Bengbu (Chinese: 蚌埠; pinyin: Bèngbù; Wade–Giles: Peng-pu) is a city in northern Anhui Province, China. Its population was 3,296,408 registered residents at the 2020 census. 1,968,027 lived in the built-up area made of four Bengbu urban districts and Fengyang County in Chuzhou Prefecture, largely being conurbated. Its name means "Clam Wharf" in Chinese, echoing its former reputation as a freshwater pearl fishery.

Bengbu
蚌埠市
Clockwise from top: Longzi Lake District at night, the Bengbu Convention Center, the Jingtushan Scenic Area, and Shengli road facing west.
Nickname: 
Pearl city (珠城)
Location of Bengbu City jurisdiction in Anhui
Location of Bengbu City jurisdiction in Anhui
Coordinates (Bengbu municipal government): 32°55′01″N 117°23′20″E / 32.917°N 117.389°E / 32.917; 117.389
CountryPeople's Republic of China
ProvinceAnhui
County-level divisions7
Township-level divisions74
Municipal seatLongzihu District
Government
 • MayorZhou Chunyu (周春雨)
 • Secretary of Municipal Party CommitteeChen Qitao (陈启涛)
Area
 • Prefecture-level city5,952.14 km2 (2,298.13 sq mi)
 • Urban
613.7 km2 (237.0 sq mi)
 • Metro
613.7 km2 (237.0 sq mi)
Population
 (2020 census)[1]
 • Prefecture-level city3,296,408
 • Density550/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
 • Urban
1,336,093
 • Urban density2,200/km2 (5,600/sq mi)
 • Metro
1,968,027
 • Metro density3,200/km2 (8,300/sq mi)
GDP[2]
 • Prefecture-level cityCN¥ 199.0 billion
US$ 29.3 billion
 • Per capitaCN¥ 59,963
US$ 9,295
Time zoneUTC+8 (CST)
Postal code
233000
Area code0552
ISO 3166 codeCN-AH-03
License Plate Prefix皖C
Websitewww.bengbu.gov.cn

Administration

edit

The prefecture-level city of Bengbu administers seven county-level divisions, including four districts and three counties.[3]

Map
Name Chinese Hanyu Pinyin Post Code
Longzihu District 龙子湖区 Lóngzǐhú Qū 233000
Bengshan District 蚌山区 Bèngshān Qū 233000
Yuhui District 禹会区 Yǔhuì Qū 233000
Huaishang District 淮上区 Huáishàng Qū 233000
Huaiyuan County 怀远县 Huáiyuǎn Xiàn 233400
Wuhe County 五河县 Wǔhé Xiàn 233300
Guzhen County 固镇县 Gùzhèn Xiàn 233700

These are further divided into 74 township-level divisions, including 36 towns, 19 townships and 19 subdistricts.

Geography

edit

Bengbu is located in the southeast of the North China Plain, on the Huai River. The built up urbanized area is divided into two parts: greater Bengbu on the south bank of the river and little Bengbu on the north bank. Dragon Lake is on the East side of the urbanized area. On the other side of the lake is the university district, containing four institutions of higher learning.[4]

Climate

edit

The area has a four-season humid subtropical climate with strong monsoon influences (Köppen climate classification Cwa), cool, sometimes cold, winters, and hot and humid summers. The area lies in a climatic transition zone, as it is on the Qin Ling−Huai River boundary between the climatic regimes of northern and southern China. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 2.0 °C (35.6 °F) in January to 28.1 °C (82.6 °F) in July, and the annual mean is 15.76 °C (60.4 °F). A majority of the annual precipitation occurs from June to August. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 44% in March to 56% in August, the city receives 2,168 hours of bright sunshine annually.

Climate data for Bengbu (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 21.3
(70.3)
25.7
(78.3)
30.9
(87.6)
35.2
(95.4)
37.6
(99.7)
40.7
(105.3)
40.3
(104.5)
41.3
(106.3)
38.5
(101.3)
34.4
(93.9)
29.8
(85.6)
24.3
(75.7)
41.3
(106.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 6.7
(44.1)
9.8
(49.6)
15.1
(59.2)
21.8
(71.2)
27.0
(80.6)
30.4
(86.7)
32.2
(90.0)
31.3
(88.3)
27.6
(81.7)
22.6
(72.7)
15.8
(60.4)
9.1
(48.4)
20.8
(69.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) 2.1
(35.8)
4.9
(40.8)
9.9
(49.8)
16.3
(61.3)
21.7
(71.1)
25.6
(78.1)
28.1
(82.6)
27.2
(81.0)
22.9
(73.2)
17.4
(63.3)
10.6
(51.1)
4.3
(39.7)
15.9
(60.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −1.3
(29.7)
1.1
(34.0)
5.5
(41.9)
11.4
(52.5)
16.9
(62.4)
21.5
(70.7)
24.9
(76.8)
24.1
(75.4)
19.3
(66.7)
13.2
(55.8)
6.6
(43.9)
0.6
(33.1)
12.0
(53.6)
Record low °C (°F) −19.3
(−2.7)
−19.4
(−2.9)
−9.4
(15.1)
−1.4
(29.5)
3.7
(38.7)
12.0
(53.6)
16.8
(62.2)
15.0
(59.0)
8.7
(47.7)
−0.5
(31.1)
−7.1
(19.2)
−13.3
(8.1)
−19.4
(−2.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 32.2
(1.27)
36.8
(1.45)
56.3
(2.22)
54.9
(2.16)
81.3
(3.20)
160.2
(6.31)
204.5
(8.05)
155.5
(6.12)
85.8
(3.38)
49.6
(1.95)
42.8
(1.69)
25.3
(1.00)
985.2
(38.8)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 6.6 7.8 8.2 7.9 8.7 9.2 12.8 12.1 8.0 6.9 7.3 6.1 101.6
Average snowy days 4.1 2.7 1.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.6 1.5 10.1
Average relative humidity (%) 72 71 68 67 68 71 79 81 76 71 71 71 72
Mean monthly sunshine hours 133.2 136.4 173.6 200.6 206.7 184.9 200.4 193.3 174.0 172.6 153.0 140.2 2,068.9
Percent possible sunshine 42 44 47 51 48 43 46 47 47 50 49 45 47
Source: China Meteorological Administration[5][6][7]

History

edit

In ancient times, the Dongyi peoples inhabited this area and were collectively known as the Huaiyi after the Huai River. During the late Western Zhou Period and the early Spring and Autumn period, the Dongyi became increasingly sinicized. During the late Spring and Autumn period, the once-powerful Dongyi state of Xu was pressured from all directions and destroyed through a series of wars with its neighbors, such as the Chu State and the Wu State. Another Dongyi State was the small Zhongli State, which was a part of the Huaiyi Confederation led by the State of Xu. Tombs belonging to the royalty of the Zhongli State were discovered in excavations between 2005 and 2008 near Fengyang. Eventually, the Huaiyi peoples were assimilated.

Bengbu has always been a hub of water and land communications in Anhui province, and a major distribution centre for the Huai basin.

In 1948, during the Chinese Civil War, the Communist People's Liberation Army won a decisive victory over Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist (KMT) forces near Bengbu, in the Huaihai Campaign.

Economy

edit

Industry

edit

Bengbu is now a famous food city in Anhui province. Food-related industries account for 44% of the city's industrial production. The city's other industries include engineering works, textiles, glass making, chemicals, and electronics. The light textile holds an important position in the industrial structure.

Agriculture

edit

Bengbu is teeming with oil, vegetables, meat and aquatic products. Bengbu is a large producer of peanuts. The pomegranates from Huaiyuan (a county of Bengbu), have a high reputation in China. In Wuhe (a county of Bengbu), the crabs are also famous.

Culture

edit

Pollution in the village of Qiugang, a suburb of Bengbu, was the subject of the 2010 film The Warriors of Qiugang, an 83rd Academy Awards nominee. The Bengbu Stadium is located in the city. The 15,000-capacity stadium is used mostly for football matches.

Food

edit

Bengbu cuisine, along with northern Anhui cuisine, is similar to cuisine from nearby Henan and Shandong provinces, as well as Xuzhou cuisine in northern Jiangsu province.[citation needed]

Transportation

edit
 
A China Railways DF11 diesel locomotive at Bengbu Railway Station

The city is on the Jinghu Railway, with hourly direct trains to Beijing, Shanghai and other large cities. Bengbu South Railway Station is served by the high-speed Beijing-Shanghai Railway.

Bengbu Airport, which was relocated from the city's central urban area around the turn of the 21st century, is now operated only as a military airport. A new commercial airport is under construction in the district north of the Huai river.[citation needed]

Construction on the Bengbu Metro started in 2019 and is due to be completed in 2023.[citation needed]

Colleges and universities

edit

Notable inhabitants

edit

See Category:People from Bengbu

Twinnings

edit

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "China: Ānhuī (Prefectures, Cities, Districts and Counties) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map".
  2. ^ "《安徽统计年鉴2022》电子查阅版". tjj.ah.gov.cn. Archived from the original on 2022-10-18. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
  3. ^ "蚌埠市 统计用区划代码" [Bengbu City Area code for statistical purposes]. National Bureau of Statistics (in Chinese). 2024-06-11.
  4. ^ "蚌埠城市概况" [Bengbu City Profile]. Bengbu City People's Government (in Chinese). 2023-01-18. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  5. ^ 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Experience Template" 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  7. ^ 中国地面国际交换站气候标准值月值数据集(1971-2000年). China Meteorological Administration. Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
edit