Taoyuan County, Hunan

Taoyuan County (Chinese: 桃源县; Pinyin: Táoyuán Xiàn) is located in Changde, Hunan Province of the People's Republic of China. The Yuanjiang river, a tributary of Yangtze, flows through Taoyuan.

History

The area of present Taoyuan county belongs to Chu (state) during Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period, and is a portion of Linyuan county (临沅县) during Western Han Dynasty. In AD 50, the 26th year of Jianwu, Eastern Han Dynasty, it is merged to Yuannan county (沅南县), administered by Wuling prefecture (武陵郡), by set apart from Linyuan county. In AD 783, the third year of Sui Dynasty, Wuling county (武陵县) is built by annexed three counties of Linyuan, Yuannan and Hanshou, administered by Langzhou prefecture (郎州).

In AD 963, the third year of Song Dynasty, Taoyuan County is officially established by set apart from Wuling county, named it Taoyuan due to its famous Taohuayuan (桃花源), or the Peach Blossom Spring.

Its capital is situated at north bank of Yuanjiang river, called Zhangjiang town (漳江镇).

Economy

Agricultural products include rice, wheat, edible oils, sesame seeds, peanuts, cotton, and tobacco. Manufactured goods produced include machinery, textiles, chemicals, wood products, and leather goods. Local mine extract gold, silver, iron ore, and diamonds.

Education

Taoyuan has 123,000 students enrolled among its elementary schools, middle schools and high schools. 99.99% of children in their compulsory education ages are enrolled in schools, and 93.2% of children with disabilities are enrolled in schools.

Approximate 2000 of high school graduates are admitted by colleges and universities each year.

Taoyuan Yizhong, The First Middle School of Taoyuan, is the most prestigious school in Taoyuan County, composed of high school section and middle school section.

Geography and climate

Geography

Taoyuan County is located in northwestern portion, 28°55′N 111°29′E / 28.917°N 111.483°E / 28.917; 111.483,^[1], of Hunan Province. It is 118 km from its northernmost point, LaoPeng village, Reshi Town (热市老棚村), to its southernmost point, Shizi Ling, Xuejiachong village, Xi'an Town (西安镇薛家冲村狮子岭) and 75 km from its easternmost post, Caoxiezhou, Renfeng village, Mutangyuan Township (木塘垸乡仁丰村草鞋洲), to its westernmost post, Wanjiahe, Gaofeng village, Niuchehe Township (牛车河乡高峰村万家河). Its total area is 4441.22 km², among which arable land is 895 km² (221,000 acres).

Climate

The average annual temperature is 16.5 degrees Celsius. The average temperature is 5.5 degrees Celsius in January and 28.6 degrees Celsius in July. The average annual precipitation is 147 centimeters (58 inches), sunlight 1531 hours and frost-free period 284 days.

Demographics

Taoyuan County has 976,000 population, which is composed of dominant majority Han ethnic group and other 12 minority ethnic groups of Hui, Uyghur, Tujia, Man, Dong, Zhuang and Yao (help find the other five ethnics).

Notable residents

Song Jiaoren (宋教仁)

• Zhang Yu, Song Dynasty Poet
• Song Jiaoren (Chinese: 宋教仁, Apr 5, 1882 - Mar 22, 1913), a Chinese republican revolutionary, political leader and a founder of the Kuomintang.
• Liu Kan (Chinese: 刘戡 1906 – Mar 03, 1948), a General of the Republic of China Army.
• Wang Qimei (Chinese: 王其梅, Dec 27, 1914—Aug 15, 1967), a Major General of PLA.
• Jian Bozan (Chinese: 翦伯赞, 1898-Dec 18, 1968), a prominent Marxist historian, Vice President of Beijing University from 1952 to 1968.

Towns

• Zhangjiang
• Zoushi
• Sanyanggang
• Taohuayuan
• Lingjintan

Tourist attractions

• Peach Blossom Spring, (Chinese: 桃花源), a land then secluded from the outside mortal world depicted as an idyllic shangri-la by Tao Yuanming, (365–427), an Eastern Jin Dynasty poet, in his intriguing prose of Peach Blossom Spring

References

External links

• 桃源县槪况
• 桃源县政府网站