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Changzhi

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Changzhi is a prefecture-level city located in southeastern Shanxi Province, China. It sits along the southern section of the Taihang Mountains. The city shares borders with Hebei Province to the northeast. It also borders Henan Province to the east.

太行山大峡谷青龙潭
太行山大峡谷青龙潭

The geography of Changzhi is defined by its rugged terrain. Most of the city's land is mountainous. Other parts of the area are hilly in nature. Notable peaks include Liyu Mountain and Shigao Mountain. These mountains reach high elevations above sea level. The landscape is shaped by the presence of the Taihang Mountains.

The climate in Changzhi is influenced by the East Asian Monsoon. It follows a humid continental climate pattern. This means the seasons have very distinct characteristics. Winters are cold and very dry. Summers are very warm and somewhat humid. Most of the annual precipitation occurs between June and August. The city experiences between 2,400 and 2,600 hours of sunshine every year. The average frost-free period lasts between 160 and 180 days.

Changzhi has a deep history that stretches back to ancient times. The region was once known as Shangdang. It was one of the 36 administrative areas under the reign of Qin Shi Huang. In 1945, the area was the site of the Shangdang Campaign. This was the first battle between the Kuomintang and the People's Liberation Army after World War II. A local warlord named Yan Xishan tried to retake the region. However, an army led by Liu Bocheng defeated his forces. Deng Xiaoping served as the political commissar during this campaign. After the campaign, Communist forces controlled the region until 1949.

Today, Changzhi serves as a major transportation and industrial center. It is a rising commercial hub in southeastern Shanxi. In 2011, its GDP ranked first among the 11 prefecture-level cities in the province. The city is divided into 12 administrative zones. These consist of four districts and eight counties. The districts are Luzhou, Lucheng, Shangdang, and Tunliu. The eight counties are Xiangyuan, Pingshun, Licheng, Huguan, Zhangzi, Wuxiang, Qin, and Qinyuan. In 2020, the city had a population of 3,180,884 residents. About 1,214,940 of these people lived in the built-up metro area of Luzhou and Shangdang.

Moving around Changzhi is easy due to its many connections. The city uses four controlled-access highways. These are the Taiyuan-Changzhi, Changzhi-Jincheng, Changzhi-Linfen, and Changzhi-Handan highways. Three national highways also pass through the area. These are China National Highway 207, 208, and 309. Two railways connect the city to other regions. These are the Taiyuan–Jiaozuo Railway and the Handan–Changzhi Railway. For air travel, people use the Changzhi Wangcun Airport. This is a civil-military airport located 7.5 kilometers north of the city. It is a national second-class civil aviation airport.

The city has also faced environmental challenges. In 2013, a major chemical spill occurred at a fertilizer plant. This plant was operated by the Tianji Coal Chemical Industry Group. The spill polluted major waterways in the region. It even impacted the city of Handan downstream. An official investigation into the spill resulted in the punishment of 39 people. This included the removal of the mayor of Changzhi from his position. In 2019, provincial officials also noted a spike in pollution in the area.

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