Xuancheng ( Chinese : 宣城 ; pinyin : Xuānchéng ; Xuanzhou Wu : Shye-san ) is a city in the southeast of Anhui province. Archeological digs suggest that the city has been settled for over 4,000 years, and has been under formal administration since the Qin dynasty. Located in the lower Yangtze River drainage basin and Yangtze River Delta , it borders Wuhu to the northwest, Chizhou to the west, Huangshan to the southwest, and the coastal provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu to the southeast and northeast respectively.
41-664: Archeological digs in Xuancheng have found pottery and stoneware indicative of the Liangzhu Culture . During the Spring and Autumn period , the area belonged to the State of Wu , although, upon the decline of Wu , the area was also ruled by the State of Chu and the State of Yue , respectively. Under the Qin dynasty , the area was administered as Zhang Commandery ( Chinese : 鄣郡 ), which became
82-513: A target of increasing its population to about 1.42 billion by 2020, from 1.34 billion in 2010 . After the relaxation of the one-child policy, 17.9 million babies were born in 2016, an increase of 1.3 million over the previous year, but only half of what was expected. In 2017, the birth rate fell to 17.2 million, far below the official forecast of more than 20 million. It is possible that the Chinese government will further relax its fertility policy in
123-554: Is a city with 2,000 years of history and cultural relics. It has a profound cultural heritage and rich tourism resources. There are many scenic areas, such as the Anhui Research Center for Chinese Alligator Reproduction (ARCCAR), which is a large captive breeding base for the endangered Chinese alligator ( Alligator sinensis ). There are also four unique scenes – Taiji Cave , Peach Blossom Pool, Jing Ting Mountain , Zhangshan Canyon . Other attractions include cultural sites of
164-749: Is also located within Xuancheng. 59.34% of the city's area is forested . The city has a subtropical humid monsoon climate , with four distinct seasons and abundant precipitation. Of the four seasons, summer is the longest. Its annual average temperature falls round 15.6C (60.1F). Most of the rainfall occurs in summer. The plum rain season lasts from mid-June to early July. Xuancheng City administers seven county-level divisions , including one district , two county-level cities and five counties . These are further divided into 115 township-level divisions , including 61 towns , 44 townships and ten subdistricts . In Xuancheng, Jianghuai Mandarin and Wu Chinese are spoken as well as Standard Mandarin . Xuancheng
205-492: Is also said to have had a lasting influence on ritual objects in later periods of Chinese culture. The Liangzhu "ancient city" or Liangzhu site-complex controlled the best jade products, but less important centers also produced elite crafts, which lead researchers to believe the Liangzhu culture was not a simple pyramid structure society in terms of status levels. Many minor centers had access to their own jade ( nephrite ). However,
246-573: Is credited with bringing down most of the first generation of human civilizations, including those in the Indus valley , Old Kingdom Egypt , and the Akkadian Empire in Sumeria . The culture possessed advanced agriculture , including irrigation , paddy rice cultivation and aquaculture . Houses were often constructed on stilts , on rivers or shorelines. A new discovery of ancient city wall base relics
287-414: Is known for its production of high quality Xuan paper ( simplified Chinese : 宣纸 ; traditional Chinese : 宣紙 ), Xuan writing brushes ( simplified Chinese : 宣笔 ; traditional Chinese : 宣筆 ), and Xuan ink stones ( simplified Chinese : 宣砚 ; traditional Chinese : 宣硯 ), all of which are used in traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting. These products make up a large proportion of
328-851: Is on the rise. The Ningguo Stadium is located in the city. The 12,000-capacity stadium is used mainly for association football matches. Its population was 2,500,063 as of 2020 Chinese census whom 774,332 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of Xuanzhou District. The city is home to 45 ethnic minorities , whose population totals about 13,000 people. Xuancheng administers one ethnic township : Yunti She Ethnic Township [ zh ] . Xuancheng also administers two ethnic villages : Hucun Hui Ethnic Village ( Chinese : 胡村回族村 ) in Shencun [ zh ] , Xuanzhou District , and Qianqiu She Ethnic Village ( Chinese : 千秋畲族村 ) in Yunti She Ethnic Township, Ningguo . As of 2020,
369-412: Is said to be the largest city during this time period. Its interior area is 290 hectares, surrounded by clay walls which had six city gates. Two gates were located in the north, east and south walls. At its center was a palace site that spanned 30 hectares and there was also evidence of an artificial flood protection design implemented within the city. Both of these constructions are said to be indicators of
410-652: Is said to have been settled and developed with a specific purpose in mind since this area has very few remains that can be traced back to earlier periods. A typical Liangzhu community, of which there are over 300 found so far, chose to live near rivers. There have been boats and oars recovered which indicate proficiency with boats and watercraft. A Liangzhu site has provided the remains of a wooden pier and an embankment thought to have been used for protection against floods. Houses were raised on wood also to help against flooding, although houses on higher ground included semi-subterranean houses with thatched roofs. Well technology at
451-433: Is the earliest known use of diamond tools worldwide, thousands of years earlier than the gem is known to have been used elsewhere. The researchers also note that this is the only prehistoric culture known to work sapphire. The jade from this culture is characterized by finely worked large ritual jades, commonly incised with the taotie motif. The most exemplary artifacts from the culture were its cong (cylinders), with
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#1732849028038492-532: The Financial Times reported that according to some sources who know the data of the seventh census, Chinese population in 2020 did not meet 1.4 billion. Chinese state media say that Chinese mainland population in 2019 was 1.40005 billion. If true, this would indicate the first population decline since the Great Leap Forward . On April 28, 2021, Bloomberg News , quoting the Chinese state media outlet
533-537: The Global Times , reported that it is unlikely there would be a drop in the total population in the 2020 census, citing a comment by Lu Jiehua, a professor at Peking University . Still, it was reported that China's population may peak in 2022, which is much earlier than previously estimated. In May 2021, the National Bureau of Statistics of China released a report revising the data for the previous 10 years before
574-473: The 2020 Chinese Census , was the seventh national census conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China . Census work began on November 1, 2020, and continued through December 10, 2020, involving seven million census workers. The 2020 Chinese census covers all Chinese citizens living in mainland China , as well as those living abroad on temporary visas. Foreigners who live in
615-662: The Danyang Commandery [ zh ] in 109 BCE, under the Western Han dynasty . During the Danyang Commandery, Wanling ( Chinese : 宛陵 , presently Xuanzhou District , the site of the Xuancheng Municipal Government) served as the administrative center. Xuanzhou has been the political, economic and cultural center of administration since then. In 281 CE, Xuancheng Commandery [ zh ]
656-555: The Hong Kong SAR Government at the end of 2020) and Macau's population was 683,218 (provided by the Macau SAR Government at the end of 2020). According to the census, China has 1,430,695 immigrants, dividing between 845,697 foreign nationals and 584,998 residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. In October 2015, China scrapped the one-child policy in the hope of boosting the number of births. In 2016, China set
697-636: The Miaoqian site during this period was similar to that of the earlier Hemudu period. The Liangzhu culture is said to have been more socially developed and complex than northern contemporaries in the Han Valley. The inhabitants of Liangzhu sites used artifact designs of "bent knee" shaped adze handles, stone untangled adzes, art styles emphasizing the use of spirals and circles, cord-marking of pottery, pottery pedestals with cut-out decorations, baked clay spindle whorls, slate reaping knives and spear points. Pottery
738-734: The New Fourth Army , the Ancestral Hall of the Hu Family in Jixi (the former residence of Hu Shih ), the Jiang's Village in Jingde, and so on. Since reform and opening up, the city has achieved a lot of progress and is accelerating the development of municipal services, transport, tourism and other infrastructural facilities. Xuancheng is a city with pleasant environments of living, enterprising, and sightseeing which
779-757: The cong and bi jades recovered, and by far the best in quality, are from Liangzhu sites. Jade artifacts unearthed from Liangzhu sites are said to have been influential on the development of other neolithic cultures in China: "The impactful legacy of Liangzhu Culture is seen in Longshan in Shandong, Taosi in Shanxi, Qijia in Ganqing and many other sites in northern Shaanxi, where cong tubes, bi disks and other jade objects reminiscent of Liangzhu Culture have been unearthed." Liangzhu jade work
820-454: The Liangzhu elites at the ancient city communicated and exchanged goods with elites from other parts of the Liangzhu world (and also in other regions of Longshan-era China) and set the criteria of what jade should look like. The Liangzhu did not seem to be importers of jade, even though they did export it extensively. A neolithic altar from the Liangzhu culture, excavated at Yaoshan in Zhejiang
861-528: The Yangtze River plume and thus impeded human habitation and rice farming. Massive flooding and inundation due to poor drainage in the low-lying land may have forced the Liangzhu people to abandon their capital city and dwellings in the Taihu Plain, ultimately leading to the collapse of the entire Liangzhu civilization." This may have all occurred during, or in the century leading up to the global drought that
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#1732849028038902-486: The black "eggshell" pottery. It was determined that the black color of the pottery resulted from similar advancements in carburization and firing processes. Similarities between Liangchengzhen, the largest Dawenkou site, pottery making process and that of the Liangzhu were noted, which led researchers to believe there was communication between the two cultures. The Guangfulin site showed influence from more northern cultures but also had pottery practices very similar to that of
943-543: The city's gross domestic product is estimated at ¥160.75 billion, its inflation rate was 2.4%, and its urban unemployment rate was 2.7%. Total consumer retail sales in 2020 reached ¥62.66 billion, and foreign trade totaled ¥13.44 billion. Xuancheng's per capita disposable income is ¥30,746 as of 2020, and stood at ¥42,134 for urban residents, and ¥18,928 for rural residents. Xuancheng's major industrial products include beverages , cloth, concrete, electronics components , fertilizer , paper and cardboard. Xuancheng
984-587: The city's exports. Xuancheng is served by the Anhui–Jiangxi Railway and Beijing–Taipei High-Speed Rail Corridor . Liangzhu culture The Liangzhu ( / ˈ l j ɑː ŋ ˈ dʒ uː / ) culture or civilization (3300–2300 BC) was the last Chinese Neolithic jade culture in the Yangtze River Delta . The culture was highly stratified, as jade, silk , ivory and lacquer artifacts were found exclusively in elite burials, while pottery
1025-402: The demise of the Liangzhu culture was brought about by extreme environmental changes such as floods, as the cultural layers are usually interrupted by muddy or marshy and sandy–gravelly layers with buried paleo trees. An alternative scenario proposes that extremely heavy monsoon rains during this period resulted in massive flooding which destroyed dams and the culture's settlements. This theory
1066-523: The future. On November 2, 2020, Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping answered census workers' questions in Beijing . The 2020 census showed that the gender ratio of mainland China has improved, with the male-to-female ratio reaching a new record low of 105.07. This is the most balanced gender ration since the People's Republic of China began conducting censuses in 1953. On April 27, 2021,
1107-521: The largest discovered weighing 3.5 kg. Bi (discs) and Yue axes (ceremonial axes) were also found. Jade pendants were also found, designed with engraved representations of small birds, turtles and fish. Many Liangzhu jade artefacts had a white milky bone-like aspect due to its tremolite rock origin and influence of water-based fluids at the burial sites, although jade made from actinolite and serpentine were also commonly found. Most of Liangzhu's contemporaries have some jades, but 90 per cent of all
1148-408: The mainland for more than six months are also recorded in the data. The preliminary results were released on May 11, 2021, with a news conference being held on the same day. The release was originally planned to be in early April, but was delayed by a month. The population of mainland China was 1,411,778,724 as of 1 November 2020. In addition, Hong Kong's population was 7,474,200 (provided by
1189-450: The north various dam-like sites were found and are speculated to be an ancient flood protection system. Also discovered inside and outside the city are a large number of utensils for production, living, military and ritual purposes represented by numerous delicate Liangzhu jade wares of cultural profoundness; the remains including city walls, foundations of large structures, tombs, altars, residences, docks and workshops. The Liangzhu city-site
1230-459: The social complexity developing in Liangzhu at the time. A granary may have been in place containing up to 15,000 kg of rice grain. There are numerous waterway entrances both inside and outside of the city, linking it to the river networks. Inside the city were artificial earth mounds and natural hills. Outside of the walled area, remains are found for 700 hectares, the residences are said to be built in an urban planning system. 8 kilometers to
1271-404: The typical Liangzhu sites. Researchers have found that some of the axes at Liangzhu sites were crafted using diamond tools. The inhabitants of Liangzhu, using these tools, worked corundum into ceremonial axes. The axes were said to "have been polished to a mirrorlike luster". The techniques they used generated results that are said to be difficult to replicate even with modern technology. This
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1312-469: Was absent in other Liangzhu culture sites inland. The authors of the study suggest that this may be evidence of two different human migration routes during the peopling of Eastern Asia, one coastal and the other inland, with little genetic flow between them. 2020 Chinese census The Seventh National Population Census of the People's Republic of China ( Chinese : 第七次全国人口普查 ; pinyin : Dì Qī Cì Quánguó Rénkǒu Pǔchá ), also referred to as
1353-480: Was announced by the Zhejiang provincial government on November 29, 2007. It was concluded that the site was the center of the Liangzhu culture. A new Liangzhu Culture Museum was completed in 2008 and opened late in the year. The Liangzhu Ancient City is located in a wetland environment on the plain of river networks between Daxiong Mountain and Dazhe Mountain of the Tianmu Mountain Range. This ancient city
1394-533: Was backed by a study in 2021, suggesting that a decades-long period of high precipitation (between 4345 ± 32 years and 4324 ± 30 years B.P. ), probably caused by increased frequency of El Niño–Southern Oscillation conditions, coincided with the disappearance of the culture. The researchers stated that "massive rainfall in the entire middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River Valley might have induced fluvial flooding and/or overbank marine flooding transported by
1435-403: Was elaborate, made of carefully positioned piles of stones and rock walls: this implies that religion was of considerable importance. The altar has three levels, the highest being a platform of rammed earth . Three additional platforms were paved with cobblestones. There are the remains of a stone wall. On the altar are twelve graves in two rows. Some scholars claim that ritual sacrifice of slaves
1476-507: Was established. Xuancheng became a prefecture-level city in 2000. Its terrain is varied and complicated, basically sloping downward from the south to the north. Its landform can be approximately divided into five types: mountain , hill , valley and basin , hillock and plain . The south and southeast regions belong to ranges of Tianmu Mountain , while the southwest and west regions are respectively parts of ranges of Mt. Huangshan and Mt. Jiuhua . Qingliang Peak [ zh ]
1517-541: Was extremely influential and its sphere of influence reached as far north as Shanxi and as far south as Guangdong . The primary Liangzhu site was perhaps among the oldest Neolithic sites in East Asia that would be considered a state society. The type site at Liangzhu was discovered in Yuhang County , Zhejiang and initially excavated by Shi Xingeng in 1936. On 6 July 2019, the archaeological ruins of Liangzhu City
1558-460: Was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site . The Liangzhu culture flourished around 2500 BC, but disappeared from the Taihu Lake area after around 2300 BC. Almost no traces of the culture were found from the following years in this area. Recent research has shown that rising waters interrupted the development of human settlements several times in this area. This led researchers to conclude
1599-422: Was more commonly found in the burial plots of poorer individuals. This division of class indicates that the Liangzhu period was an early state, symbolized by the clear distinction drawn between social classes in funeral structures. A pan-regional urban center had emerged at the Liangzhu site in northwestern Hangzhou , Zhejiang , and elite groups from this site presided over the local centers. The Liangzhu culture
1640-558: Was often decorated with a red slip. These artifacts are also common in later neolithic Southeast Asia and the technological and economic toolkits of these societies possibly developed in the neolithic Yangtze River area. Some of the Liangzhu pottery is reminiscent of the Shandong Longshan black "eggshell" style, however most differed and were a soft-fired gray with a black or red slip. There has also been evidence of tremolite particles being used as an ingredient for crafting some of
1681-574: Was part of the Liangzhu tradition. A 2007 analysis of the DNA recovered from human remains in archeological sites of prehistoric peoples along the Yangtze River shows high frequencies of Haplogroup O1-M119 (Y-DNA) at Liangzhu culture sites of Maqiao and Xindili, linking them to the Austronesian and Kra–Dai peoples. The Liangzhu culture existed in coastal areas around the mouth of the Yangtze. Haplogroup O1-M119