Mianyang

Mianyang
—  Prefecture-level city  —
Chinese transcription(s)
- Characters	绵阳
- Pinyin	Miányáng
Location of Mianyang City jurisdiction (yellow) within Sichuan
Mianyang Location in China
Coordinates: 31°28′N 104°45′E / 31.467°N 104.75°E / 31.467; 104.75
Country	China
Province	Sichuan
City seat	Fucheng (涪城区)
Area
- Total	20,000 km2 (7,722 sq mi)
Population
- Total	5,200,000
- Density	260/km2 (673.4/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Postal code	621000
Area code(s)	0816
Website	http://www.mianyang.gov.cn/

Mianyang (Chinese: 绵阳; pinyin: Miányáng; Wade-Giles: Mian-yang) is the second largest city in Sichuan Province, located in western China. Mianyang is noted for its beautiful scenery, long history, and deep cultural roots.^{[citation needed]}

History

Mianyang, called Fujun in ancient times, had advanced in agriculture during the Qin (221BC-206BC) and Han (206BC-220AD) dynasties. It has a history of over 2,200 thousand years since the Emperor Gaozu of Han established the first county in this area in 201BC. Due to its advantageous geographic location, it had always been a town of great military importance and formed a natural defense for Chengdu. ^[1]

The city was only lightly damaged by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake on May 12, 2008. However, Beichuan, which is in Mianyang prefecture is among the most severely hit of all disaster regions following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, including the Beichuan High School campus, where more than 1,000 students lost their lives after two main buildings collapsed.^[2] Beichuan's Party and government building also collapsed. 80% of the county's buildings are said to have collapsed. ^[3] The casualty toll for the quake in Mianyang prefecture as of June 7, 2008 was 21,963 people killed, 167,742 injured, and 8,744 people missing.^[4][5]

Geography

Mianyang covers an area of over 20,000 km² and has a population of 5.2 million, with 600,000 people in the city proper. Mianyang has a damp subtropical climate with an annual average rainfall of 1100 mm (43 inches. The average temperature is 16°C (61°F), with a maximum temperature of 39°C (102°F) in summer and minimum of -5°C (23°F) in winter.

Transport

The city has both highway and railway connections to several of China's major cities.

Mianyang Airport has direct flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Kunming.

Economy

Mianyang is one of China's major centers for the electronics industry. It has many well-known research institutions, such as the China Academy of Engineering Physics and China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center. Many large-scale enterprises, such as Changhong Electronics Group Corporation, Sichuan DND Pharmaceutical Co.,Ltd.,Jiuzhou Electronics Group, Shuangma Cement Group, and Changcheng Special Steel Company also have their home in Mianyang.

Mianyang is an important national defence, scientific research and production base, consisting of 18 institutes including the China Academy of Engineering Physics and the China Aerodynamics Research Institute. Moreover, it houses 50 large and medium size enterprises, and six science colleges.

Sichuan Provincial Government will hand over greater administrative powers of economic management at the provincial-level authority to propel the development of Mianyang. The new economy management authority will pay close attention to the construction of the scientific city. The provincial committee party and government are presently drafting the "Opinions on Propelling China Scientific City Construction" report which is expected to come out soon.

Education

There are 6 universities and colleges in the city, and it is well known as a science and technology centre.

People

It is the hometown of the famous poet Li Bai, and boasts many historical relics of the Three Kingdoms period.

Several minorities live in Mianyang, such as the Tibetan and Qiang people.

Subdivisions

• Fucheng District (涪城区)
• Youxian District (游仙区)
• Jiangyou City (江油市)
• Santai County (三台县)
• Yanting County (盐亭县)
• An County (安县)
• Zitong County (梓潼县)
• Pingwu County (平武县)
• Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County (北川羌族自治县)

References

External links

• Government of Mianyang

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