Anqing

Anqing (, also Yicheng, Nganking and formerly Hwaining, now the name of Huaining County) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Anhui province, People's Republic of China. Its population was 4,165,284 as of the 2020 census, with 728,501 living in the built-up (or metro) area made up of three urban districts. Anqing is famous as the birthplace of Chen Duxiu, one of the founding fathers of the Chinese Communist Party, who served as the first General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party from 1921 to 1928. Huangmei opera, a renowned Chinese opera style, originated in the city of Anqing. This captivating art form gained immense popularity since the 1950s, largely attributed to the exceptional talents of local actors and actresses from Anqing. Huangmei opera is a significant cultural treasure that defines the rich heritage of the city of Anqing.

Etymology During the Song dynasty, the Eight Counties of Anqing were known as Shuzhou, along with the ancestral name of Tong'an, and were under the jurisdiction of the Deqing Army. In 1147, the Deqing Army was renamed, combining the last characters of Tong'an and Deqing to create Anqing, naming the army and later the settlement. Anqing itself means "peaceful and auspicious'. Anqing's other name of "Yicheng" was named by the Eastern Jin scholar Guo Pu, describing the location of Anqing as "suitable for a city."

History Prehistory The region around Anqing contains many Neolithic cultural sites, including the Zhangsidun site, the Xuejiagang site, and the Sunjiacheng site.

Early Imperial Period

In the Warring States period, the Zhou emperor granted Qianshan County to the state of Tong, which itself was formerly in Henan. The city of Tongcheng was established around the same time.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, the town of Wancheng existed in modern-day Qianshan County, and following the unification of China by Qin Shi Huang, it belonged to Jiujiang Prefecture, before being transferred to Huainan State during the Western Han. In 164 BC, Huainan was divided into Huainan, Hengshan, and Lujiang. Later, Lujiang Prefecture would absorb Hengshan. Under the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the region around Anqing came under the jurisdiction of Shu County and Wan County of Lujiang and Yangzhou Prefecture until the Eastern Han. During the Three Kingdoms period, the states of Cao Wei and Eastern Wu fought many times in Anqing. During this period, Shu County was abolished and came under Wan County. Following the conquest of Eastern Wu by the Western Jin, Shu County was reestablished, and in 313, the Wan County was abolished.

During the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern dynasties periods, the towns of Mengcheng and Wankoucheng were built near Anqing, and the town of Shankou was built in what is now Daguan District. During the Eastern Jin, between 405 and 418, Huaining County and Xinye County (now Wangjiang County) were established in place of Wan County, along with Jinxi Prefecture, located near present-day Taihu County. The seat of Huaining County was Qianshan during this period.

During the Liang dynasty, the prefecture of Yuzhou was founded and renamed Jinzhou, governing Huaining County. During the Northern Qi, Jinzhou was renamed Jiangzhou before being reverted to Jinzhou during the Chen dynasty.

At the beginning of the Sui dynasty, Jinxi Prefecture was renamed to Xizhou, which at the time governed five counties: Huaining, Susong, Taihu, Wangjiang, and Tong'an. In 607, Xizhou was renamed Tong'an, but the county seat remained in Huaining. In 626, Tong'an was renamed Dong'an and then Shuzhou. In 742, it was renamed Tong'an again, and then renamed Shengtang in 757, along with a moving of the county seat to Tongcheng. It was then finally renamed Shuzhou the following year.

Tang and Song Dynasties

During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, Shuzhou would belong to Yang Wu, Southern Tang, and Later Zhou. In 960, the Tuanlian Prefecture of Shuzhou was promoted to defense envoy, and in 1115, the Deqing Army was established. Following the renaming of the Deqing Army to Anqing in 1147 due to name complications with a different Deqing Prefecture, the county was named Anqing. In 1195, it was promoted to prefecture status with its seat in Qianshan, governing Huaining, Tongcheng, Taihu, Susong, and Wangjiang counties.

In April 1217, the Jurchen Jin army invaded and took over the city of Guangzhou (now Huangchuan in Henan). The prefect of Anqing, Huang Gan, petitioned to build a new city in Shengtang Bay, the current location of the Anqing urban area in preparation for war. The seat of Anqing prefecture was also moved to the new Anqing city. The seat of Huaining County was also moved to Wankou (now in Daguan District).

Following the reduction of the Jin threat, the construction of new Anqing would be on and off. Following the invasion of China by the Mongols, the seat of Anqing was moved south to Guichi District, now in Chizhou, and later to Yangchazhou. For the next 30 years, Anqing would slowly fall into ruins before being rebuilt by Ma Guangzu ; 1200–1270) in 1260. In 1276, Anqing would become governed again by Huaining County, itself belonging to the Qihuang Xuanwei Division. In 1286, Xuanwei was abolished and placed directly under the Henan province. In 1323, Qianshan County was reestablished. Since then, the territory of Huaining County remained relatively stable, with Anqing governing six counties, Huaining, Tongcheng, Taihu, Susong, and Wangjiang, and Qianshan. Following the beginning of the Red Turban Rebellion, the Yuan army would rely on Anqing as a barrier to keep the rebels in.

Yuan and Ming Dynasties In 1361, Anqing was renamed Ningjiang, before being renamed again back to Anqing. In the early Ming dynasty, Anqing was directly under the jurisdiction of Jiangning, then named Nanzhili. During the 15th century, Anqing contained 10 wards in the urban region. In the late Ming dynasty, in order to strengthen Anqing, the court separated Anqing, Luzhou, Chizhou, and Taiping from the 10 prefectures and set up a governor. In addition to these, jurisdiction also included Guangshan and Gushi in Guangzhou (now Huangchuan) in Henan, Guangji and Huangmei in Qizhou (now Qichun County in Hubei, in Huanggang and Hukou in Dehua (now Jiujiang) in Jiangxi.

Early Qing Period In 1648, the governor of Anqing moved to Chizhou and was merged with Caojiang county to create Caofu the next year. Caojiang was first stationed in Jiangning before being moved to Anqing. In 1662, the military affairs of Caojiang were merged with the Viceroy of Liangjiang, and a special governor was placed in Anqing. In the early Qing dynasty, Anqing Prefecture was under the jurisdiction of Jiangnan Province, but in 1661 the province's administrative offices were divided, and in 1667 the western office was renamed Anhui. In 1760, the seat of Anhui was moved from Jiangning to Anqing, and from then Anqing would be the provincial capital of Anhui.

Late Qing Period

Anqing played an important role during the Taiping Rebellion. In 1853, the Taiping Army captured Anqing, leading to the moving of the capital of Anhui to Luzhou. In 1861, the Hunan Army led by Zeng Guofan, recaptured Anqing, killing thousands of soldiers and civilians. The office of the government was moved back to Anqing in 1862, and the headquarters of the Hunan Army temporarily relocated there as well.

Taiping Reforms were most present in the vicinity of Anqing. Following its recapture by the Qing government, many flour mills, granaries, and munition factories were established there. From 1861 onward they were under Chinese management, but due to the lack of skilled technicians, the factories were shut down.

Following the Chefoo Convention in 1876 between China and the United Kingdom, Anqing became a port of call for foreign shipping. Following the Mackay Treaty in 1902, it was also opened to foreign trade. However, not much trade occurred due to a lack of communications between Anqing and other regions. When railroads to the interior of Anhui reached the Yangtze River further east, Anqing lost even more importance.

Modern Period Following the establishment of the Republic of China, the Tongmenghui would control Anqing. In January 1938, the Empire of Japan captured Anqing, leading to the provincial government's move to Lu'an, Jinzhai, and other places in advance.

In 1988, the Anqing Prefecture was merged with Anqing City, and in 1996, Tongcheng County was elevated to a county level city as well. In 2016, Congyang County was transferred to Tongling and renamed Zongyang County, and Qianshan County was elevated to a county level city in 2018.

Anqing has remained a medium-sized provincial city, an important commercial centre for the plain north of the Yangtze, and a market for tea produced in the mountains both north and south of the river. While also a local cultural centre, it has remained comparatively stagnant after losing its status as provincial capital. Its modern industrial development includes a petrochemical works that produces fuel oils and synthetic ammonia, an oil refinery, and a new port. Factories manufacturing auto parts, textiles, and building materials have also been established. In addition to its access to easy navigation on the Yangtze, Anqing is connected by railways and expressways to Hefei, Nanchang, and Wuhan. These transportation links have greatly facilitated the city's economic growth.

Culture The people of Anqing have a unique dialect that mixed with the Gan Chinese, Wu Chinese and Lower Yangtze Mandarin. The dialect of Gan spoken in Anqing is known as Huaiyue. It is therefore quite different from the rest of the province, which is predominantly Huizhou-speaking. Huangmei Opera is performed in the local dialect.Yan, Margaret Mian (2006). Introduction to Chinese Dialectology. LINCOM Europa. p. 148. .Kurpaska, Maria (2010). Chinese Language(s): A Look Through the Prism of "The Great Dictionary of Modern Chinese Dialects". Walter de Gruyter. p. 70. .

The early presence of actors from Anqing in the world of Peking opera (Beijing Opera) has significantly impacted the development of this renowned Chinese theatrical art form. This influence is evident in various aspects, including language accents and cultural nuances within Peking Opera.

Administration The prefecture-level city of Anqing administers 10 county-level divisions, including 3 districts, 2 county-level cities and 5 counties.

Administrative divisions of AnqingDivision codeDivisionArea in km2Population 2020SeatPostal codeSubdivisionsSubdistrictsTownsTownships 340800 Anqing13,486.6 4,165,284 Yixiu District246000 340802 Yingjiang206.9 278,700 Yicheng Road Subdistrict 246000613 340803 Daguan203.9 214,112 Dekuan Road Subdistrict 246000714 340811 Yixiu410.3 311,700 Daqiao Subdistrict 246000 232 340822 Huaining1,276 496,683 Gaohe Town 246100  155 340824 Qianshan1,686.03 441,224 Meicheng Town 246300 116 340825 Taihu2,040 430,465 Jinxi Town 246400  10 6 340826 Susong2,394 612,586 Fuyu Town 246500  9 15 340827 Wangjiang1,347.98 462,367 Huayang Town246200 82 340828 Yuexi2,398 323,837 Tiantang Town 246600  1410 340881 Tongcheng1,472 593,629 Wenchang Subdistrict 231400 312 

Geography

Anqing's geographical location has had considerable strategic significance. Zeng Guofan once stated that "the success or failure of Anqing will determine whether the world will change. Anqing is related to the overall situation in Huainan and is the basis for the recovery of Nanjing."