Wuchuan, Guangdong
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Wuchuan is a
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 ...
in southwestern
Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
province, China. It is the easternmost
county-level division The administrative divisions of China have consisted of several levels since 1412, due to mainland China's large population and geographical area. In the People's Republic of China, the constitution provides for three levels of government. Ho ...
of 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
Zhanjiang Zhanjiang; Leizhou Min: ''Tchiàm-kōng''; previously Tsamkong or Guangzhouwan, then romanized in English as Kwangchowan or Kwangchow Wan. is a port city on the southwestern panhandle of Guangdong province in South China. The prefecture- ...
. Wuchuan covers an area of , with a population of 907,354 as of 2020.


History

Under 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 ...
, Wuchuan was a small county known as Wujiang located along the Jian River. During the
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
, Wuchuan was administered from
Gaozhou Gaozhou is a county-level city in southwestern Guangdong Province, China. Formerly the primary city in the area, it is now administered as part of the prefecture-level city of Maoming. As of the 2020 census, Gaozhou had a population of 1,328, ...
Commandery. (now a county-level city within the neighboring
Maoming Maoming, alternately romanized as Mowming, (Maoming Yue: ">ɐu22 mɪŋ21/nowiki>) is a prefecture-level city located in southwestern Guangdong province, China. Facing the South China Sea to the city's south, Maoming city borders Zhanjiang to ...
Prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...
). On May 26, 1994, the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China approved the elevation of Wuchuan County to county-level city status and placed it under the administration of Zhanjiang.


Geography

Wuchuan is located on the Jian River where it flows into the
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...
, on the eastern coast of the
Leizhou Peninsula The Leizhou Peninsula, alternately romanized as the Luichow Peninsula, is a peninsula in the southernmost part of Guangdong province in South China. As of 2015, the population of the peninsula was 5,694,245. The largest city by population and ...
. It borders Zhanjiang's Potou District to the west, Lianjiang to the southwest, Huazhou to the north, and the
Maoming Maoming, alternately romanized as Mowming, (Maoming Yue: ">ɐu22 mɪŋ21/nowiki>) is a prefecture-level city located in southwestern Guangdong province, China. Facing the South China Sea to the city's south, Maoming city borders Zhanjiang to ...
districts of Maonan and Dianbai to the east and northeast. The time zone for Wuchuan, as with all locations in the People's Republic of China, is Beijing Time (GMT +8).


Climate


Culture


Language

Three main language varieties are spoken in Wuchuan. * Baihua 白话: a
Yue Chinese Yue () is a branch of the Sinitic languages primarily spoken in Northern and southern China, Southern China, particularly in the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi (collectively known as Liangguang). The term Cantonese is often used to refer ...
dialect * Donghua 东话 (also known as Leihua 雷话): a
Southern Min Southern Min (), Minnan ( Mandarin pronunciation: ) or Banlam (), is a group of linguistically similar and historically related Chinese languages that form a branch of Min Chinese spoken in Fujian (especially the Minnan region), most of Taiwa ...
Chinese dialect spoken in Lanshi 兰石, Tanba 覃巴, and Wangcungang 王村港 * Haihua 海话 (also known as Jizhao 吉兆话): spoken on the coast In Zhanjiang's northern downtown districts, the spoken language is primarily
Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...
, while Leizhou Min is the prestige language in Mazhang District, Leizhou City, and other nearby counties. The dialect spoken in Lianjiang County is
Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka-speaking Chinese, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas, are a southern Han Chinese subgroup whose principal settlements and ancestral homes are dispersed widely across the provinces of southern China ...
. The Jianjiang drainage basin is a region where people of Han nationality and other
Baiyue The Baiyue, Hundred Yue, or simply Yue, were various ethnic groups who inhabited the regions of southern China and northern Vietnam during the 1st millennium BC and 1st millennium AD. They were known for their short hair, body tattoos, fine swo ...
ethnic groups have lived together throughout history. Local authorities subordinated to a central government of Han nationality have existed since 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 establishment of local governments such as
Luzhou Luzhou ( zh, s=泸州, p=Lúzhōu; Sichuanese Pinyin: Nu2zou1; Minjiang dialect, Luzhou dialect: ) is a prefecture-level city located in the southeast of Sichuan Province, China. It is also known as the "Liquor City" (). It was named Jiangyang () ...
and Gaozhou and their close relationships with
Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
have promoted the Hanization of the local Baiyue ethnic groups, leading to the formation of Wuchuan-Huazhou Cantonese, a dialect of Chinese.


Folk Custom


Piaose

Piaose is a significant folk art form from Guangdong province. Over time, it has largely disappeared from many areas, but it continues to be an integral part of life and culture in Wuchuan. Wuchuan Piaose holds substantial aesthetic, artistic, and humanistic value. It incorporates distinctive imagery based on its origins and composition. However, Wuchuan Piaose also faces challenges from foreign cultural influences, funding issues, publicity, and the need for artistic innovation. In July 2009, the Wuchuan Piaose team was invited to participate in the Chengdu International Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival.


Clay sculpture

Clay sculpture is considered an "original art" form, with its ancient origins reflecting its status as one of the earliest human arts. Clay sculpture not only documents folk life but also creates a vibrant artistic space. The regional and stable nature of clay sculpture art represents the values and aesthetic experiences of its people. Protecting its "cultural difference" and aesthetic diversity is crucial for the preservation and survival of contemporary clay sculpture art in China. Retrieved. 2014-12-25.


Years-cases

Years-cases are traditional activities unique to western Guangdong, centered around local deities. This festival features elaborate sacrificial ceremonies and rituals that are performed as a unified event. Years-cases consist of four main components: the gods of years-cases, the rituals, the opera, and the feast. The gods of years-cases form the core of the festival. This chapter focuses on the evolution of the gods' images, which have become increasingly complex. There are two major patterns in the changes of these images: one involves the combination of multiple gods' images, while the other features different gods within the same ritual. These changes reflect the evolving ideas and concepts of the community. The parade of gods is the most crucial part of the years-cases ritual, embodying the community's culture and beliefs. Field surveys of Beiyue village's rituals will be used as examples to examine these patterns. Further studies are planned on the secularization and commercialization of years-cases. The opera of years-cases primarily involves nighttime performances. The ritual and opera must complement each other, with actors also serving as priests. The opera allegorizes the themes of years-cases. The feast of years-cases is also a ritual, where food is symbolically consumed. This process reflects local eating habits and supports the pig and poultry industries in Wuchuan. Retrieved. 2015-01-13.


Historic locations

* Maoshan Ancient Academy: A library established 1,700 years ago by Wang Jun. It is located in Bo Pu Zhen, Wuchuan. * Xiangshan Ancient Temple: Originally built in 283, the Xiangshan Temple has been rebuilt several times. It is currently situated in Popu, Wuchuan.


Famous persons

* Lin Shaotang (1786–1872), an ethnic Putianese from Wu Yang Zhen, was one of the champions of the Imperial Examination. He was one of the few overseas ethnic Putian Min champions. *
Chen Lanbin Chen Lanbin (; 1816–1895), courtesy name Li Qiu (), was a Chinese politician and diplomat who was the first Chinese Ambassador to the United States during the Qing dynasty. Born in Wuchuan City, Guangdong, he passed the Chinese imperial exam ...
(1816–1895) was a minister and scholar of the late Qing dynasty, born in Huang Po Zhen. He was the first Chinese ambassador to the United States. * Li Hanhun (1894–1987) graduated from Baoding Army Officer School in 1919. In 1926, he participated in the
Northern Expedition The Northern Expedition was a military campaign launched by the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Kuomintang (KMT) against the Beiyang government and other regional warlords in 1926. The purpose of the campaign was to reunify China prop ...
. During the
Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...
, he served as an army colonel, commander of an Army Group, and chairman of the Guangdong provincial government. * Liu Huaqiu (1939–) is the deputy director of the Center for International Economic Exchanges. * Yu Yilong (1965–) is a renowned Chinese hard pen
calligrapher Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an exp ...
. * Liang Wenfeng (1985–) Chinese entrepreneur and businessman who is the co-founder of the quantitative hedge fund High-Flyer, as well as the founder and CEO of its
artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...
company DeepSeek.


Education

As of 2013, Wuchuan has 468 schools at all levels, including 1 teacher training school, 11 middle schools, and 296 primary schools. The total student enrollment is 206,202, comprising 97,778 high school students, 77,179 primary school students, and a number of nursery school students. * Wuchuan No. 1 Middle School: Founded on November 11, 1927, Wuchuan No. 1 Middle School is the most renowned school in Wuchuan. Each year, approximately 3,000 students graduate from this school, and many of them gain admission to prestigious universities. * Wuchuan No. 3 Middle School: Established in 1964, Wuchuan No. 3 Middle School has developed rapidly and is considered one of the top middle schools in Wuchuan.


Notes


References


External links


七律·读清代名臣陈兰彬生平事迹感怀四首(之四)
(in Chinese).
Zhanjiang China – Cairns Regional Council.
{{Authority control County-level cities in Guangdong Zhanjiang