Zhucheng
Encyclopedia
Zhucheng is a county-level city
in the southeast of Shandong
province, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of Weifang
City and has a population of 1.06 million.
sent Xu Fu
sailing towards Japan
in 210 BC, in pursuit of the elixir of youth.
The Song dynasty painter Zhang Zeduan
was born in Zhucheng (which was then named Dongwu). It was also the birthplace of Mao Zedong
's last wife and leader of the Gang of Four
, Jiang Qing
. Zhao Shucong (赵树丛), vice-governor of Anhui
province, is a native of Zhucheng.
was approved by the Shandong Provincial Government in 1992. Its total area spans 25 square kilometres (9.7 sq mi). The National Highway 206
which runs through it from south to north, and the city is linked by the Jiaoxin Railway Station, which connects it to Qingdao
, 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) east, Rizhao
, 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) south, and Weifang
city, 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) north. As of 2001, industries based at the zone included food processing
, chemicals, building materials, textiles and electromechanic
al products, and 2001 annual total industrial output was 2 billion yuan, with the added industrial value of 350 million yuan. For 2001, exports were US$68.92 million, and revenue was 83.17 million yuan.
in 1987 and is administered as a provincial-level economic development
district, with jurisdiction over 20 towns (镇, zhen):
excavation since 1960. The local community is known to use calcium rich fossils for traditional village remedies used to treat muscle cramps and other minor ailments. The world's largest hadrosaurid
fossil was found in Zhucheng in the 1980s and is on display in the local museum. Scientists have collected more than 50 metric tons (55.1 ST) of fossils since 1960. The city has also been a place for smuggling of dinosaur bones; in January 2008, Australia
returned hundreds of kilograms of Chinese dinosaur fossils, including dinosaur fossil eggs. These fossils were recovered during a sting operation
carried out on warehouses and cargo containers.
of Chinese Academy of Sciences
announced they have unearthed 7,600 dinosaur
fossil
s since March 2008 around Zhucheng. The latest sites to be discovered are near the towns of Longdu, Shunwang, Jiayue and Zhigou. The palaeontologists believe they have found one of the biggest sites of dinosaur
remains from a massive excavation pit. The fossilized bones date to the late Cretaceous period just prior to the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event. The findings also include the remains of a 20 meter (66 ft) hadrosaurid
, a record size for the duck-billed dinosaur. A fossilized skull of a large ceratopsia
n was also found along with bones which belong to club-tailed ankylosaurs
.
Such a high concentration of fossil bones in such a small area is significant for the theories of extinction of dinosaurs. A detailed scientific journal on the fossils is expected to be published later in 2009. Excavations are currently suspended for the winter but will resume when the weather gets warmer. Scientists believe a volcanic eruption may have killed the dinosaurs, and a subsequent flood carried the fossils to Zhucheng, which may have been a wetland covered in grass.
The local authorities in Shandong
are making plans to set up a fossil park in the area.
Zhucheng is heavily industrialized and is one of the few dozen cities of China exceeding a million inhabitants. The major ethnic groups comprising the city include Han Chinese
(99.7%), Manchu
(0.1%), Korean (0.1%) and Hui
(0.1%). The city has a Christian
population of approximately of 19,000 (1.8%). Based on a census from the year 1990, the city had 523,425 males and 507,233 females with 260,678 households. Zhucheng's sister city is Belleville, Ontario
, Canada
.
County-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....
in the southeast of Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
province, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of Weifang
Weifang
Weifang is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders Dongying to the northwest, Zibo to the west, Linyi to the southwest, Rizhao to the south, Qingdao to the east, and looks out to the Laizhou Bay to the north.-History:Weifang is a historical city...
City and has a population of 1.06 million.
History
Zhucheng was originally known as Langya (琅琊). It was from here that Emperor Qin Shi HuangQin Shi Huang
Qin Shi Huang , personal name Ying Zheng , was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 246 BC to 221 BC during the Warring States Period. He became the first emperor of a unified China in 221 BC...
sent Xu Fu
Xu Fu
Xú Fú ; was born in 255 BC in Qi, and served as a court sorcerer in Qin Dynasty China. He was sent by Qin Shi Huang to the eastern seas twice to look for the elixir of life. His two journeys occurred between 219 BC and 210 BC. It was believed that the fleet included 60 barques and around 5,000 crew...
sailing towards Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 210 BC, in pursuit of the elixir of youth.
The Song dynasty painter Zhang Zeduan
Zhang Zeduan
Zhang Zeduan , alias Zheng Dao, also sometimes translated as Zhang Zerui, was a famous Chinese painter during the twelfth century, during the transitional period from the Northern Song to the Southern Song Dynasty, and was instrumental in the early history of the Chinese art style known as shan...
was born in Zhucheng (which was then named Dongwu). It was also the birthplace of Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
's last wife and leader of the Gang of Four
Gang of Four
The Gang of Four was the name given to a political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution and were subsequently charged with a series of treasonous crimes...
, Jiang Qing
Jiang Qing
Jiang Qing was the pseudonym that was used by Chinese leader Mao Zedong's last wife and major Communist Party of China power figure. She went by the stage name Lan Ping during her acting career, and was known by various other names during her life...
. Zhao Shucong (赵树丛), vice-governor of Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
province, is a native of Zhucheng.
Economy
In 2005, Zhucheng had a total output value of RMB 20.8 billion and an average annual growth rate of 16%. Zhucheng is projected to continue its 16% annual growth rate and attain a total output value of RMB 43.6 billion by 2010.Economic Development Zone
The Zhucheng Industrial ParkEconomic and Technological Development Zones
The China National Economic and Technological Development Zones are the special areas of the People's Republic of China where foreign direct investment is encouraged...
was approved by the Shandong Provincial Government in 1992. Its total area spans 25 square kilometres (9.7 sq mi). The National Highway 206
China National Highways
The China National Highways are a series of trunk roads throughout all of mainland China. Although they are called highways , they are not necessarily expressways...
which runs through it from south to north, and the city is linked by the Jiaoxin Railway Station, which connects it to Qingdao
Qingdao
' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the...
, 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) east, Rizhao
Rizhao
Rizhao is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It is situated on the coastline along the Yellow Sea, borders Qingdao to the northeast, Weifang to the north, Linyi to the west and southwest, and faces Korea and Japan across the Yellow Sea to the east...
, 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) south, and Weifang
Weifang
Weifang is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders Dongying to the northwest, Zibo to the west, Linyi to the southwest, Rizhao to the south, Qingdao to the east, and looks out to the Laizhou Bay to the north.-History:Weifang is a historical city...
city, 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) north. As of 2001, industries based at the zone included food processing
Food processing
Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into other forms for consumption by humans or animals either in the home or by the food processing industry...
, chemicals, building materials, textiles and electromechanic
Electromechanics
In engineering, electromechanics combines the sciences of electromagnetism, of electrical engineering and mechanics. Mechanical engineering in this context refers to the larger discipline which includes chemical engineering, and other related disciplines. Electrical engineering in this context...
al products, and 2001 annual total industrial output was 2 billion yuan, with the added industrial value of 350 million yuan. For 2001, exports were US$68.92 million, and revenue was 83.17 million yuan.
Administration
Zhucheng was upgraded to a county-level cityCounty-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....
in 1987 and is administered as a provincial-level economic development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
district, with jurisdiction over 20 towns (镇, zhen):
- Lübiao (吕标)
- Zhigou (枳沟)
- Wanjiazhuang (万家庄)
- Qiankou (箭口)
- Jiayue (贾悦)
- Mengtuan (孟疃)
- Mazhuang (马庄)
- Shiqiaozi (石桥子)
- Chenggezhuang (程戈庄)
- Jiutai (九台)
- Xiangzhou (相州)
- Guojiatun (郭家屯)
- Baichihe (百尺河)
- Changcheng (昌城)
- Xinxing (辛兴)
- Zhujie (朱解)
- Wadian (瓦店，已经并入林家村镇，现在为瓦店社区)
- Linjiacun (林家村)
- Huanghua (皇华)
- Haogezhuang (郝戈庄)
Township (乡, xiang)
- Wujialou (吴家楼)
- Taoyuan (桃园)
- Shihetou (石河头)
- Shimen (石门)
- Taolin (桃林)
- Shandongtou (山东头)
Dinosaur city
Zhucheng has been an important site for dinosaurDinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
excavation since 1960. The local community is known to use calcium rich fossils for traditional village remedies used to treat muscle cramps and other minor ailments. The world's largest hadrosaurid
Hadrosaurid
Hadrosaurids or duck-billed dinosaurs are members of the family Hadrosauridae, and include ornithopods such as Edmontosaurus and Parasaurolophus. They were common herbivores in the Upper Cretaceous Period of what are now Asia, Europe and North America. They are descendants of the Upper...
fossil was found in Zhucheng in the 1980s and is on display in the local museum. Scientists have collected more than 50 metric tons (55.1 ST) of fossils since 1960. The city has also been a place for smuggling of dinosaur bones; in January 2008, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
returned hundreds of kilograms of Chinese dinosaur fossils, including dinosaur fossil eggs. These fossils were recovered during a sting operation
Sting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
carried out on warehouses and cargo containers.
2008 discovery
On December 31, 2008, palaeontologists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and PaleoanthropologyInstitute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
The Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of China is a prominent research institution and collections repository for fossils, including many dinosaur and pterosaurand cat poo specimens...
of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Sciences , formerly known as Academia Sinica, is the national academy for the natural sciences of the People's Republic of China. It is an institution of the State Council of China. It is headquartered in Beijing, with institutes all over the People's Republic of China...
announced they have unearthed 7,600 dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s since March 2008 around Zhucheng. The latest sites to be discovered are near the towns of Longdu, Shunwang, Jiayue and Zhigou. The palaeontologists believe they have found one of the biggest sites of dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
remains from a massive excavation pit. The fossilized bones date to the late Cretaceous period just prior to the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event. The findings also include the remains of a 20 meter (66 ft) hadrosaurid
Hadrosaurid
Hadrosaurids or duck-billed dinosaurs are members of the family Hadrosauridae, and include ornithopods such as Edmontosaurus and Parasaurolophus. They were common herbivores in the Upper Cretaceous Period of what are now Asia, Europe and North America. They are descendants of the Upper...
, a record size for the duck-billed dinosaur. A fossilized skull of a large ceratopsia
Ceratopsia
Ceratopsia or Ceratopia is a group of herbivorous, beaked dinosaurs which thrived in what are now North America, Europe, and Asia, during the Cretaceous Period, although ancestral forms lived earlier, in the Jurassic. The earliest known ceratopsian, Yinlong downsi, lived between 161.2 and 155.7...
n was also found along with bones which belong to club-tailed ankylosaurs
Ankylosauria
Ankylosauria is a group of herbivorous dinosaurs of the order Ornithischia. It includes the great majority of dinosaurs with armor in the form of bony osteoderms. Ankylosaurs were bulky quadrupeds, with short, powerful limbs. They are first known to have appeared in the early Jurassic Period of...
.
Such a high concentration of fossil bones in such a small area is significant for the theories of extinction of dinosaurs. A detailed scientific journal on the fossils is expected to be published later in 2009. Excavations are currently suspended for the winter but will resume when the weather gets warmer. Scientists believe a volcanic eruption may have killed the dinosaurs, and a subsequent flood carried the fossils to Zhucheng, which may have been a wetland covered in grass.
The local authorities in Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
are making plans to set up a fossil park in the area.
Demographic and culture
| Population census | |
|---|---|
| Year | Population |
| 1990 | 1,030,658 |
| 2000 | 1,057,313 |
| 2010 (estimated) | 1,194,800 |
Zhucheng is heavily industrialized and is one of the few dozen cities of China exceeding a million inhabitants. The major ethnic groups comprising the city include Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
(99.7%), Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
(0.1%), Korean (0.1%) and Hui
Hui people
The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...
(0.1%). The city has a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
population of approximately of 19,000 (1.8%). Based on a census from the year 1990, the city had 523,425 males and 507,233 females with 260,678 households. Zhucheng's sister city is Belleville, Ontario
Belleville, Ontario
Belleville is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in Southern Ontario, Canada, in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is the seat of Hastings County, but is politically independent of it. and the centre of the Bay of Quinte Region...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.