Qichun County 蕲春县 Kitsun | |
|---|---|
 A bridge over a river in Qichun County | |
  Qichun Location of the seat in Hubei | |
| Coordinates (Qichun government):30°13′34″N115°26′13″E / 30.226°N 115.437°E /30.226; 115.437 | |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Province | Hubei |
| Prefecture-level city | Huanggang |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,397.6 km2 (925.7 sq mi) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
• Total | 792,101 |
| • Density | 330.37/km2 (855.66/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
| Website | 蕲春县人民政府门户网站 (Qichun County People's Government Web Portal) (in Simplified Chinese) |
Qichun County (simplified Chinese:蕲春县;traditional Chinese:蘄春縣;pinyin:Qíchūn Xiàn) is a county of easternHubei province, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration ofHuanggang City.
Qichun County has been a major historical center oftraditional Chinese medicine.[2] It is known in China as the "Professor County" (Chinese:教授县;pinyin:Jiàoshòu Xiàn), due to the high amount of professors and other academic experts hailing from the county.[2]
Qichun County is named after the abundantqicai (Chinese:蕲菜;pinyin:qí cài), a variety ofChinese celery, in the area.[3]
The area of present-day Qichun County has been inhabited since theNeolithic age.[2]
In 224 BCE,Qin forces pursued the beaten and retreatingChu forces to Qinan (蕲南; northwest of present-day Qichun inHubei) and general Xiang Yan, grandfather of future hegemonic kingXiang Yu, was either killed in the action or committed suicide following his decisive defeat.[citation needed]
Qichun County was first established during theWestern Han,[3] possibly as early as 201 BCE.[2] Due to its strategic location, in history Qichun was referred to as “The Key Point of Jingchu” (Jingchu is another name of the ancient state of Chu and the region belonged to it).[citation needed]
During theThree Kingdoms period, Qichun was made acommandery (Chinese:郡;pinyin:Jùn).[3] In the summer of 223 CE,Eastern Wu generalHe Qiattacked and eliminated an outpost ofCao Wei in the new commandery territory of Qichun, on the southern slopes of theDabie Shan mountains.[citation needed] But for the next twelve months the northern front remained quiet.[citation needed] The Grand Administrator of Qichun wasJin Zong, a former officer ofSun Quan who had deserted and joined Cao Wei.[citation needed] It appears he was given the commandery appointment at this time, in the hill country of the Dabie Shan on the border region between Lujiang and Jiangxia, so that he could disturb the communications routes along the Yangtze and across that river to the south.[citation needed]
There is evidence that the Qichun commandery had been established a few years earlier, evidently on the basis of the county of that name inJiangxia Commandery ofLater Han, but the territory had been abandoned byCao Cao at the time of his withdrawal in 213 CE.[citation needed] From this time, after the defeat of Jin Zong's infiltration, the territory was held by Wu.[citation needed] One of the subordinate commanders in He Qi's attack on Qichun wasMi Fang, the erstwhile officer ofGuan Yu who had surrenderedJiangling toLü Meng in 219 AD.[citation needed] Qichun also was evidently a proving ground for renegades.[citation needed]
During theSouthern and Northern dynasties, the area became administered under theQichang Commandery [zh].[3] During theTang dynasty, the area was reorganized as afu.[3] Qichun would later be reverted to acounty.[3]
During theSong dynasty, Qichun County was home to an extraordinarily large market fortraditional Chinese medicine, which poetLu You described as 40li long.[2]
Prince Jing's Mansion (Chinese:荆王府;pinyin:Jīng Wángfǔ) was constructed in Qichun County during theMing dynasty.[2]
In 1949, Qichun County was placed underHuanggang Prefecture.[3] In 1995, Huanggang was changed from aprefecture to aprefecture-level city.[3]
Qichun County is located in the east ofHubei, along the northern banks of theYangtze, and at the southern foot of theDabie Mountains.[2][4] To its east is the province ofAnhui.[4] Thecounty's government, seated in the town ofCaohe [zh], is located 96 kilometres (60 mi) from the center ofHuanggang, and 157 kilometres (98 mi) from the center ofWuhan, capital of Hubei.[4]
The total geographic area of Qichun County is 2,397.6 square kilometres (925.7 sq mi).[4] Of this, 560 kilometres (350 mi) are arable.[citation needed] Water covers 310 kilometres (190 mi) (there are hundreds of lakes in Qichun County, almost all used for aquaculture). Forested areas cover 1,040 kilometres (650 mi).[citation needed]
(Note: While not stated in government data, unless there is a statistical error, the remaining 490 square kilometres (190 sq mi) must be hills/mountains, in the northern part of the county, or simply unusable land).[citation needed]
Qichun County's area is topographically diverse, withmountains,hills, andplains.[4] The elevation decreases gradually from mountains of northeast to the lowlands of southwest.[4] TheMount Sanjiao Scenic Area [zh] is located within the county.[2]
Apart from the Yangtze, major bodies of water in Qichun County include theQi River (Chinese:蕲河;pinyin:Qí Hé),Lake Chidong [zh], andLake Chixi [zh].[4]
The local climate is classed as "subtropical mainland monsoon," with distinct seasons and abundant rainfall (average 134 centimeters per year). When theYangtze River floods, Qichun County also experiences some flooding.[citation needed]
| Climate data for Qichun, elevation 72 m (236 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 22.1 (71.8) | 27.3 (81.1) | 34.0 (93.2) | 33.7 (92.7) | 36.3 (97.3) | 38.3 (100.9) | 40.6 (105.1) | 41.2 (106.2) | 38.9 (102.0) | 35.7 (96.3) | 30.8 (87.4) | 24.1 (75.4) | 41.2 (106.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.7 (47.7) | 11.7 (53.1) | 16.3 (61.3) | 22.8 (73.0) | 27.5 (81.5) | 30.1 (86.2) | 33.6 (92.5) | 33.4 (92.1) | 29.6 (85.3) | 24.1 (75.4) | 17.8 (64.0) | 11.4 (52.5) | 22.3 (72.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.7 (40.5) | 7.4 (45.3) | 11.8 (53.2) | 17.9 (64.2) | 22.8 (73.0) | 26.0 (78.8) | 29.3 (84.7) | 28.8 (83.8) | 24.7 (76.5) | 18.9 (66.0) | 12.5 (54.5) | 6.7 (44.1) | 17.6 (63.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.8 (35.2) | 4.2 (39.6) | 8.2 (46.8) | 14.0 (57.2) | 19.0 (66.2) | 22.7 (72.9) | 26.0 (78.8) | 25.4 (77.7) | 21.1 (70.0) | 15.1 (59.2) | 8.9 (48.0) | 3.3 (37.9) | 14.1 (57.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −6.6 (20.1) | −5.4 (22.3) | −3.0 (26.6) | 2.7 (36.9) | 9.0 (48.2) | 12.7 (54.9) | 18.3 (64.9) | 17.8 (64.0) | 10.7 (51.3) | 2.5 (36.5) | −1.7 (28.9) | −9.4 (15.1) | −9.4 (15.1) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 68.4 (2.69) | 83.8 (3.30) | 118.0 (4.65) | 158.0 (6.22) | 175.7 (6.92) | 229.5 (9.04) | 213.4 (8.40) | 126.1 (4.96) | 81.6 (3.21) | 62.4 (2.46) | 64.4 (2.54) | 39.9 (1.57) | 1,421.2 (55.96) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 12.4 | 12.5 | 15.0 | 13.6 | 13.4 | 14.0 | 12.3 | 12.3 | 8.7 | 8.9 | 10.0 | 9.2 | 142.3 |
| Average snowy days | 3.7 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 7.5 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 78 | 77 | 75 | 74 | 75 | 79 | 77 | 77 | 76 | 75 | 77 | 75 | 76 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 98.8 | 100.4 | 129.3 | 157.6 | 181.9 | 168.1 | 225.9 | 226.6 | 186.0 | 166.9 | 141.9 | 127.5 | 1,910.9 |
| Percentagepossible sunshine | 30 | 32 | 35 | 41 | 43 | 40 | 53 | 56 | 51 | 48 | 45 | 40 | 43 |
| Source:China Meteorological Administration[5][6] | |||||||||||||
Qichun County administers the following 13towns, 1township, and 5 othertownship-level divisions:[7]
| Name | Chinese (S) | Etymology | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Towns | |||||
| Caohe [zh] | 漕河镇 | ||||
| Chidong [zh] | 赤东镇 | ||||
| Qizhou [zh] | 蕲州镇 | Qi Prefecture | |||
| Guanyao [zh] | 管窑镇 | ||||
| Hengche [zh] | 横车镇 | ||||
| Pengsi [zh] | 彭思镇 | ||||
| Zhulin [zh] | 株林镇 | ||||
| Liuhe [zh] | 刘河镇 | ||||
| Shizi [zh] | 狮子镇 | Lion | |||
| Qingshi [zh] | 青石镇 | ||||
| Zhangbang [zh] | 张塝镇 | ||||
| Tanlin [zh] | 檀林镇 | ||||
| Datong [zh] | 大同镇 | ||||
| Township | |||||
| Xiangqiao Township [zh] | 向桥乡 | ||||
| Other township-level divisions | |||||
| Balihu [zh] | 八里湖 | ||||
| Qichun Economic Development Zone | 蕲春经济开发区管委会 | ||||
| Li Shizhen Medicine Industrial Park | 李时珍医药工业园区 | Li Shizhen | |||
| Qichun Chilong Lake National Wetland Park | 蕲春赤龙湖国家湿地公园 | ||||
| Qichun County Xianrentai Tea Factory | 蕲春县仙人台茶厂 | ||||
Thecounty's government is seated in thetown ofCaohe [zh].[4] The government buildings for the County and the Town are adjacent to each other.[citation needed]
The2020 Chinese census put Qichun County's population at 792,101.[1]
The2010 Chinese census put Qichun County's population at 727,805.[3]
A 2004 estimate approximated Qichun County's population at 951,391.[3]
The2000 Chinese census put Qichun County's population at 949,479.[3]
A 1996 estimate put Qichun County's population at about 921,000.[3]
Qichun Town's population was 162,000,[clarification needed] of whom 71,000 were engaged in agriculture (fisheries, crops, and herbs are the main agricultural sectors) and the remainder non-agriculture (which includes minerals and manufacturing of various kinds). About 40% of all the farmers of Qichun County are engaged in growing herbs.[citation needed]
Qichun County is the birthplace of famous herbalistLi Shizhen, who was born and lived inQizhou town, and has been a major historical center oftraditional Chinese medicine for hundreds of years.[2]
Qichun County is often nicknamed "Professor County" (Chinese:教授县;pinyin:Jiàoshòu Xiàn) due to the high amount of professors and other academic experts hailing from the county.[2]
Qichun is reasonably well-served by rail, bus, and road transportation; there is no airport.[citation needed]
TheBeijing–Kowloon railway runs through Qichun County.[4] The mainBeijing toGuangzhou rail line passes through Qichun, and there are local trains, west to theHubei provincial capital ofWuhan and south-east intoJiangxi province.[citation needed]
There is a local bus service and also frequent express buses intoWuhan via the new inter-provincial expressway running east–west across the province.[citation needed] A journey by express bus toWuhan takes less than three hours; by car the journey is less than 2.5 hours.[citation needed]
Major expressways in Qichun County include the Huangshi-Huanggang portion of theG70 Fuzhou–Yinchuan Expressway, which runs through the southwest of Qichun County.[4] theG42 Shanghai–Chengdu Expressway, and theG50 Shanghai–Chongqing Expressway.[8]National Highway 318 also runs through Qichun County.[8] TheLiu-Jie Highway [zh], theQi-Cao Highway (Chinese:蕲漕公路;pinyin:Qí-Cáo Gōnglù), and theQi-Tai Highway (Chinese:蕲太公路;pinyin:Qí-Tài Gōnglù) all run through Qichun County.[4] Other major roads include theHuang-Biao Highway (Chinese:黄标公路;pinyin:Huáng-Biāo Gōnglù), and theDabie Mountains Red Tourism Highway (Chinese:大别山红色旅游公路;pinyin:Dàbié Shān Hóngsè Lǚyóu Gōnglù).[8] Numerous future expressways are planned.[8]
Mineral resources in Qichun County includegold,copper,manganese,lead,iron,quartz,serpentine,dolomite,marble, and blackjade.[2][4]
Qichun County has long played an outsized role intraditional Chinese medicine, and was historically home to large markets for medicinal ingredients.[2] Medicinal markets remain central to Qichun County, which hosts the Hubei Lishizhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Professional Market (Chinese:李时珍中药材专业市场;pinyin:Lǐ Shízhēn Zhōngyàocái Zhuānyè Shìchǎng).[2] The majority of the entries in theBencao Gangmu, an encyclopedia of traditional Chinese medicine ingredients, can be found in Qichun County.[2] According to the county government, there is more than 200,000mu of cropland devoted to growing medicinal ingredients.[2]
The herbal industry, centered on Qizhou, is the biggest component of the Qichun County economy.[citation needed] Some 200,000 herb farmers live in Qichun County.[citation needed] They produce more than 700 varieties.[citation needed] The local herb wholesale market is the third largest in China, with more than 800 million yuan (US$100 million, as of 2006) of annual trading volume.[citation needed]
There is only one hotel of any significance in Qichun.[citation needed] But it is a new hotel, built around 2001.[citation needed]
Qichun County has its own Social Welfare Institute (SWI) to accommodate elderly people, handicapped persons, the homeless, and orphans.[citation needed] The Social Welfare Institute constructed a new building in 2004, designed mainly for the elderly and handicapped children and adults.[citation needed] Children which are abandoned or orphaned, and are awaiting adoption either domestically or internationally, are placed with local foster families.[citation needed] But they visit the SWI weekly for medical checks and group playtime activities.[citation needed] About 400 orphans have been adopted internationally from Qichun County SWI.[citation needed] These children now live with families all over the world: in Canada and the US, in Australasia, and in most countries of Western Europe.[citation needed]
Qichun County was a historical center for education andtraditional Chinese medicine, as well as an economic and cultural center within easternHubei.[2] Thecounty has produced many important historical figures in this field, including herbalistLi Shizhen. Other notable figures from Qichun County during dynastic China include the following:
More-recent famous people from Qichun include:[citation needed]
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