Leshan

Leshan
乐山市
Prefecture-level city
A view of Leshan

Location of Leshan City jurisdiction in Sichuan
Coordinates: 29°34′N 103°46′E / 29.567°N 103.767°E / 29.567; 103.767
Country People's Republic of China
Province Sichuan
County-level divisions 4 Counties, 2 Autonomous Counties, 1 County-level city and 4 Districts
Area
 • Prefecture-level city 12,827.49 km2 (4,952.72 sq mi)
 • Urban 1,918.5 km2 (740.7 sq mi)
 • Metro 836.1 km2 (322.8 sq mi)
Population (2010 census)[1]
 • Prefecture-level city 3,235,759
 • Density 250/km2 (650/sq mi)
 • Urban 1,162,080
 • Urban density 610/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
 • Metro 662,814
 • Metro density 790/km2 (2,100/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code 614000
Area code(s) 0833
ISO 3166 code CN-SC-11
Licence Plate Prefixes 川L
Website leshan.gov.cn
Leshan
"Leshan" in Simplified (top) and Traditional (bottom) Chinese characters
Simplified Chinese 乐山
Traditional Chinese 樂山
Jiading
Chinese 嘉定

Leshan, formerly known as Jiading,[lower-alpha 1] is a prefecture-level city located at the confluence of the Dadu and Min rivers in Sichuan Province, China. Leshan is located on the southwestern fringe of the Red Basin in southern Sichuan, about 120 km (75 mi) from Chengdu. At the 2010 census, its population was 3,235,759 whom 662,814 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of Shizhong district, as Wutongqiao and Jinkouhe districts are not conurbated yet.

Culture

Tourist attractions

Stone arch bridge in Leshan
Buddha Leshan

In 1996, the Mount Emei Scenic Area, including the Leshan Giant Buddha, the largest stone-carved buddha in the world, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Next door to the Leshan Giant Buddha is the Oriental Buddha Park, a privately run cultural theme park, featuring thousands of reproductions of Buddha statues and Buddhist themed carvings.

Mount Emei is located within the county-level city of Emeishan, which is under the administrative jurisdiction of Leshan.

The ancestral home of Chinese writer, academic and politician Guo Moruo is preserved in the Shawan District of Leshan.[3]

Dialect

The Leshan dialect, part of the Southern linguistic system, is very different from the dialects of other cities in the province of Sichuan, which belong to the Northern system. Some researchers say the pronunciation of Leshan dialect represents an archaic form of Chinese pronunciation.

Food

Falling into the Sichuan cuisine family, Leshan is noted for its food culture in that it has all the street food from its surrounding areas, which has made it the one-stop street food city. Typical specialties include:

  • Ma-La-Tang 麻辣烫 - Hot and spicy soup
  • Bo-Bo-Ji 钵钵鸡 - Bobo chicken
  • Shao-Kao 烧烤 - Street barbecue
  • Qian-Wei Bao-Bing 犍为薄饼 - Qianwei Pancakes
  • Dou-Fu-nao 豆腐脑 -
  • Tianpiya - Sweet-Skinned Duck

Transport

There is a passenger rail line that serves the Mianyang–Chengdu–Leshan inter-city area.

The Chengdu-Leshan Freeway with a total length of 160 kilometers, was finished on January 14, 2000. This Freeway has since become very important to the city's development.

Education

Leshan Normal University and Leshan Vocational & Technical College are two government-fund colleges in the city.

Administrative divisions

Leshan from the Dadu River
Map
Name Hanzi Hanyu Pinyin Population
(2004 est.)		 Area (km²) Density
(/km²)
Shizhong District 市中区 Shìzhōng Qū 560,000 825 679
Shawan District 沙湾区 Shāwān Qū 200,000 617 324
Wutongqiao District 五通桥区 Wǔtōngqiáo Qū 320,000 474 675
Jinkouhe District 金口河区 Jīnkǒuhé Qū 60,000 598 100
Emeishan City 峨眉山市 Éméishān Shì 430,000 1,168 368
Qianwei County 犍为县 Qiánwéi Xiàn 570,000 1,375 415
Jingyan County 井研县 Jǐngyán Xiàn 410,000 841 488
Jiajiang County 夹江县 Jiājiāng Xiàn 350,000 749 467
Muchuan County 沐川县 Mùchuān Xiàn 260,000 1,401 186
Ebian Yi Autonomous County 峨边彝族自治县 Ébiān Yízú
Zìzhìxiàn		 140,000 2,395 58
Mabian Yi Autonomous County 马边彝族自治县 Mǎbiān Yízú
Zìzhìxiàn		 180,000 2,383 76

Geography and climate

Leshan has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) and is largely mild and humid. Winter is short, mild and dry, with a January average of 7.2 °C (45.0 °F), and while frost may occur, snow is rare. Summers are long, hot and humid, with highs often exceeding 30 °C (86 °F), yet extended heat waves are rare. The daily average in July and August is around 26 °C (79 °F). Rainfall is light in winter and can be heavy in summer, and more than 70% of the annual total occurs from June to September.

Sister cities

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Also previously romanized as Kea-ting or Kea-ting Foo.[2]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.citypopulation.de/php/china-sichuan-admin.php
  2. ↑ EB (1878), Vol. V, "China".
  3. ↑ Leshan -- Home of World's Largest Stone Buddha Statue
  4. ↑ 楽山市 [Leshan City]. Ichikawa City Government. Archived 2009-08-28 at the Wayback Machine.
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