWuhu Olympic Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Wuhu, China. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 40,000 people and opened in 2002.-External links:*...
（奥林匹克体育场） - Yangtze River Bridge Crossing （长江大桥）
- Fantawild Adventure(方特欢乐世界), one of the largest theme park in Chinese Mainland
- Phoenix Cuisine Boulevard(凤凰美食街)
Education
Universities & Colleges- Anhui Normal UniversityAnhui Normal UniversityAnhui Normal University is an institution of higher learning in Wuhu, Anhui Province of the People's Republic of China.Approved by the State Council in 1972, it was officially renamed Anhui Normal University, and the name was written by Guo Moruo.Anhui Normal University is the only university in...
(安徽师笵大学) - Wannan Medical CollegeWannan Medical CollegeWannan Medical College, also sometimes be called as Wannan Medical Academy,, is a national medical college located in Wuhu, Anhui Province, of the People's Republic of China...
(皖南医学院) - Anhui University of Technology and ScienceAnhui University of Technology and ScienceAnhui Polytechnic University is a comprehensive public university based in Wuhu prefecture level city, Anhui province, China. The university provides programmes in the fields of science and technology, engineering, management and economics....
(安徽工程科技学院) - Wuhu Radio and TV University(芜湖广播电视大学)
- Wuhu Vocational Institute of Technology(芜湖职业技术学院)
- Anhui Business College of Vocational Technology(安徽商贸职业技术学院)
- Anhui Technical College of mechanical and electrical engineering(安徽机电职业技术学院)
- Anhui college of CHinese traditional medicine(安徽中医药高等专科学校)
- Anhui vocational college of information technology(芜湖信息职业学院)
Notable High Schools
- Wuhu City No.1 High School（芜湖市第一中学）
- The High School Affiliated to Anhui Normal University （安徽师范大学附属中学）
- Nanling County No.1 High School （南陵县第一中学）
- Wuhu County No.1 High School （芜湖县第一中学）
- Wuhu City No.12 High School (芜湖市第十二中学)
- Fanchang County No.1 High School (繁昌县第一中学)
Notable people
- Xiao YuncongXiao YuncongXiao Yuncong was a famed Chinese landscape painter, calligrapher, and poet in late Ming and early Qing dynasties.Xiao was born in Wuhu in Anhui province, at that time part of Taiping Prefecture. His style name was 'Chimu' and his pseudonym was 'Wumen Daoren' . Later in life he acquired the...
(1596–1673), 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...
painter - Zhao WeiZhao WeiZhao Wei is a mainland Chinese film actress and pop singer. Audiences sometimes refer to her by her English name, Vicki Zhao...
(b. 1976), Actress - Zhou LüxinZhou LüxinZhou Lüxin is a Chinese diver. He competed for Team China at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.-Major achievements:He claimed the gold medal at the 2006 World Cup - 10m platform synchro event. He also won the silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics - 10m platform event...
(b. 1988), Diver - Nian Guangjiu (b. 1937), pioneer of entrepreneur in 1980s
Notable constructions
- 229 metre tall pylons of HVDC Yangtze River Crossing Wuhu, a part of HVDC Three Gorges-ChangzhouHVDC Three Gorges-ChangzhouThe HVDC Three Gorges – Changzhou is an long bipolar HVDC transmission line in China for the transmission of electric power from the Three Gorges power plant to the area of Changzhou....
. Tallest pylons used for HVDC.
External links
- Wuhu.Me- English Community of City Wuhu, Anhui. China (Share Your Life and Experience in Wuhu !)
- Government website of Wuhu