Fuling District () is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

in central

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a municipality in Southwest China. The official abbreviation of the city, "" (), was approved by the State Co ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

. The area is known for ''

zha cai ''Zha cai'' (; ), also romanized as ''Cha tsai'', is a type of pickled mustard plant stem originating from Chongqing, China. The name may also be written in English as ''cha tsai'', ''tsa tsai'', ''jar choy'', ''jar choi'', ''ja choi'', ''ja ch ...

'', a hot pickled mustard

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing ...

, as well as serving as the location of former U.S.

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John ...

teacher

Peter Hessler Peter Benjamin Hessler (born June 14, 1969) is an American writer and journalist. He is the author of four books about China and has contributed numerous articles to ''The New Yorker'' and ''National Geographic'', among other publications. In 201 ...

's best-selling memoir '' River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze''. The district spans an area of , and has a population of 1,115,016, per the

2020 Chinese Census The Seventh National Population Census of the People's Republic of China (), also referred to as the 2020 Chinese Census, was the seventh national census conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China. Census w ...

. The district's area spans from

latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north ...

29°21' to 30°01' north, and

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east– west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek let ...

106°56' to 107°43' east.

History

According to the district's government, the area comprising contemporary Fuling District has been inhabited since approximately 3000 BCE. During the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period was a period in Chinese history from approximately 770 to 476 BC (or according to some authorities until 403 BC) which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. The period's name derives fr ...

, the area was inhabited by the . From the middle and late part of

, through to the middle of the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

, the area belonged to the

State of Ba Ba () was an ancient state in eastern Sichuan, China. Its original capital was Yicheng (Enshi City), Hubei. Ba was conquered by Qin in 316 BC. The historical Bo people and the modern Tujia people trace some of their origins back to the people o ...

. The area was at some point the site of one of the Ba's capitals, and a Ba king is buried within the area. During the middle and latter part of the Warring States period, the area belonged to the

State of Chu Chu, or Ch'u in Wade–Giles romanization, (, Hanyu Pinyin: Chǔ, Old Chinese: ''*s-r̥aʔ'') was a Zhou dynasty vassal state. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BCE. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou ...

. Following the State of Chu, the area was incorporated into the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), ...

as the . The area reorganized in 227 BCE, under the rule of

King Zhaoxiang of Qin King Zhaoxiang of Qin (; 325–251 BC), or King Zhao of Qin (秦昭王), born Ying Ji (, was the king of Qin from 306 BC to 251 BC. He was the son of King Huiwen and younger brother of King Wu. King Zhaoxiang reigned as the King of Qin for 5 ...

, as . During the

Eastern Han The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

, Zhi County was merged into . In the

Three Kingdoms period The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the We ...

, the area was ruled by the

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (; pinyin: ''shŭ'' <

Hanping County (). Hanping County was subordinate to the , whose capital was located in present-day in the nearby Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County, to the southeast of Fuling District. In 347 CE, under the

Eastern Jin Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

, the area was again reorganized as Fu Commandery (), which was also known as Zhicheng Commandery (). The area's

administrative divisions Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

were reorganized dramatically during the

Northern and Southern dynasties The Northern and Southern dynasties () was a period of political division in the history of China that lasted from 420 to 589, following the tumultuous era of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Eastern Jin dynasty. It is sometimes considered a ...

. The

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and la ...

would reorganize the area into three

counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

: Fuling County (), which belonged to the Ba Commandery,

Fengdu County Fengdu County (; formerly ) is a county located in Chongqing Municipality, People's Republic of China. The county was established as Fengdu County () during the Sui Dynasty. The name was changed to Fengdu County () during the Ming Dynasty. In 195 ...

(), which belonged to the , and Dianjiang County (), which belonged to the . In 618 CE, during the Tang dynasty, the area was reorganized as , which governed , Fuling County, and . Under the Northern Song, Longhua County was changed to . During the

Southern Song The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

, Fu Zhou was reestablished to govern the area, and administered Fuling County and Wulong County. Fu Zhou remained intact during the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fif ...

and the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, and governed Wulong County. Fu Zhou would continue intact during the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

, but was not divided into counties. During this time, Fu Zhou was under the jurisdiction of . In 1913, shortly after the establishment of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeas ...

, Fu Zhou was reorganized as Fuling County. Fuling County initially fell under the jurisdiction of , then directly under the jurisdiction of

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...

, and finally under the Eight Administrative Inspectorate of Sichuan. Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the area saw administrative reforms in early 1950. Fuling County was reorganized as , under the jurisdiction of . Fuling Area governed seven counties: Fuling,

Nanchuan Nanchuan () is a district and former county of Chongqing, China, bordering Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, i ...

, Fengdu, Shizhu, Wulong, Changshou and Pengshui. In 1952, was merged into Fuling Area, adding the counties of Dianjiang, Qianjiang,

Youyang Youyang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County, or Youyang County for short () is located in southeast Chongqing Municipality, China, bordering the provinces of Hunan to the east and Guizhou to the southwest. The county spans an area of , and has a p ...

, and Xiushan. Changshou County was absorbed into

, which then had a prefecture-level status instead of its present provincial-level status, in 1958. Fuling Area was replaced by in 1968. Fuling County became a

county-level city A county-level municipality (), county-level city or county city, formerly known as prefecture-controlled city (1949–1970: ; 1970–1983: ), is a county-level administrative division of the People's Republic of China. County-level ...

in 1983. The prefecture became a

Three Gorges The Three Gorges () are three adjacent gorges along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, in the hinterland of the People's Republic of China. With a subtropical monsoon climate, they are known for their scenery. The "Three Gorges Scenic A ...

provincial planning region () the following year. In 1988, Qianjiang, Youyang, Xiushan, Pengshui, and Shizhu counties were transferred to the jurisdiction of the newly-organized . Nanchuan County was re-designated as a county-level city in 1994. On November 5, 1995, the State Council passed legislation to abolish the county-level city of Fuling and replace it with two

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

: Zhicheng District () and Lidu District (). This change would come into effect in January 1996. In March 1996, Fuling Prefecture was re-designated as a

prefecture-level city A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. During the Republican era, many of Chi ...

, which governed Zhicheng District, Lidu District, Nanchuan City, Dianjiang County, Fengdu County and Wulong County. On September 15, 1996, legislature passed by the State Council placed the prefecture-level city of Fuling under the administration of Chongqing. On March 14, 1997, the

National People's Congress The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (NPC; ), or simply the National People's Congress, is constitutionally the supreme state authority and the national legislature of the People's Republic of China. With 2,9 ...

changed Chongqing to become a direct-administered municipality. This was followed by legislation by the State Council on December 20, 1997 which abolished Fuling's prefecture-level status, revoking Zhicheng District and Lidu District, and placing Nanchuan City, Wulong County, Fengdu County, and Dianjiang County all under the direct jurisdiction of Chongqing. The now-defunct Zhicheng District and Lidu District became contemporary Fuling District.

Geography

Fuling District is located on the southeastern edge of the

Sichuan Basin The Sichuan Basin (), formerly transliterated as the Szechwan Basin, sometimes called the Red Basin, is a lowland region in southwestern China. It is surrounded by mountains on all sides and is drained by the upper Yangtze River and its tributar ...

, between

29°21' to 30°01' north, and

106°56' to 107°43' east, covering an area of . The easternmost point is Baijibao () in the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

of , the westernmost point is Dachayuan () in the town of , the southernmost point is Jinjiadian () in the town of , and the northernmost point is Hongqiangyuan (). Fuling District spans from west to east, and from north to south. Fuling City is located at the confluence of the Wu River and the

Yangtze The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows ...

, in the heart of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region. Located in the central part of

, Fuling District is bordered by

to the east,

Wulong District Wulong District () is a district of Chongqing Municipality, China, bordering Guizhou province to the south. Administration Climate Education There is a central elementary school in Baiyun Town. Transportation The district is served by C ...

and Nanchuan District to the south, Banan District to the west, and

Changshou District Changshou () is a district in Chongqing, China, located by the Yangtze river, with a history spanning several thousand years. Changshou is from the Yuzhong District of downtown Chongqing. Administrative divisions Changshou District administe ...

and Dianjiang County to the north.

Climate

Fuling District has a

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

-influenced

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

( Köppen ''Cwa''), with four distinct seasons and ample rainfall: winters are short, mild, and comparatively dry, while summers are long, hot, and humid. Monthly daily average temperatures range from in January to in August, while the annual mean is . The

diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation: peak da ...

is and is especially small during winter. Around 87% of the annual precipitation falls from April to October.

Demographics

Fuling District has a population of 1,115,016, according to the

. This represents a 4.53% increase from the 1,066,714 recorded in the

2010 Chinese Census The 2010 Chinese census, officially the Sixth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China (中華人民共和國第六次全國人口普查), was conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China w ...

. As of 2020, 71.85% of the district's population is urbanized, up from 55.80% in 2010.

Age and household structure

14.93% of the district's population is 14 years old or younger, 63.91% is between 15 and 59 years old, and 21.16% is 60 years old or older. 18.02% of the district's population is 65 years or older. Compared to 2010, the proportion of people age 14 or younger dropped 0.96%, the proportion of people age 15 to 59 fell 2.10%, and the proportion of people age 60 or older rose 3.06%. The proportion of people age 65 or older rose 5.63% from 2010 to 2020. The average household size in Fuling District totaled 2.44 people, a decrease from the 2.91 size recorded in 2010.

Educational attainment

12.85% of the district's population had attained a

tertiary education Tertiary education, also referred to as third-level, third-stage or post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank, for example, defines tertiary education as including univers ...

, according to 2020 figures. An additional 16.97% of the district's population had attained a

secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final ph ...

, an additional 34.88% attained a

junior high A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

education, an additional 28.44% attained a

primary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/ kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in '' primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or ...

, and the remaining 6.86% of the population had no formal education. People above the age of 14 in the district have attained an average of 9.68 years of formal education, an increase from the 8.73 years average recorded in 2010. Fuling District had a

literacy rate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

of 98.57% as of 2020, an increase from 94.82% in 2010.

Administrative divisions

Fuling District administers 11 subdistricts, 14 towns, and 2 townships. These township-level divisions in turn administer 719 administrative villages and 80 residential communities.

2010 divisions

Economy

Fuling District had a total

gross domestic product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjective nature this measure is of ...

(GDP) of 140.274 billion

renminbi The renminbi (; symbol: ¥; ISO code: CNY; abbreviation: RMB) is the official currency of the People's Republic of China and one of the world's most traded currencies, ranking as the fifth most traded currency in the world as of April 202 ...

(RMB) as of 2021, an 8.7% increase from 2020. The district's

primary sector The primary sector of the economy includes any industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining. The primary sector tends to make up a larger portion of the economy ...

accounted for 6.48% of total GDP in 2021, and grew at a rate of 6.4% from 2020; the

secondary sector In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in construc ...

accounted for 55.80% of GDP, and grew 6.7% from 2020; the tertiary sector accounted for 37.72% of GDP, and grew 12.0% from 2020.

Transportation

Historically, Fuling was primarily served by Yangtze river boats, as the development of ground transportation was slow, due to the difficult terrain. Railways arrived to the Fuling area only in the 21st century. First was the

Chongqing–Huaihua Railway Chongqing–Huaihua railway or Yuhuai railway (), is a single-track, electrified railroad in southwest China between Chongqing Municipality and Huaihua in Hunan Province. The line is long and was built between 2000 and 2005. Cities and towns a ...

, completed in 2005. Its Fuling Railway Station is located a few kilometers west of town (). The high-speed Chongqing−Lichuan Railway, opened on December 28, 2013, serves Fuling as well, with its Fuling North Railway Station. This railway crosses the Yangtze near the city over the

Hanjiatuo Bridge The Hanjiatuo Yangtze River Bridge is a cable-stayed railway bridge over the Yangtze River in the Fuling District of Chongqing, China. The bridge carries the Chongqing-Lichuan Railway and was completed in 2012.(Chinese世界首座双线铁路� ...

. The railway's Caijiagou Bridge (; ), located in Fuling District, is said to be the world's tallest railway bridge, as measured by the height of the bridge's tallest pillar (139 m). The Nanchuan–Fuling Railway, completed in 2012, forms part of Chongqing's outer railway ring. As of 2015, Fuling had five Yangtze River bridges.

Education

Yangtze Normal University (formerly Fuling Teachers College) is in Fuling. The university hosted Peace Corps volunteers from 1996 until 2020, when the last volunteers were evacuated from the Peace Corps China program in the wake of COVID-19.

Culture

The White Crane Ridge (Baiheliang), a rock outcrop on the Yangtze River, has been used as a hydrological station recording water levels since the Tang Dynasty. It includes many rock carvings. With the flooding of the Yangtze as part of the Three Gorges Dam project, the White Crane Ridge Underwater Museum was opened in 2009 to protect the carvings and allow viewing by visitors under the new water level of the river.

Cuisine

Fuling is well known for its Wu River brand ''

'' pickled mustard tuber. The Fuling Zhacai company is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and in 2021 celebrated selling 15 billion packets. According to

, as of 1998, most residents of Fuling are genetically incapable of being alcoholics. When imbibing large amounts of alcohol many people became so sick and they could not drink heavily all the time. Therefore, according to Hessler, consumption of alcohol was not habitual but instead was a ritual, and therefore drinking patterns were "abusive with light consequences." Hessler, p. 80.

Notes

Bibliography

* Hessler, Peter. '' River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze'' (ebook edition). HarperCollins e-books.

External links

Official site
{{authority control Districts of Chongqing