Suzhou, Anhui

Suzhou (Chinese: 宿州; pinyin: Sùzhōu) formerly romanized as Suchow[2] is a prefecture-level city in northern Anhui province. It borders the prefectural cities of Huaibei and Bengbu to the southwest and south respectively, the provinces of Jiangsu to the east, Shandong to the north, and Henan to the northwest.

Suzhou

宿州市
Coordinates (Suzhou municipal government): 33°38′53″N 116°57′50″E
CountryPeople's Republic of China
ProvinceAnhui
County-level divisions5
Township-level divisions118
Municipal seatYongqiao District
Government
  CPC SecretaryLiang Weiguo (梁卫国)
  MayorTang Chengpei (唐承沛)
Area
  Prefecture-level city9,939.8 km2 (3,837.8 sq mi)
  Urban
2,906.92 km2 (1,122.37 sq mi)
  Metro
2,906.92 km2 (1,122.37 sq mi)
Population
 (2010 census)
  Prefecture-level city5,352,924[1]
  Urban
1,647,642
  Urban density570/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
  Metro
1,647,642
  Metro density570/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code
234000
Area code(s)557
ISO 3166 codeCN-AH-13
GDP¥21.919 billion (2003)
GDP per capita¥3,696
License Plate Prefix皖L
Major NationalitiesHan
Websitewww.ahsz.gov.cn

Its population was 5,352,924 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 1,647,642 lived in the built-up area (or metro) made of Yongqiao urban district, even though it remains largely rural.

History

Suzhou was formerly Su County (simplified Chinese: 宿县; traditional Chinese: 宿縣; pinyin: Sù Xiàn).

Administration

Suzhou administers five county-level divisions, including one district and four counties.

Map

These are further divided into 118 township-level divisions.

Climate

Suzhou has a monsoon-influenced, humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa), with four distinct seasons. Winters are cold and damp, with average low temperatures in January dipping just below freezing; the January 24-hour average temperature is 0.8 °C (33.4 °F). Summers are typically hot and humid, with a July average of 27.3 °C (81.1 °F). The annual mean is 14.73 °C (58.5 °F), while annual precipitation averages about 840 millimetres (33 in), a majority of which occurs from May to August.

Climate data for Suzhou (1971−2000)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 20.1
(68.2)
25.2
(77.4)
30.0
(86.0)
34.3
(93.7)
37.6
(99.7)
40.3
(104.5)
40.9
(105.6)
38.2
(100.8)
37.1
(98.8)
35.1
(95.2)
30.0
(86.0)
22.1
(71.8)
40.9
(105.6)
Average high °C (°F) 6.1
(43.0)
8.5
(47.3)
13.6
(56.5)
21.0
(69.8)
26.5
(79.7)
30.7
(87.3)
31.8
(89.2)
31.1
(88.0)
27.1
(80.8)
22.0
(71.6)
14.9
(58.8)
8.7
(47.7)
20.2
(68.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 0.8
(33.4)
3.0
(37.4)
8.0
(46.4)
15.0
(59.0)
20.5
(68.9)
25.2
(77.4)
27.3
(81.1)
26.6
(79.9)
22.0
(71.6)
16.2
(61.2)
9.1
(48.4)
3.0
(37.4)
14.7
(58.5)
Average low °C (°F) −3.2
(26.2)
−1.1
(30.0)
3.2
(37.8)
9.6
(49.3)
15.0
(59.0)
20.3
(68.5)
23.7
(74.7)
23.1
(73.6)
18.0
(64.4)
11.6
(52.9)
4.6
(40.3)
−1.2
(29.8)
10.3
(50.5)
Record low °C (°F) −13.2
(8.2)
−18.1
(−0.6)
−8.2
(17.2)
−1.8
(28.8)
5.3
(41.5)
12.0
(53.6)
16.8
(62.2)
15.5
(59.9)
7.2
(45.0)
−0.5
(31.1)
−7.7
(18.1)
−18.7
(−1.7)
−18.7
(−1.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 19.3
(0.76)
27.2
(1.07)
45.7
(1.80)
51.7
(2.04)
64.3
(2.53)
115.4
(4.54)
218.2
(8.59)
115.7
(4.56)
81.8
(3.22)
56.4
(2.22)
29.2
(1.15)
14.0
(0.55)
838.9
(33.03)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 4.7 6.2 7.9 7.5 7.8 9.7 13.6 10.7 8.4 7.7 6.0 4.2 94.4
Source: Weather China

Festivals

Sacrifice to The Kitchen God (祭灶)
This festival is the traditional lunar festival of East Asia, celebrated in Suzhou. People think this festival is to give presents to God. In Suzhou, this festival is celebrated by offering food and burning incense on a table and white wine on the floor to worship the gods. This food is left untouched for, more or less, one day. Also, some food is shared with family and friends.

Pear Flower Festival (梨花节)
There are many pear trees in Suzhou and when their flowers bloom people get together to appreciate it and have a picnic. At night there is a festival program on Anhui TV to show how beautiful it is.

Sacred Stone Festival (奇石节)[3]
Suzhou Lingbi Sacred Stone Festival aims to promote the charming and admirable Lingbi sculptures. This festival expands the economy, sets up an investment promotion platform, promotes Suzhou economic and social development, and enhances its visibility and reputation. People get together and show their unique and beautiful stones. They can be viewed at the Suzhou QiShi Museum. The city mayor chooses the best one to be sent to the National Museum of China.

Notes and references

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