Leshan

Leshan, formerly known as Jiading[lower-alpha 1] or Jiazhou, 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 Sichuan Basin in southern Sichuan, about 120 km (75 mi) from Chengdu. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,235,759, of whom 662,814 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of Shizhong district, as Wutongqiao and Jinkouhe districts are not conurbated yet.

For other uses, see Leshan (disambiguation).
Leshan

乐山市
Prefecture-level city
A view of Leshan
Location of Leshan City jurisdiction in Sichuan
Coordinates (Seat of Leshan municipal government): 29°33′07″N 103°45′58″E
CountryPeople's Republic of China
ProvinceSichuan
County-level divisions4 Counties, 2 Autonomous Counties, 1 County-level city and 4 Districts
Municipal seatShizhong District
Area
 • Prefecture-level city12,827.49 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 city3,235,759
 • Density250/km2 (650/sq mi)
 • Urban
1,162,080
 • Urban density610/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
 • Metro
662,814
 • Metro density790/km2 (2,100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code
614000
Area code(s)0833
ISO 3166 codeCN-SC-11
Licence Plate Prefixes川L
Websiteleshan.gov.cn
Leshan
"Leshan" in Simplified (top) and Traditional (bottom) Chinese characters
Simplified Chinese乐山
Traditional Chinese樂山
Jiading
Chinese嘉定

History

The area of present day Leshan was the seat of historical Jiading city,[3] which the historical Jiading city covered not entirely the same area with modern day Leshan city. Some of the area of Leshan county, was ceded to Emeishan city in 1958.[3] In 1978, Leshan as a county-level city was formed.[3] In 1985, the Leshan prefecture-level city was formed, which Emeishan and other county level cities were under the administration of Leshan.[4] Before 1978, Leshan county-level city had Shizhong (means city centre), Wutongqiao (literally 5-"tong"-bridge) and Shawan (literally sand bay) three districts.[4] The establishment of Leshan prefecture-level city, also saw the disestablishment of Leshan Dìqū, an administrative area that supervisee Leshan, as well as other county-level cities and counties.[4]

Xinchang town, Jiading city [sic], was known for late Qing uprising against the government.[5]

Culture

Tourist attractions
Stone arch bridge in Leshan
Leshan Giant Buddha

In 1996, the Mount Emei Scenic Area, including the Leshan Giant Buddha, the largest stone-carved buddha in the world, which 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.[6]

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:

  • Malatang (麻辣烫) - Hot and spicy soup
  • Boboji (钵钵鸡) - Bobo chicken
  • Shaokao (烧烤) - Street barbecue
  • Qianwei Baobing (犍为薄饼) - Qianwei Pancakes
  • Doufunao (豆腐脑) -Leshan Stlye DouFu Soup
  • Tianpiya (甜皮鸭) - Sweet-Skinned Duck
  • Qiaojiao Niurou (翘脚牛肉) Leshan Style Beef Hotpot
  • Xiba Doufu (西坝豆腐) Xiba Tofu[7]

Transport

There are Chengdu–Mianyang–Leshan intercity railway and Chengdu–Guiyang high-speed railway serving Leshan.

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 (乐山师范学院) and Leshan Vocational & Technical College (乐山职业技术学院) are two government-fund colleges in the city.

Administrative divisions
Leshan from the Dadu River
Map
Name Hanzi Hanyu Pinyin Population
(2010)		 Area (km²) Density
(/km²)
Shizhong District 市中区 Shìzhōng Qū 662,812 825 803
Shawan District 沙湾区 Shāwān Qū 187,180 617 303
Wutongqiao District 五通桥区 Wǔtōngqiáo Qū 312,086 474 658
Jinkouhe District 金口河区 Jīnkǒuhé Qū 49,157 598 82
Emeishan City 峨眉山市 Éméishān Shì 437,068 1,168 374
Qianwei County 犍为县 Qiánwéi Xiàn 434,409 1,375 316
Jingyan County 井研县 Jǐngyán Xiàn 282,222 841 336
Jiajiang County 夹江县 Jiājiāng Xiàn 338,345 749 451
Muchuan County 沐川县 Mùchuān Xiàn 216,737 1,401 154
Ebian Yi Autonomous County 峨边彝族自治县 Ébiān Yízú
Zìzhìxiàn		 139,210 2,395 58
Mabian Yi Autonomous County 马边彝族自治县 Mǎbiān Yízú
Zìzhìxiàn		 176,530 2,383 74

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.

  • Leshan
  • Night view
  • Buddhist temple
  • The Leshan Giant Buddha
  • Buddhist Monk in Leshan
  • Lingbao Pagoda

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. 乐山老县名考（十）：乐山县. 三江都市报 (in Chinese). 18 May 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  4. 國務院關於同意四川省撤銷樂山地區實行市管縣給四川省人民政府的批覆 (PDF) (in Chinese). 1985 (10). State Council. 20 April 1985: 286. Retrieved 11 March 2019. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. Prazniak, Roxann (1999). "Weiyuan, Sichuan: Heaven-Protected Liu Xiangting among the Red Lanterns". Of Camel Kings and Other Things: Rural Rebels Against Modernity in Late Imperial China. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 140. ISBN 0-8476-9007-5. Retrieved 11 March 2019 – via Google book preview.
  6. Leshan -- Home of World's Largest Stone Buddha Statue
  7. Leshan Cuisine
  8. 中国地面气候标准值月值(1981-2010) (in Chinese). China Meteorological Data Service Center. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  9. 楽山市 [Leshan City]. Ichikawa City Government. Archived from the original on 2009-08-28. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  10. City of Ichikawa: Leshan City Archived 2009-08-28 at the Wayback Machine
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