Wanzhou District (Wanzhou District)
Wanzhou District is Chongqing's second most populated urban core area on the upper reaches of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River in China. It is currently governed as a district of Chongqing Municipality, bordering Sichuan to the northwest and Hubei to the southeast. It was formerly known as Wanxian or Wan County. Prior to Chongqing's formation as a direct-controlled municipality, Wanzhou was part of Sichuan province. The urban core of Wanzhou is 228 km away from Chongqing's city proper.
"Wanzhou" literally means "myriad-prefecture", where "a myriad rivers converge and a myriad traders gather" (万川毕汇、万商云集). Due to the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, 47% of Wanzhou's old urban area was submerged and had to be relocated.
The district was part of Wanxian Prefecture (万县地区), then the prefectural Wanxian City (万县市). It was renamed to Wanzhou in late 1990s.
It was part of Quren County of Ba Commandery (巴郡朐忍县) in the Qin Dynasty. It became Yangqu County (羊渠县) in 216 (the Eastern Han Dynasty). In 230 (the Shu-Han Kingdom), it was renamed to Nanpu (南浦县); in 553 (the Western Wei dynasty), to Yuquan (鱼泉县); in 557 (Northern Zhou Dynasty), to Anxiang (安乡县); in 584, to Wanchuan (万川县); and in 598 (Sui Dynasty), to Nanpu again.
In 619 (Tang Dynasty), Nanpu Commandery (南浦郡) was established. In 625, the name was changed to Pu Prefecture (浦州), and in 634, to Wan Prefecture. In 1373 (Yuan Dynasty), Wan was demoted to a county.
In the 19th century, it was known in English as Wanhsien and Wan County. In 1935, it became Wanxian Prefecture (万县专区). On December 12, 1992, the State Council abolished Wanxian Prefecture and its subordinate Wanxian City and created the prefecture-level Wanxian City, which administered the districts of Longbao (龙宝区), Tiancheng (天城区), Wuqiao (五桥区) and the counties of Kai, Zhong, Liangping, Yunyang, Fengjie, Wushan, Wuxi, and Chengkou.
The entire Wanxian City was merged into Chongqing on December 20, 1997. The merge necessitated the abolishment of Wanxian City and creation of Wanxian District and Wanxian Migration Development Area (移民开发区). Wanxian City's three districts were converted to administrative committees (管理委员会, abbreviated 管委会) of Wanxian District. The migration development area included the counties formerly in Wanxian City, except Liangping and Chengkou, which were administered by Chongqing directly.
On May 22, 1998, the State Council approved that the two areas named Wanxian were both renamed to Wanzhou. The migration development area later dissolved and its counties were directly controlled by Chongqing. On July 19, 2000, the district's administrative committees were changed to migration development areas.
"Wanzhou" literally means "myriad-prefecture", where "a myriad rivers converge and a myriad traders gather" (万川毕汇、万商云集). Due to the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, 47% of Wanzhou's old urban area was submerged and had to be relocated.
The district was part of Wanxian Prefecture (万县地区), then the prefectural Wanxian City (万县市). It was renamed to Wanzhou in late 1990s.
It was part of Quren County of Ba Commandery (巴郡朐忍县) in the Qin Dynasty. It became Yangqu County (羊渠县) in 216 (the Eastern Han Dynasty). In 230 (the Shu-Han Kingdom), it was renamed to Nanpu (南浦县); in 553 (the Western Wei dynasty), to Yuquan (鱼泉县); in 557 (Northern Zhou Dynasty), to Anxiang (安乡县); in 584, to Wanchuan (万川县); and in 598 (Sui Dynasty), to Nanpu again.
In 619 (Tang Dynasty), Nanpu Commandery (南浦郡) was established. In 625, the name was changed to Pu Prefecture (浦州), and in 634, to Wan Prefecture. In 1373 (Yuan Dynasty), Wan was demoted to a county.
In the 19th century, it was known in English as Wanhsien and Wan County. In 1935, it became Wanxian Prefecture (万县专区). On December 12, 1992, the State Council abolished Wanxian Prefecture and its subordinate Wanxian City and created the prefecture-level Wanxian City, which administered the districts of Longbao (龙宝区), Tiancheng (天城区), Wuqiao (五桥区) and the counties of Kai, Zhong, Liangping, Yunyang, Fengjie, Wushan, Wuxi, and Chengkou.
The entire Wanxian City was merged into Chongqing on December 20, 1997. The merge necessitated the abolishment of Wanxian City and creation of Wanxian District and Wanxian Migration Development Area (移民开发区). Wanxian City's three districts were converted to administrative committees (管理委员会, abbreviated 管委会) of Wanxian District. The migration development area included the counties formerly in Wanxian City, except Liangping and Chengkou, which were administered by Chongqing directly.
On May 22, 1998, the State Council approved that the two areas named Wanxian were both renamed to Wanzhou. The migration development area later dissolved and its counties were directly controlled by Chongqing. On July 19, 2000, the district's administrative committees were changed to migration development areas.
Map - Wanzhou District (Wanzhou District)
Map
Country - China
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Modern Chinese trace their origins to a cradle of civilization in the fertile basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain. The semi-legendary Xia dynasty in the 21st century BCE and the well-attested Shang and Zhou dynasties developed a bureaucratic political system to serve hereditary monarchies, or dynasties. Chinese writing, Chinese classic literature, and the Hundred Schools of Thought emerged during this period and influenced China and its neighbors for centuries to come. In the third century BCE, Qin's wars of unification created the first Chinese empire, the short-lived Qin dynasty. The Qin was followed by the more stable Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), which established a model for nearly two millennia in which the Chinese empire was one of the world's foremost economic powers. The empire expanded, fractured, and reunified; was conquered and reestablished; absorbed foreign religions and ideas; and made world-leading scientific advances, such as the Four Great Inventions: gunpowder, paper, the compass, and printing. After centuries of disunity following the fall of the Han, the Sui (581–618) and Tang (618–907) dynasties reunified the empire. The multi-ethnic Tang welcomed foreign trade and culture that came over the Silk Road and adapted Buddhism to Chinese needs. The early modern Song dynasty (960–1279) became increasingly urban and commercial. The civilian scholar-officials or literati used the examination system and the doctrines of Neo-Confucianism to replace the military aristocrats of earlier dynasties. The Mongol invasion established the Yuan dynasty in 1279, but the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) re-established Han Chinese control. The Manchu-led Qing dynasty nearly doubled the empire's territory and established a multi-ethnic state that was the basis of the modern Chinese nation, but suffered heavy losses to foreign imperialism in the 19th century.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| CNY | Renminbi | ¥ or 元 | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| ZH | Chinese language |
| UG | Uighur language |
| ZA | Zhuang language |