Weifang () is 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 China' ...
in central
Shandong
Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region.
Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...
province,
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. The city borders
Dongying
Dongying (), a prefecture-level city, lies on the northern (Bohai Sea) coast of Shandong province, People's Republic of China. As of the 2020 census, 2,193,518 people resided within its administrative area of and 1,188,656 in the built-up area ...
to the northwest,
Zibo
Zibo (, ) is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, China. It borders the provincial capital Jinan to the west, Tai'an to the southwest, Linyi to the south, Weifang to the east, Dongying to the northeast, and Binzhou to the nor ...
to the west,
Linyi
Linyi () is a prefecture-level city in the south of Shandong province, China. As of 2011, Linyi is the largest prefecture-level city in Shandong, both by area and population, Linyi borders Rizhao to the east, Weifang to the northeast, Zibo t ...
to the southwest,
Rizhao
Rizhao (), alternatively romanized as Jihchao, is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Shandong province, China. It is situated on the coastline along the Yellow Sea, and features a major seaport. It borders Qingdao to the northeast, Weifang t ...
to the south,
Qingdao
Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means " azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Belt ...
to the east, and looks out to the
Laizhou Bay
Laizhou Bay () is a bay on the southern shore of the Bohai Sea (also known as the ''Bohai Gulf'', or just ''Bo Hai'', which is a large and relatively shallow westward extension of the northern Yellow Sea), bounded by the northwestern coastline of ...
to the north. Its population was 9,386,705 at the 2020 census, of whom 3,095,520 lived in the built-up (''or metro'') area made up of four urban districts (''Kuiwen, Weicheng, Hanting and Fangzi'') and Changle County largely being urbanized.
Weifang has numerous natural and historic sites, such as Shihu Garden (from the Late Ming and early
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 ...
), Fangong Pavilion (from the
Song Dynasty
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 ...
), fossil sites (including dinosaur
fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
s, in Shanwang,
Linqu), Mount Yi National Forest Park, Mount Qingyun and the
Old Dragon Spring
Old or OLD may refer to:
Places
*Old, Baranya, Hungary
*Old, Northamptonshire, England
*Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD)
*OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...
. Painted New Year
woodcut
Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...
s from
Yangjiabu are also well known. The city is served by
Weifang Nanyuan Airport
Weifang Nanyuan Airport is an airport in Weifang, Shandong, People’s Republic of China .
Airlines and destinations
...
to various cities across China.
History
In 750 BC King Weijazhung declared Weifang as his capital. His son Liefangxa grew Weifang to 600 people. In 100 BC Weifang grew to 10,000.
By 1950 Weifang's population was 1,000,000 and by 2019 its population had skyrocketed to 10,000,000.
Administration
The
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 China' ...
of Weifang administers 12
Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China#County level, county-level divisions, including four
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 o ...
, six
county-level cities
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 ...
and two
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 ...
.
Geography and Climate
Nearby major cities include
Jinan
Jinan (), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanization of Chinese, romanized as Tsinan, is the Capital (political), capital of Shandong province in East China, Eastern China. With a population of 9.2 million, it is the second-largest city i ...
and
Zibo
Zibo (, ) is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, China. It borders the provincial capital Jinan to the west, Tai'an to the southwest, Linyi to the south, Weifang to the east, Dongying to the northeast, and Binzhou to the nor ...
to the west,
Yantai
Yantai, Postal Map Romanization, formerly romanization of Chinese, known as Chefoo, is a coastal prefecture-level city on the Shandong Peninsula in northeastern Shandong province of People's Republic of China. Lying on the southern coast of ...
to the northeast and
Qingdao
Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means " azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Belt ...
to the southeast.
Weifang 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, four-season
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(
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 ...
''Dwa''), with hot, humid summers, and cold but dry winters. Monthly daily average temperatures range from in January to in July, and the annual mean is . More than 70% of the annual precipitation occurs from June to September, and sunshine is generally abundant year-round. A majority of the annual precipitation occurs in July and August alone. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 47% in July to 62% in April, the city receives 2,536 hours of bright sunshine annually, sunshine is abundant except during the summer months.
Economy
The city is home to the large
diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...
company and factory
Weichai
Weichai Holding Group Co., Ltd. () is a Chinese state-owned enterprise specialized in the design, manufacturing and sale of diesel engines. The company operates on four different business sectors which are engines and vehicles, powertrains, luxur ...
. The village of
Yangjiabu in Hanting District is famous for folk wood-block print (nianhua) and
kite
A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. ...
production.
In the 1980s, many
sapphire
Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sapphir ...
deposits were discovered in
Changle County
Changle County () is under the administration of Weifang
Weifang () is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The city borders Dongying to the northwest, Zibo to the west, Linyi to the southwest, Riz ...
. According to released information, billions of carats of sapphire are estimated to lie under an area of . Mining here has become one of the top four sapphire producers in the world. The main feature of this sapphire is the dark blue or close to black color because of the high iron content.
Established in August 1995, the Weifang Binhai Economic & Technological Development Area (BEDA) is a national economic and technological development area approved by the State Council. Covering an area of , BEDA has a population of 100,000. BEDA possesses a large state-owned industrial land for use with an area of . BEDA has been accredited as a National Demonstration Zone invigorating the Sea by Science and Technology, National Innovation Base for Rejuvenating Trade through Science and Technology and National Demonstration Eco-Industry Park.
Military
Weifang is the headquarters of the
26th Group Army
The 80th Group Army ), formerly the 26th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Force, People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 80th Group Army is one of twelve total Group army (military unit ...
of the
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...
, one of the three group armies that comprise the
Jinan Military Region
The Jinan Military Region was a PLA Military Region located in the east of the People's Republic of China, covering the Shandong and Henan Provinces, which also formed military districts. It appears that Yang Dezhi was one of the first commander ...
responsible for defense of the Yellow River Plain.
Culture
Kite flying
Kite flying
A kite is a tethered heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create lift and drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. Kites often have a bridle and tail to guide the face ...
is a traditional custom among the people in Weifang in spring time. In 1984, the first international kite festival was held in Weifang. More than ten thousand kite fans attended the opening ceremony. People from eleven different countries and regions, including the United States and Canada, took part in the festival, flying kites. Since then, Weifang holds the
Weifang International Kite Festival
The Weifang International Kite Festival () is an annual kite-flying festival held from April 20 to 25 in Weifang, China.
Weifang, Shandong, China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the ...
each year. It is held each April.
Pictures of the 22nd Weifang Kite Festival
Painting
Annual Board of Yangjiabu (), one of the three most famous Chinese folk paintings in history, began from the end of 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 ...
. It reached the peak of its development 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 ...
. People usually replace the old Annual Broads with the new ones on the eve of Spring Festival, which is the most important festival in China, in order to give blessings to the family and friends for the following year. The subjects of Annual Board of Yangjiabu are various, which include flowers, beauties, landscapes, characters from myths and legends. The architecture skills such as concise lines and bright colors reflect the distinctive characteristics of people in Weifang.
Papercutting
Papercutting
Papercutting or paper cutting is the art of paper designs. Art has evolved all over the world to adapt to different cultural styles. One traditional distinction most styles share is that the designs are cut from a single sheet of paper as oppo ...
, the art of cutting paper designs, has a long history in the city of Gaomi. This widespread handicraft has unique styles, such as strong contrast in color, straight and simple line and exaggerated outline. The characters mostly come from the dramatic stories, flowers and birds, as well as some fantastic symbols.
Cuisine
There are three dishes representative of Weifang:
* Ji-Ya Hele () Weifang Ji-Ya Hele is said to have originated in Shanxi
Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...
province. Later on, it was brought to Weifang. The name "Hele" (), a kind of noodle, was developed from the word "Helou" (), a noodle name once used in history. Weifang Ji-Ya Hele is cooked with various ingredients, stewed with chicken and duck soup. To make delicious "Hele" Noodles, we need to put the "Hele" noodles into the pot. After it is fully boiled, chicken, duck, Sliced Meatball, salted vegetables or spicy oil is added into the noodles. In 1997, Ji-Ya Hele was honored as a "Chinese Famous Snack" by China Cuisine Association.
* Rou Huo Shao () Meat Pie is the most famous cuisine in Weifang. Weifang Meat Pie has a long history and variety. "Mirror" recorded in Han Zhao Qi people living in the North Sea (i.e. Weifang) to sell Weifang Meat pie for a living. This is an example of an earlier business written records since the Meat pIe. Whether it is in the morning or at noon, in front of the shop is always a long row waiting for the pie. The shop is generally build along the street. Bite, coke dough rattling, in a high temperature furnace after repeatedly turning roast, pork moisten the green onion, egg, chopped dried shrimps fillings inside, aroma, mouth-watering produce the feeling, entrance juicy, full taste, people aftertaste.
* Chao Tian Guo (). Chao Tian Guo is a local specialties of Weifang. This food is known as created by Zheng Banqiao
Zheng Xie (; 1693–1765), commonly known as Zheng Banqiao () was a Chinese painter from Jiangsu. He began life in poverty, but rose in the exam system to become a magistrate at Shandong. However, after 12 years, he became critical of the life of ...
in Qianlong
The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...
period of 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 ...
. The main materials of Chao Tian Guo is thin pancake, meat ball, pig offal, tofu, and soy with the soup. The merchants use a huge pot to cook these materials and the customers can sit around this pot. The reason why it called Chao Tian Guo is "Chao Tian" in Chinese means the pot has no cover and the pot is facing to the sky ("Guo" in Chinese is means pot).
Education
Weifang University and Weifang Medical University
Weifang Medical University (WMU; ) is a medical university based in Weifang, Shandong, province, in China.
History
The university was created as Shandong province's ''Changwei Medical School'' in 1951. The university was then created as the Ch ...
are universities in the city.
Notable people
*Zheng Xuan
Zheng Xuan (127– July 200), courtesy name Kangcheng (), was a Chinese philosopher, politician, and writer near the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He was born in Gaomi, Beihai Commandery (modern Weifang, Shandong), and was a student of Ma Ro ...
(127–200), Eastern Han Dynasty
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 ...
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 Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...
scholar
* Liu Yong (1719–1805), renowned 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 ...
bureaucrat
*Mo Yan
Guan Moye (; born 17 February 1955), better known by the pen name Mo Yan (, ), is a Chinese novelist and short story writer. Donald Morrison of U.S. news magazine ''TIME'' referred to him as "one of the most famous, oft-banned and widely pirate ...
(born 1955), real named Guan Moye, renowned writer, awarded Nobel Prize for Literature in 2012
*Wang Xiaoyun
Wang Xiaoyun (; born 1966) is a Chinese cryptographer, mathematician, and computer scientist. She is a professor in the Department of Mathematics and System Science of Shandong University and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Ear ...
(born 1966), cryptographer, mathematician, and computer scientist
* Sun Feifei (born 1989), fashion model
*Emperor Shun
Emperor Shun () was a legendary leader of ancient China, regarded by some sources as one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors being the last of the Five Emperors. Tradition holds that he lived sometime between 2294 and 2184 BC. Tradition a ...
of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period
The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were two groups of mythological rulers in ancient north China. The Three Sovereigns supposedly lived long before The Five Emperors, who have been assigned dates in a period from 3162 BC to 2070 BC. Today t ...
*Yan Ying
Yan may refer to:
Chinese states
* Yan (state) (11th century – 222 BC), a major state in northern China during the Zhou dynasty
* Yan (Han dynasty kingdom), first appearing in 206 BC
* Yan (Three Kingdoms kingdom), officially claimed indep ...
, 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 ...
politician
* Jia Sixie, Northern Wei Dynasty
Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei (), Tuoba Wei (), Yuan Wei () and Later Wei (), was founded by the Tuoba (Tabgach) clan of the Xianbei. The first of the Northern dynasties, it ruled northern China from 386 to 535 during the ...
agriculturist
In addition, Kong Rong
Kong Rong () (153 – 26 September 208), courtesy name Wenju, was a Chinese poet, politician, and minor warlord. who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was a 20th generation descendant of Confucius. As he was once the Chance ...
, Fan Zhongyan
Fan Zhongyan (5 September 989 – 19 June 1052) from Wu County of Suzhou (Jiangsu Province, China), courtesy name Xiwen (), ratified as the Duke of Wenzheng () posthumously, and conferred as Duke of Chu () posthumously, was a Chinese poet, po ...
, Ouyang Xiu
Ouyang Xiu (; 1007 – 1072 CE), courtesy name Yongshu, also known by his art names Zuiweng () and Liu Yi Jushi (), was a Chinese historian, calligrapher, epigrapher, essayist, poet, and politician of the Song dynasty. He was a renowned writer a ...
, Su Dongpo
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
, Zheng Banqiao
Zheng Xie (; 1693–1765), commonly known as Zheng Banqiao () was a Chinese painter from Jiangsu. He began life in poverty, but rose in the exam system to become a magistrate at Shandong. However, after 12 years, he became critical of the life of ...
, et al. have worked in Weifang historically. Examples of notable individuals from the city in more recent years include Wang Jinmei, Chen Shaomin Chen Shaomin (; 1902 – 14 December 1977) was a Chinese Communist Party politician.
At the twelfth plenary session of the 8th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in October 1968, Chen was the only delegate to not raise her hand in sup ...
, Wang Yuanjian, Wang Tongzhao
Wang may refer to:
Names
* Wang (surname) (王), a common Chinese surname
* Wāng (汪), a less common Chinese surname
* Titles in Chinese nobility
* A title in Korean nobility
* A title in Mongolian nobility
Places
* Wang River in Thailand ...
and Zang Kejia
Zang Kejia (; 8 October 1905 – 5 February 2004) was a Chinese poet.
He was born in Zhucheng, Shandong province. Zang entered the Shandong Provincial First Normal School in 1923 and later trained at the Wuhan Branch of the Central Military ...
.
References
External links
Government website of Weifang
(in Simplified Chinese)
Official website of the Weifang International Kite Festival
(in Simplified Chinese)
(in Simplified Chinese)
Weifang Medical University students website
(in Simplified Chinese)
Weifang News
(In Simplified Chinese)
Weifang Information
(In Simplified Chinese)
Weifang Binhai
(In Simplified Chinese)
Doing business in China
(In Simplified English)
{{Authority control
Cities in Shandong
Prefecture-level divisions of Shandong