Lishui (;
Lishuinese: ''li⁶ syu³'' ) is a
prefecture-level city
A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province of China, province and above a Counties of the People's Republic of China, county in China's ...
in the southwest of
Zhejiang
)
, translit_lang1_type2 =
, translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese)
, image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg
, image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains
, image_map = Zhejiang i ...
province,
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. It borders
Quzhou,
Jinhua and
Taizhou to the north,
Wenzhou
Wenzhou; Chinese postal romanization, historically known as Wenchow is a prefecture-level city in China's Zhejiang province. Wenzhou is located at the extreme southeast of Zhejiang, bordering Lishui, Zhejiang, Lishui to the west, Taizhou, Zheji ...
to the southeast, and the province of
Fujian
Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...
to the southwest. The name of the city literally means "Beautiful Waters."
History
Lishui has a very long history, for during the
Liangzhu culture period 4000 years ago, there were tribes living in the area. In 589, a prefecture called Chuzhou was established by the
Sui dynasty
The Sui dynasty ( ) was a short-lived Dynasties of China, Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 581 to 618. The re-unification of China proper under the Sui brought the Northern and Southern dynasties era to a close, ending a prolonged peri ...
with
Kuocang,
Songyang,
Linhai,
Yongjia,
Angu and
Lechen counties under its jurisdiction. Three years later, the prefecture's name was changed to
Kuozhou and then to
Yongjia County
Yongjia County (; Wenzhou dialect: yon2ko1/ yu3 ''ion ko'') is a county in Wenzhou in the southeast of Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China, located north of the city proper of Wenzhou city, which administers the county. The Nanxi River ...
in 607. The name was changed back to
Kuozhou in 621 during the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
, to
Jinyun County in the first year of the
Tianbao era
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (; 8 September 685 – 3 May 762), personal name Li Longji, was an emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 712 to 756. His reign of 44 years was the longest during the Tang dynasty. Through two palace coup ...
(742) and back to Kuozhou in the first year of
Qianyuan Era (758).
In 779, during the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
, it was renamed Lishui County. The name of the area was changed again in the year 1276 during the Yuan dynasty to Chuzhou Lu and to Annan "Fu" (prefecture) in the 19th year of
Zhizheng (1359). The name of the area was maintained as Chuzhou Fu until the
Ming and
Qing dynasties when it was changed back to Lishui. In the year 1935, the area was given the official name: Lishui Administrative Supervision District. In 1949, the Lishui Special District was established but then abolished in 1952. Later, it was re-instated in 1963 and the area was renamed as Lishui City. By the year 1997, Longquan, Qingtian, Jinyun, Yunhe, Qingyuan, Suichang, Songyang and Jingning were under the jurisdiction of Lishui, Liandu District serving as the administrative headquarters.
Administration
The
prefecture-level city
A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province of China, province and above a Counties of the People's Republic of China, county in China's ...
of Lishui currently administers one
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 county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
, one
county-level city
A county-level city () is a County-level divisions of China, county-level administrative division of the China, People's Republic of China. County-level cities have judiciary, judicial but no legislature, legislative rights over their own local or ...
, six
counties
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
and one
autonomous county
Autonomous counties () and autonomous banners () are Counties of China, county-level autonomous administrative divisions of China. Autonomous counties tend to have a large number of ethnic minority citizens compared to ordinary counties (if not ...
.
These are further divided into 64
towns, 128
townships (including 6
She Minority Townships) and 5
subdistricts.
Geography and climate
Lishui is situated in the southwest of
Zhejiang
)
, translit_lang1_type2 =
, translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese)
, image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg
, image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains
, image_map = Zhejiang i ...
province, with its administrative area covering latitude 27° 25' to 28° 57' N and longitude 118° 41' to 120° 26' E. It borders the cities of
Ningde and
Nanping (
Fujian
Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...
province) to the southwest as well as
Quzhou to the northwest,
Jinhua to the north,
Taizhou to the northeast, and
Wenzhou
Wenzhou; Chinese postal romanization, historically known as Wenchow is a prefecture-level city in China's Zhejiang province. Wenzhou is located at the extreme southeast of Zhejiang, bordering Lishui, Zhejiang, Lishui to the west, Taizhou, Zheji ...
to the southeast. The mountains of the area are part of the
Wuyi Mountains. Elevations in the city's administration increase from northeast to southwest and there are 3,573 peaks that reach an altitude of or more. The highest mountain in the province,
Huangmaojian Peak, is high and located near Lishui. Lishui City covers approximately , of which 88.42% is mountainous. The
Ou River flows through the city before emptying in the
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. China names the body of water along its eastern coast as "East Sea" (, ) due to direction, the name of "East China Sea" is otherwise ...
.
Lishui 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 Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...
-influenced
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''Cfa''), with short, mild winters (with occasional frost), and long, very hot, humid summers. The average high in July is and the average low is . The average January high is and the average low in . The highest temperature ever recorded is on July 31, 2003. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on January 16, 1967, and January 16, 1970. Autumn and early winter are the driest times of the year, while from March to June rain falls on more than half of the days. From midsummer on to autumn, typhoons occasionally strike the area.
Sports
The 19,000-capacity
Lishui Stadium is located in Lishui. Part of the seats are covered with a roof. The stadium is used mostly for association football matches and also sometimes for athletics.
Transportation and telecommunications
Lishui enjoys a convenient telecommunication and transportation network. Lishui uses
optical cables and SPCETSS (Stored Program Controlled Electronic Telephone Switching System) to provide the whole prefecture with communication services such as
telephone
A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most ...
,
fax,
telegram
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...
,
internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
, and
mobile phones. Over of paved roads and highways link every sub-county of the prefecture. These roads, together with the No.330 National Highway and
Jinhua-Wenzhou Railway, form the public transportation system of the prefecture.
Government and politics
Under the guide of the basic line of the third Plenary Session of the eleventh Party Congress, the local government of Lishui has transformed its work priority to economic development. The government put forward a policy where forestry is the top priority, combining food and livestock husbandry, multi-management, comprehensive development and enhanced the agricultural development. In 1985, the local government proposed the guideline of:
* Emancipate the mind
* Take a bold reforming attitude
* Make Lishui more efficient
* Achieve Double Development Ahead of Schedule
* Promote the Development of Commodity Economy.
In 1991, the whole area set out for the great discussion of open-mind and concept innovation, to develop along the River, to run markets along road and develop industry in town. This has played an active role in the development of the agricultural industry, market construction and township industries. From 1994 to 1995, the area set out for further discussion of the open mind, by exploring the idea of the satisfaction of primary achievement, fixing the problem of poverty, trying to fix environmental issues, enhance the awareness of various crises, competitiveness, promotion, foreign development and pragmatism.
Economy

Timber, waterpower, mineral deposit and wilderness are four major natural resources of Lishui prefecture that rank first in Zhejiang province. 69% of the prefecture is covered with forest, which gives it the name "Foliage Ocean of Zhejiang". The prefecture boasts potential waterpower of about 2 gigawatts. So far, 57 mineral reserves are proved to scatter the prefecture and 460 mines are available for exploitation. Among its most important minerals, are gold, silver, lead, zinc, molybdenum, fluorite, pearlstone, pyrophyllite, dolianite, kaoline and mineral water, whose reserves claim an important place in Zhejiang, even in China.
In the recent years, Lishui prefecture has seen a rapid development in industry. An industry structure that carries the features of mountainous area is burgeoning. Its main industries are wood and bamboo production, ore smelting, textile, clothes making, construction materials, pharmaceutical chemistry, electronic machinery and food processing.
Over 180 brand name and high quality products of the prefecture sell well both within China and in about 100 foreign countries. Among them, wooden toys, mini electronic machinery, overedger, eider down products, gold pens and quality soaps are the most welcome. The three traditional handicrafts of the prefecture, Longquan celadon, Longquan swords, and Qingtian carved stones, enjoy high popularity both at home and abroad.
A comprehensive agricultural development program is beginning to take effect. The prefecture is now a commercial base for edible fungi, Nasdaq listed
Farmmi is the main exporter, as well as dried and fresh fruit, bamboo and bamboo shoots, tea, commercial forest, oil tea, sericulture, herb medicine, vegetable and nuts. Products like
shiitake
The shiitake (; ''Chinese/black mushroom'' or ''Lentinula edodes'') is a macrofungus native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed around the globe.
Taxonomy
The fungus was first described scientifically as '' Agaricus edodes'' by ...
mushrooms, tree fungus, Huiming tea, white pond lily, day lily, sun-cured tobacco, and orange and oil tea are produced in large quantities and are well known throughout Zhejiang.
Energy production
Lishui is abundant in energy resources. With 600
hydroelectric power stations in use and 500 more still under construction, the prefecture has a total power capacity of 547 megawatts and an annual output of 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours (5.4 PJ). Every city of the prefecture has been incorporated in the east China power network, which provides a 220,000-volt vertical and a 110,000-volt inter-regional power transmission system, with a stable substation capacity of 550,000 KVA.
Tradition food
In Lishui, there are specialties such as Anren fish head, bamboo shoots and eggs, high mountain snails, braised fish, rolls and Jinyun biscuits, all of which are authentic Lishui local dishes; in 2007, the Lishui Tourism Bureau and the Lishui Catering Industry Association compiled the book "Dizhou Cuisine", which concentrates Lishui's famous dishes, including more than 50 varieties of traditional dishes such as Hibiscus lotus seeds, bamboo shoots and eggs, fried double dong, Jinyun knocking meat soup, Anren fish head and high mountain snails, more than 30 varieties of innovative dishes such as braised fish, fried cooking Zhi Zhi, chopped fish head, and more than 30 varieties of flavourful snacks such as Lishui rolls, Qingming fruit, yellow fruit and Jinyun biscuits.
Tourism
The city of Lishui has stepped up its tourism recovery and integration into the Yangtze River Delta region with a number of agreements inked in Shanghai. Under an agreement signed by the Lishui City Administration of Culture, Radio and Television, Tourism and Sports and operators of Shanghai City Tour Card on August 24, 2020, a Shanghai-Lishui annual tourism pass will be launched, enabling holders to visit major attractions in both cities at discounted prices. It takes about two hours and 20 minutes to reach Lishui from Shanghai via high-speed rail. The city has two dozen 4A- and 5A-level attractions, 2,725 villages and more than 4,300 ''minsu'' (Chinese-style B&Bs).
Lishui is well known in China for its long history and beautiful landscapes. Yan Yu Lou (misty rain tower) was built during the Northern Song dynasty (AD 960–1127). Many famous ancient poets praised the tower's beauty. Other recommendable scenic spots are Fengyangshan-Baishanzu National Natural Resort, Xiandu National Park, and Shishi Temple. Shishi Temple is a wooden structure built during the Song and Yuan dynasties (AD 960–1368). The most characteristic local dishes are Jade Mutton Roll, Shan Fen Ball, Anren Fish with beancurd, and Xian Cai Hot Pot.
See also
*
Lishui University
*
List of people from Lishui
*
She Ethnicity
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
*
For more thorough information about Lishui, there are two "Lishui Green Valley Culture" series () published by Zhejiang Ancient Books Publishing House, containing six volumes each about different topics of cultural, literary, or historical significance. The 2008 series contains the following works on Lishui:
*
*
*
*
*
*
The 2010 series contains the following works on Lishui:
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Government website of LishuiGovernment website of LishuiLishui NewsThe Lishui Page from China Pages
{{Authority control
Cities in Zhejiang
589 establishments
6th-century establishments in China
Prefecture-level divisions of Zhejiang
National Civilized City