# Jinzhong

Jinzhong, formerly Yuci, is a prefecture-level city in east central Shanxi province of the People's Republic of China, bordering Hebei province to the east. As of the 2020 census, its total population was 3,379,498 inhabitants of whom 1,226,617 lived in the Yuci and Taigu urban districts. However, 5,433,659 lived in the built-up (or metro) area of Taiyuan - Jinzhong made of Yuci district plus the 6 Taiyuan urban districts, largely conurbated.

## History

Lingshi County was the location of the Nanshan Colliery disaster.
In 1999, the area was considered sufficiently urbanized that Jinzhong Prefecture became a prefecture-level city, with its former seat at Yuci becoming its county-level Yuci District.

## Administrative divisions

Jinzhong is divided into the following county-level subdivisions:
Map :
| Yuci Taigu Yushe County Zuoquan County Heshun County Xiyang County Shouyang County Qi County Pingyao County Lingshi County Jiexiu (city) ||||||
| Name | Hanzi | Hanyu Pinyin | Population (2003 est.) | Area (km$^2$) | Density (/km$^2$) |
| Yuci District | 榆次区 | Yúcì Qū | 530,000 | 1,327 | 399 |
| Taigu District | 太谷区 | Tàigǔ Qū | 280,000 | 1,034 | 271 |
| Jiexiu City | 介休市 | Jièxiū Shì | 380,000 | 743 | 511 |
| Yushe County | 榆社县 | Yúshè Xiàn | 140,000 | 1,651 | 85 |
| Zuoquan County | 左权县 | Zuǒquán Xiàn | 160,000 | 2,028 | 79 |
| Heshun County | 和顺县 | Héshùn Xiàn | 140,000 | 2,251 | 62 |
| Xiyang County | 昔阳县 | Xīyáng Xiàn | 230,000 | 1,943 | 118 |
| Shouyang County | 寿阳县 | Shòuyáng Xiàn | 210,000 | 2,111 | 99 |
| Qi County | 祁县 | Qí Xiàn | 260,000 | 854 | 304 |
| Pingyao County | 平遥县 | Píngyáo Xiàn | 490,000 | 1,260 | 389 |
| Lingshi County | 灵石县 | Língshí Xiàn | 240,000 | 1,206 | 199 |

## Climate

Jinzhong has a continental, monsoon-influenced semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk), with cold and very dry winters, and hot, humid summers. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from −5.5 °C (22.1 °F) in January to 24.2 °C (75.6 °F) in July, and the annual mean is 10.39 °C (50.7 °F). Typifying the influence of the East Asian Monsoon, over two-thirds of the annual 388 millimetres (15.3 in) of precipitation occurs from June to September.
Climate data for Jinzhong (Yuci District), 1981–2010 :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 12.4 (54.3) | 19.3 (66.7) | 28.2 (82.8) | 37.1 (98.8) | 35.6 (96.1) | 39.6 (103.3) | 39.5 (103.1) | 36.3 (97.3) | 35.8 (96.4) | 28.5 (83.3) | 23.6 (74.5) | 16.0 (60.8) | 39.6 (103.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.9 (35.4) | 5.8 (42.4) | 11.9 (53.4) | 20.0 (68.0) | 25.6 (78.1) | 29.3 (84.7) | 30.4 (86.7) | 28.5 (83.3) | 24.1 (75.4) | 17.9 (64.2) | 9.7 (49.5) | 3.2 (37.8) | 17.4 (63.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −5.5 (22.1) | −1.5 (29.3) | 4.6 (40.3) | 12.6 (54.7) | 18.5 (65.3) | 22.4 (72.3) | 24.2 (75.6) | 22.4 (72.3) | 17.3 (63.1) | 10.7 (51.3) | 2.7 (36.9) | −3.7 (25.3) | 10.4 (50.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −11.2 (11.8) | −7.4 (18.7) | −1.6 (29.1) | 5.4 (41.7) | 11.4 (52.5) | 15.9 (60.6) | 18.9 (66.0) | 17.4 (63.3) | 11.8 (53.2) | 4.9 (40.8) | −2.7 (27.1) | −8.9 (16.0) | 4.5 (40.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −21.0 (−5.8) | −20.6 (−5.1) | −15.7 (3.7) | −7.0 (19.4) | 0.3 (32.5) | 7.1 (44.8) | 11.6 (52.9) | 9.2 (48.6) | −0.2 (31.6) | −6.9 (19.6) | −18.2 (−0.8) | −22.3 (−8.1) | −22.3 (−8.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 2.0 (0.08) | 3.3 (0.13) | 9.9 (0.39) | 21.0 (0.83) | 37.2 (1.46) | 52.2 (2.06) | 81.9 (3.22) | 87.8 (3.46) | 54.0 (2.13) | 27.0 (1.06) | 9.9 (0.39) | 1.7 (0.07) | 387.9 (15.28) |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 47 | 45 | 44 | 42 | 48 | 56 | 67 | 71 | 69 | 62 | 55 | 50 | 55 |
| Source: China Meteorological Administration ||||||||||||||

## Transportation

* Taiyuan–Jiaozuo Railway

## Culture

The prefecture-level city houses several Shanxi Courtyard Houses, businessmen's residences lauded as outstanding civilian residences.
Yuci District is increasingly connected to nearby Taiyuan, whose built-up area was home to 3,848,151 people in 2010.

## Sister Cities

* Jinhua, Zhejiang
* Szolnok, Hungary
* Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam
* Vals, Austria
* Provins, Île-de-France, France
* Luang Prabang, Laos