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Hengyang (; ) is the second largest city of
Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...
Province, China. It straddles the
Xiang River The Xiang River is the chief river of the Dongting Lake, Lake Dongting Drainage basin, drainage system of the middle Yangtze, the largest river in Hunan, Hunan Province, China. It is the 2nd largest tributary (after Min River (Sichuan), Min River ...
about south of the provincial capital of
Changsha Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is the capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a population of over 10 million, an ...
. As of the 2020 Chinese census, Its total population was 6,645,243 inhabitants, whom 1,290,715 lived in the built-up (''or metro'') area consisting of 4 urban districts, Nanyue District not being conurbated yet. Hengyang is home to
University of South China The University of South China () is a university in city Hengyang, Hunan, China. As of 2022, the Best Chinese Universities Ranking, also known as the "Shanghai Ranking", placed the university the best in Hengyang and 8th in Hunan. History ...
,
Hengyang Normal University Hengyang Normal University () is a university located in Hengyang, Hunan, China. As of 2022, the Best Chinese Universities Ranking placed the university 15th in Hunan. History Hengyang Normal University was formed in 1904, it was initially calle ...
, and
Hunan Institute of Technology Hunan Institute of Technology () is a university located in Hengyang, Hunan, 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 ...
, three major provincial
public universities A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national university ...
in the city.


History

The former name of the city was Hengzhou (Hengchow) (). This was the capital of a prefecture in the
Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...
's
Jiangnan Jiangnan or Jiang Nan (; formerly romanized Kiang-nan, literally "South of the River" meaning "South of the Yangtze") is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, incl ...
and West Jiangnan circuits.
Li Jingxuan Li Jingxuan (李敬玄) (615–682), formally Duke Wenxian of Zhao (趙文憲公), was a Chinese military general of Tang China, serving as Chancellor of the Tang dynasty during the reign of Emperor Gaozong. He was famed for his efficient organiza ...
was banished to superintendence of Hengzhou after feigning an illness and attempting to usurp control of the legislative bureau at
Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin Shi ...
against the Gaozong Emperor's wishes in AD 680. Following the AD 705 coup that removed the Empress
Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (17 February 624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was the ''de facto'' ruler of the Tang dynasty from 665 to 705, ruling first through others and then (from 690) in her own right. From 665 to 690, she was first empres ...
from power, her ally
Li Jiongxiu Li Jiongxiu (李迥秀), courtesy name Maozhi (茂之), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as chancellor during Wu Zetian's reign. Background It is not known when Li Jiongxiu wa ...
was also briefly demoted to superintendence of this province. During the reign of Emperor Muzong, the chancellor
Linghu Chu Linghu Chu () (766 – December 18, 837), courtesy name Keshi (), formally Duke Wen of Pengyang (), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xianzong and (briefly) Emperor Xianzong's son Em ...
was also demoted to this province for his underlings' alleged corruption. In the 750s, the superintendent of Hengzhou Chen Xi'ang not only ruled his own region but also used his private army to dominate his nominal superior, the military governor
Zhang Weiyi Zhang may refer to: Chinese culture, etc. * Zhang (surname) (張/张), common Chinese surname ** Zhang (surname 章), a rarer Chinese surname * Zhang County (漳县), of Dingxi, Gansu * Zhang River (漳河), a river flowing mainly in Henan * ''Z ...
headquartered in Jing Prefecture (modern
Jingzhou Jingzhou () is a prefecture-level city in southern Hubei province, China, located on the banks of the Yangtze River. Its total residential population was 5,231,180 based on the 2020 census, 1,068,291 of whom resided in the built-up (''or metro' ...
). Upon Zhang's replacement by the former chancellor
Lü Yin Lü Yin (呂諲) (712–762), formally Count Su of Xuchang (須昌肅伯), was a Chinese military general and politician during the Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Suzong. Historians often regarded him as being m ...
in 760, however, Chen was placated and then killed in a surprise attack. During the reign of the Tang emperor Xizong,
Zhou Yue Zhou Yue (周岳) (died 893), courtesy name Junzhao (峻昭), was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who controlled Wu'an Circuit (武安, headquartered in modern Changsha, Hunan) from 886 to 893. Background and takeover of Heng ...
overthrew first the prefect of Hengzhou
Xu Hao Xu or XU may refer to: People and characters * Xu (surname), one of two Chinese surnames ( or /), transliterated as Xu in English * ǃXu, a name for the ǃKung group of Bushmen; may also refer to the ǃKung language or the ǃKung people * ǃXu ...
in 881 and then the agent of the rebel
Qin Zongquan Qin Zongquan (; died April 1, 889) was a Chinese military general, monarch, politician, rebel, and warlord during the Tang Dynasty. He was later a claimant to the imperial throne, in competition with Emperor Xizong of Tang and, later, Emperor Xiz ...
in the capital of the Qinhua Circuit at Tan Prefecture (modern
Changsha Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is the capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a population of over 10 million, an ...
) in 886. Xizong confirmed Zhou Yue in all his posts, renaming his circuit
Wu'an Wu'an is a county-level city in the southwest of Hebei Province, China, bordering Shanxi Province to the west. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Handan. History People's Republic In August 1949, Wu'an was one of thr ...
. Xizong's brother then gave him additional authority over West Lingnan Circuit (modern
Guangxi Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...
). Shortly after, in 893,
Deng Chune Deng Chuna (; died 894), courtesy name Chongyun (), was a warlord in the late Tang dynasty China, who controlled Wu'an Circuit (武安, headquartered in modern Changsha, Hunan) as its military governor (''Jiedushi'') from 893 to 894, when he was d ...
and
Lei Man Lei Man (雷滿) (died 901), courtesy name Bingren (秉仁), was a warlord late in the Chinese Tang Dynasty, who seized control of Lang Prefecture (朗州, in modern Changde, Hunan) in 881 and controlled it and the surrounding region (which was mad ...
attacked and killed him. Other superintendents included
Qi Ying Qi Ying (齊映) (748 – August 15, 795'' Old Book of Tang''vol. 13.), formally Baron Zhong of Hejian (河間忠男), was a Chinese politician, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Dezong. Background Qi Ying was born in 748, d ...
and
Xiao Ye Xiao Ye (蕭鄴), courtesy name Qizhi (啟之), was an official of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xuānzong and (briefly) Emperor Xuānzong's son Emperor Yizong. Background and early career It is ...
. After initially falling to agrarian rebels under Yang Shiyuan, Hengzhou was recovered by the lord of Wu'an
Ma Yin Ma Yin (; c. 853 – December 2, 930), courtesy name Batu (霸圖), formally King Wumu of Chu (楚武穆王), was Chinese military general and politician who became the first ruler of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Chu and the o ...
and formed part of his power base during the collapse of the Tang. He initially supported the Later Liang, then declared himself king (
Ma Chu Chu (), known in historiography as Ma Chu () or Southern Chu (), was a dynastic state of China that existed from 907 to 951. It is listed as one of the Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Founding ...
) in his own right during the
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen conc ...
. During the
Revolt of the Three Feudatories The Revolt of the Three Feudatories, () also known as the Rebellion of Wu Sangui, was a rebellion in China lasting from 1673 to 1681, during the early reign of the Kangxi Emperor (r. 1661–1722) of the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). The revolt was ...
, Wu Sangui declared himself Emperor of the Great Zhou and established an imperial court at Hengzhou in 1678 before dying of illness later that year. His grandson
Wu Shifan Wu Shifan ( Chinese: 吳世璠), 1663–1681, was the grandson of Wu Sangui and his successor as emperor of the Zhou dynasty during the Revolt of the Three Feudatories. He was declared the ''taisun'' (太孫, lit. 'Imperial Eldest Grandson'). He w ...
then retreated to
Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...
, and the Qing recovered Hengzhou the next year. The
Battle of Hengyang The Battle of Hengyang () 23 June – 8 August, 1944 was fought between Chinese and Japanese forces in mainland China during World War II. Although the city fell, Japanese casualties far exceeded the total number of Chinese troops defending ...
was the longest defense of a single city during the
Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
. When Changsha fell to the Imperial Japanese Army on June 19, 1944, Hengyang became their next target. The reorganized 11th Army, consisting of 10 divisions, four brigades, and over 110,000 men, assumed the task of attacking Hengyang. It was part of the Japanese Ichi-Go offensive. A
Roman Catholic diocese of Hengzhou The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hengzhou/Hengchow/Hengyang ( la, Hemceuven(sis), ) is a diocese located in the city of Hengyang (Hunan) in the Ecclesiastical province of Changsha in China. History * July 23, 1930: Established as Apostolic Vicaria ...
was established, although periodically suppressed. This was suffragan to the Archbishop of Changsha following its elevation in 1946. In 2013 Hengyang was the center of a major
vote buying Vote buying (also referred to as electoral clientelism and patronage politics) occurs when a political party or candidate distributes money or resources to a voter in an upcoming election with the expectation that the voter votes for the actor handi ...
scandal where it was found that 56 officials were founded to be complicit in paying lower level local officials for votes. The 56 were subsequently removed from office, and an additional 512 resigned from their positions.


Economy

Hengyang has an area of and a population of 7,141,162. There are 1,075,516 people in the built-up area of in the four central urban districts. Hengyang is a busy and growing industrial City and the leading transportation centre of
Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...
, linking water, rail, and highway routes. Manufacturing includes: chemicals, agricultural, mining equipment, textiles, paper and processed foods. Lead, zinc, coal, and tin are mined nearby. Hengyang is the second largest city in Hunan province, and is a growing industrial hub and transportation center.


Tourism

Known as the 'Bright Pearl in Southern China' and as 'Wild Goose City' (the latter because of wild
geese A goose ( : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera '' Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (the black geese). Some other birds, mostly related to the she ...
that used to rest here while flying south for the winter), Hengyang has been the birthplace of many historical figures, such the revolutionist
Luo Ronghuan Luo Ronghuan (; November 26, 1902 – December 16, 1963) was a Chinese communist military leader. He served as a Vice Chair of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. Biography Luo was born in a village in Hengshan Count ...
and a noted
Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...
scholar
Wang Fuzhi Wang Fuzhi (; 1619–1692), courtesy name Ernong (), pseudonym Chuanshan (), was a Chinese essayist, historian, and philosopher of the late Ming, early Qing dynasties. Life Born to a scholarly family in Hengyang in Hunan province in 1619, Wang F ...
. The city was badly damaged during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
The Australia-China Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New South Wales HUNAN PROVINCE
/ref> and few historical buildings survive in diverse stage of reconstruction, including Shigu Academy, Dragon Tower,
Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...
School on the Dongzhou Island (), Laiyan Pagoda and Nantai Temple. Mount Heng, one of the
Five Sacred Mountains The Sacred Mountains of China are divided into several groups. The ''Five Great Mountains'' () refers to five of the most renowned mountains in Chinese history, and they were the subjects of imperial pilgrimage by emperors throughout ages. They ...
, lies 45 kilometres north from the city proper.


Climate

Hengyang has a
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 Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''Cfa''), with four distinct seasons. Spring is subject to heavy rainfall, while the summers are long, hot, and humid with lesser rainfall, and autumn is comfortable and rather dry. Winter is rather brief, but cold snaps occur with temperatures occasionally dropping below freezing, and while not heavy, rain can be frequent. The monthly daily mean temperature ranges from in January to in July.


Administrative divisions

The city is divided into the old and new districts. The latter offer citizens and businesses the chance to move from the bleak and polluted city centre to newly constructed
housing estates A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Popular throughout the United States ...
. *
Yanfeng District Yanfeng District () is an urban district of Hengyang City, Hunan province, China. The district is located in the middle south of the city proper and on the western bank of the Xiang River, it is bordered by Zhuhui District to the east, Hengnan C ...
() *
Zhuhui District Zhuhui District () is an urban district of Hengyang City, Hunan province, China. The district is located in the east of the city proper and on the east shore of Xiang River, it is bordered by Shigu District to the northwest, Yanfeng District to t ...
() *
Shigu District Shigu District () is an urban district of Hengyang City, Hunan province, China. The district is located in the middle north of the city proper, it is bordered by Zhuhui District to the east, Yanfeng District to the south, Zhengxiang District to ...
() *
Zhengxiang District Zhengxiang District () is an urban district of Hengyang City, Hunan province, China. The district is located in the west of the city proper, Zheng River flows from the west to the east. It is bordered by Shigu District to the northeast, Yanfeng D ...
() *
Nanyue District Nanyue District () is one of five districts in Hengyang City, Hunan Province, China; it is also the 2nd smallest district by population (after Wulingyuan District) in Hunan. Nanyue District is a rural district about 45 kilometres away from th ...
() * Changning City () *
Leiyang Leiyang () is a county-level city and the third most populous county-level division in Hunan Province, China. Leiyang is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Hengyang. Located on the south of the province, the city is bordered ...
City () *
Hengyang County Hengyang County () is a county and the 5th most populous county-level division in the Province of Hunan, China; it is under the administration of Hengyang prefecture-level city. Located in the north of Hengyang City and the south east of Hunan p ...
() *
Hengnan County Hengnan County () is a county located in the south of Hengyang prefecture-level city, Hunan province, China. It was established in 1952 and named after the ''south of Mount Heng''. The county has an area of with a population of 1,069,800 (as of ...
() *
Hengshan County Hengshan County () is a county in the Province of Hunan, China and it is under the administration of Hengyang prefecture-level city. Located in the north of Hengyang and the east-central part of Hunan province, the county is bordered to the north ...
() *
Hengdong County Hengdong County () is a county located in the east of Hengyang prefecture-level city, Hunan province, China. It was established from the eastern part of Hengshan County in 1966 and named after the ''east of Mount Heng''. The county has an area ...
() *
Qidong County Qidong County () is a county and the 8th most populous county-level division in the Province of Hunan, China; it is under the administration of Hengyang prefecture-level city. The county was formed from the eastern part of Qiyang County in Apri ...
()


Government

The current CPC Party Secretary of Hengyang is Deng Cequn and the current Mayor is Zhu Jian.


Colleges and universities

This is a list of institutions with full-time bachelor programs in Hengyang: *
University of South China The University of South China () is a university in city Hengyang, Hunan, China. As of 2022, the Best Chinese Universities Ranking, also known as the "Shanghai Ranking", placed the university the best in Hengyang and 8th in Hunan. History ...
(南华大学) *
Hengyang Normal University Hengyang Normal University () is a university located in Hengyang, Hunan, China. As of 2022, the Best Chinese Universities Ranking placed the university 15th in Hunan. History Hengyang Normal University was formed in 1904, it was initially calle ...
(衡阳师范学院) *
Hunan Institute of Technology Hunan Institute of Technology () is a university located in Hengyang, Hunan, 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 ...
(湖南工学院)


Transport

Hengyang is one of the in China.
G4 Beijing–Hong Kong and Macau Expressway The Beijing–Hong Kong and Macau Expressway (), designated as G4 and commonly referred to as the Jinggang'ao Expressway () is a -long expressway that connects the Chinese cities of Beijing and Shenzhen, in Guangdong province, at the border wit ...
and
G72 Quanzhou–Nanning Expressway The Quanzhou–Nanning Expressway (), designated as G72 and commonly referred to as the Quannan Expressway () is an expressway that connects the cities of Quanzhou, Fujian, China, and Nanning, Guangxi. The entire expressway was completed on 16 J ...
intersect here.
China National Highway 107 China's National Highway 107 runs from Beijing to Hong Kong SAR via Wuhan. It runs to approximately 2,698 km, and, on a map, runs broadly on a straight line from Beijing to Shenzhen. In 2013, under a new 2013-2030 plan by the National Devel ...
(to Beijing, to
Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
) and
China National Highway 322 China National Highway 322 (G322) runs from Hengyang, Hunan to Friendship pass, Guangxi. It is 1039 kilometres in length and runs southwest from Hengyang towards Friendship pass, which is on the China-Vietnam border. Route and distance See a ...
(to
Kunming Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headquar ...
) pass the city centre. Two bus terminals are located in the city. One is Hengyang Western Terminal which is located in the city centre and operates provincial lines and intra-metro lines in northern and western directions. Another is LingHu Terminal which operates lines of southern and eastern directions and locates on the edge of the city. Hengyang is an important transport hub in southern China. The Beijing–Guangzhou railway and Hunan–Guangxi railway intersect at Hengyang. Hengyang railway station is one of the ten largest railway stations in China and is recognized as one of the extra-premium level stations. More than 100 trains pass by and stop at Hengyang Railway Station, making it one of the busiest stations all over the country and connecting it to most
cities of China According to the administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China there are three levels of cities, namely provincial-level (consists of municipalities ), prefecture-level cities, and county-level cities. As of June 2020 the PRC has ...
. The city's new Hengyang East railway station is served by the
Wuhan–Guangzhou high-speed railway The Wuhan–Guangzhou high-speed railway, also called the Wuguang high-speed railway and short for Beijing–Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong high-speed railway, Wuhan–Guangzhou section, is a high-speed rail line, operated by China Railway H ...
and the
Huaihua–Shaoyang–Hengyang railway The Huaihua–Shaoyang–Hengyang railway is a railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of ...
. The
Hengyang Metro Hengyang Metro (), officially Hengyang Rail Transit, is a planned monorail rapid transit system in Hengyang, Hunan, China. Once completed, the system is scheduled to comprise six lines and have a total length of 158 km. History A rapid trans ...
is a planned
monorail A monorail (from "mono", meaning "one", and "rail") is a railway in which the track consists of a single rail or a beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurately, ...
rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
system. Opened in 2014, the city is served by
Hengyang Nanyue Airport Hengyang Nanyue Airport is an airport serving the city of Hengyang in Hunan province, China. Located in Yunji Town, Hengnan County, the airport is named after Mount Heng (Hunan), Mount Heng, also known as Nanyue. It replaced the old Bajialing A ...
.


References


External links

*
Official website of Hengyang Government

Hengyang Information Network
{{Authority control Cities in Hunan Prefecture-level divisions of Hunan