Yang County, or Yangxian (), is a county in

Hanzhong Hanzhong (; abbreviation: Han) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shaanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Sichuan to the south and Gansu to the west. The founder of the Han dynasty, Liu Bang, was once enfeoffed as ...

Shaanxi Province Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), ...

, China. The county spans an area of , and has a population of about 445,000. Yang County lies within the Shaanan region, on the easternmost portion of the

Hanzhong Basin Hanzhong Basin or Hanzhong Pendi (), reputed to be "a land of fish and rice", is a geographic region located in the southern Shaanxi. Hanzhong Basin is a large-scale Cenozoic faulted basin, and an important agricultural area of southern Shaanx ...

, bordered by the

Daba Mountains The Daba Mountains, also known by their Chinese name as the Dabashan, are a mountain range in Central China between the watersheds of the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. Part of the larger Qinling mountain range, it cuts through four provinces: Si ...

to the south, and the

Qin Mountains The Qinling () or Qin Mountains, formerly known as the Nanshan ("Southern Mountains"), are a major east–west mountain range in southern Shaanxi Province, China. The mountains mark the divide between the drainage basins of the Yangtze and Yellow ...

to the north.

History

The area of present-day Yang County has been inhabited for approximately 7,000 years, since the

Neolithic period The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

. The area belonged to the

Liang dynasty The Liang dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Liang () in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the third of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. It was preceded by the South ...

. Prior to being annexed into the Jin dynasty, the area was organized as Chenggu County (). During the Jin dynasty, the area was organized as Xingdao County () and Huangjin County (). Upon the establishment of the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

in 758CE, it became the seat of Yang Prefecture (). In 1370, under 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 ...

, the area was re-organized as Yang County (). In 1913, under Republican China, the area was placed under (). In 1928, Hanzhong Circuit was abolished and the area was governed directly by

officials. Beginning in August 1931, groups loyal to the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Ci ...

began organizing in the area. On December 4, 1949, these groups coordinated with the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the China, People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five Military branch, service branches: the People's ...

to take control of the area. On December 14, the Yang County People's Government was established to formally govern the area. Between the county's re-establishment in December 1949 and September 1961, it was re-organized eight times. Since then, Yang County has not been re-organized, and has remained under the jurisdiction of

. A number of major historical figures in Chinese history, including

Du Fu Du Fu (; 712–770) was a Tang dynasty poet and politician. Along with his elder contemporary and friend Li Bai (Li Po), he is frequently called the greatest of the Chinese poets.Ebrey, 103. His greatest ambition was to serve his country ...

Bai Juyi Bai Juyi (also Bo Juyi or Po Chü-i; ; 772–846), courtesy name Letian (樂天), was a renowned Chinese poet and Tang dynasty government official. Many of his poems concern his career or observations made about everyday life, including as g ...

Su Shi Su Shi (; 8 January 1037 – 24 August 1101), courtesy name Zizhan (), art name Dongpo (), was a Chinese calligrapher, essayist, gastronomer, pharmacologist, poet, politician, and travel writer during the Song dynasty. A major personality of ...

, and Wen Tong, have visited present-day Yang County.

Administrative divisions

Yang County is divided into 3 subdistricts and 15

towns 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 or ...

. These

township-level divisions The administrative divisions of China have consisted of several levels since ancient times, due to China's large population and geographical area. The constitution of China provides for three levels of government. However in practice, there ...

are then further divided into 16 residential communities and 271 administrative villages. The county's 3 subdistricts are: * Yangzhou Subdistrict () * () * () The county's 15 towns are: * () * () * () * () * () * () * () * () * () * () * () * Maoping () * () * () * ()

Geography

Yang County is located in southwestern Shaanxi Province, near

Chenggu County Chenggu County () is a county of Hanzhong, in the southwest of Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi ( ...

and

Xixiang County Xixiang County () is a county under the administration of Hanzhong City, in the southwest of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Sichuan province to the southwest. Its administrative center, Xixiang, formerly known as Hsihsiang, lies on the Muma ...

, and is part of the Shannan region. It sits in the eastern

, on the Han River. The

are to the south of the county; to the north are the

. The administrative area (prefecture) ranges in

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 ...

from 33°02′ to 33°43′N and in

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 ...

from 107°11′ to 108°33′E, and is .Profile of Yang County
Accessed 2016-04-15. The northern part of the county generally has a higher

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § ...

, while the southern part is generally lower in elevation. Yang County's lowest point, 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 lies at above sea level. The county's highest point is a mountain called Hurenpingliang (), in the Qin Mountains, which reaches above sea level in elevation.

Climate

Yang County has a humid subtropical climate, with an average annual temperature of . The highest recorded temperature in the county is , and the lowest temperature recorded in the county is . Yang County experiences an average annual precipitation of , with the highest recorded annual precipitation being , and the lowest recorded annual precipitation being . The average wind speed in the county is , with the highest recorded sustained wind speed being , and the highest recorded wind measurement being . The county experiences an average of 1752.2 hours of sunshine, and 239 frost-free days annually.

Economy

Yang County has a sizable agricultural sector, which grows 469 different types of ingredients for

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of acti ...

, such as ''

Magnolia officinalis ''Magnolia officinalis'' (commonly called houpu magnolia or magnolia-bark) is a species of ''Magnolia'' native to the mountains and valleys of China at altitudes of 300–1500 m. Identification It is a deciduous tree growing to 20 m in hei ...

'',

jujube Jujube (), sometimes jujuba, known by the scientific name ''Ziziphus jujuba'' and also called red date, Chinese date, and Chinese jujube, is a species in the genus '' Ziziphus'' in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. Description It is a smal ...

, and ''

Scutellaria baicalensis ''Scutellaria baicalensis'', with the common name Baikal skullcap or Chinese skullcap, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae. Distribution The plant is native to China, Korea, Mongolia, and Russia in the Russian Far East and Si ...

''. Other distinct agricultural products to the county include its distinct

black rice Black rice, also known as purple rice, is a range of rice types of the species ''Oryza sativa'', some of which are glutinous rice. There are several varieties of black rice available today. These include Indonesian black rice, Philippine heirl ...

, and its distinct

red rice Red rice is a variety of rice that is colored red by its anthocyanin content. It is usually eaten unpolished or partially polished, and has a red bran layer, rather than the more common pale brown. Red rice has a nutty flavor. It has the highe ...

. The county also has a number of mineral deposits. Yang County has a number of tourist sites, including the AAAA-rated Huayang Scenic Area (), and the AAA-rated Tomb of

Cai Lun Cai Lun (; courtesy name: Jingzhong (); – 121 CE), formerly romanized as Ts'ai Lun, was a Chinese eunuch court official of the Eastern Han dynasty. He is traditionally regarded as the inventor of paper and the modern papermaking process ...

Transport

Yang County is served by

Hanzhong Airport Hanzhong Chenggu Airport , or Chenggu Air Base, is a dual-use military and civil airport serving the city of Hanzhong in Shaanxi province, China. Located in Chenggu County northeast of Hanzhong, it replaced the old Hanzhong Xiguan Airport, wh ...

and the Yangpingguan–Ankang Railway. Its major roads are the

G5 Beijing–Kunming Expressway The Beijing–Kunming Expressway (), designated as G5 and commonly referred to as the Jingkun Expressway () is an expressway that connects the cities of Beijing, and Kunming, in Yunnan province. It is in length. As of 2018, the expressway has ...

, part of the National Expressway System;

China National Highway 108 China National Highway 108 (G108) is a National Highway which connects Beijing through Chengdu to Kunming. In Beijing it is known as Jingyuan Road. It leaves Beijing at Fuxingmen and heads for Yamenkou, before heading into hillier terrain and lea ...

; and Provincial Road 230. The Xi'an–Chengdu High-Speed Railway, currently under construction, is scheduled to begin operations in December 2017."China plans high speed rail link for Chengdu-Xi'an" ''A.P.''
2010-11-02

Education

Notes and references

Relative location

{{authority control County-level divisions of Shaanxi Hanzhong