# Guangyuan

Guangyuan (simplified Chinese: 广元; traditional Chinese: 廣元; pinyin: Guǎngyuán; Wade–Giles: Kuang-yüan) is a prefecture-level city in Sichuan Province, China, bordering the provinces of Shaanxi to the northeast and Gansu to the northwest. The city has a population of 2,305,657 as of the 2020 census.
Located roughly between the provincial capitals Chengdu, Lanzhou, Xi'an and Chongqing municipality, it is considered the northern gateway to Sichuan. It is an ancient city, notable for its relics and tombs.

## History

Formerly known as Lizhou (利州, or Li prefecture), Guangyuan was the birthplace of Wu Zetian, the only woman in Chinese history to rule directly as emperor.
On 12 May 2008, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurred. 4,822 people were killed, 28,245 injured, and 125 missing in the city as of 7 June 2008.

## Economy

Guangyuan's economy is based on a diverse array of heavy industry, as well as mining and agriculture. Plant 821, a former large plutonium producing reactor, now used to process nuclear waste, is located near Guangyuan. The city is an important production center for traditional Chinese medicine.

## Administrative divisions

Map :
| Lizhou Zhaohua Chaotian Wangcang County Qingchuan County Jiange County Cangxi County ||||||
| Name | Hanzi | Hanyu Pinyin | Population (2010) | Area (km²) | Density (/km²) |
| Lizhou District | 利州区 | Lìzhōu Qū | 516,424 | 1,482 | 348 |
| Zhaohua District | 昭化区 | Zhāohuà Qū | 168,489 | 1,435 | 117 |
| Chaotian District | 朝天区 | Cháotiān Qū | 174,333 | 1,618 | 108 |
| Wangcang County | 旺苍县 | Wàngcāng Xiàn | 385,787 | 2,976 | 130 |
| Qingchuan County | 青川县 | Qīngchuān Xiàn | 222,253 | 3,269 | 68 |
| Jiange County | 剑阁县 | Jiàngé Xiàn | 457,656 | 3,204 | 142 |
| Cangxi County | 苍溪县 | Cāngxī Xiàn | 559,181 | 2,330 | 240 |

## Climate

Climate data for Guangyuan, elevation 545 m (1,788 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–present) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 19.5 (67.1) | 26.0 (78.8) | 30.4 (86.7) | 34.4 (93.9) | 36.8 (98.2) | 38.7 (101.7) | 40.5 (104.9) | 40.9 (105.6) | 36.6 (97.9) | 31.0 (87.8) | 26.3 (79.3) | 19.2 (66.6) | 40.9 (105.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.6 (49.3) | 12.4 (54.3) | 17.4 (63.3) | 23.4 (74.1) | 27.4 (81.3) | 30.1 (86.2) | 31.5 (88.7) | 31.2 (88.2) | 26.2 (79.2) | 21.2 (70.2) | 16.2 (61.2) | 10.8 (51.4) | 21.4 (70.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.4 (41.7) | 8.1 (46.6) | 12.3 (54.1) | 17.6 (63.7) | 21.7 (71.1) | 24.8 (76.6) | 26.5 (79.7) | 26.0 (78.8) | 21.6 (70.9) | 16.8 (62.2) | 11.8 (53.2) | 6.8 (44.2) | 16.6 (61.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.4 (36.3) | 5.0 (41.0) | 8.5 (47.3) | 13.3 (55.9) | 17.2 (63.0) | 20.6 (69.1) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.3 (72.1) | 18.6 (65.5) | 14.1 (57.4) | 8.7 (47.7) | 3.9 (39.0) | 13.1 (55.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −4.5 (23.9) | −2.9 (26.8) | −3.2 (26.2) | 2.7 (36.9) | 8.3 (46.9) | 14.5 (58.1) | 16.0 (60.8) | 15.0 (59.0) | 11.7 (53.1) | 1.7 (35.1) | −0.8 (30.6) | −5.7 (21.7) | −5.7 (21.7) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 4.7 (0.19) | 9.3 (0.37) | 17.5 (0.69) | 49.2 (1.94) | 90.5 (3.56) | 124.5 (4.90) | 247.1 (9.73) | 147.4 (5.80) | 138.0 (5.43) | 57.0 (2.24) | 19.3 (0.76) | 4.2 (0.17) | 908.7 (35.78) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 4.3 | 5.1 | 7.3 | 10.0 | 12.0 | 12.1 | 14.6 | 13.2 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 6.6 | 4.0 | 115 |
| Average snowy days | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 4.8 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 63 | 63 | 61 | 62 | 62 | 68 | 74 | 74 | 76 | 75 | 70 | 66 | 68 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 71.4 | 68.4 | 98.5 | 132.3 | 147.7 | 133.1 | 140.2 | 155.1 | 86.7 | 79.4 | 78.0 | 76.1 | 1,266.9 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 22 | 22 | 26 | 34 | 34 | 31 | 32 | 38 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 28 |
| Source: China Meteorological Administration all-time extreme temperature ||||||||||||||

## Transport

Located roughly between the provincial capitals Chengdu, Chongqing, Lanzhou, Xi'an, Guangyuan is an important traffic hub in northern Sichuan. The city has a port on the Jialing River, which is the closest inland port to Northwest China, and navigable all the way the east coast.
* China National Highway 212
* G5 Beijing–Kunming Expressway
* G5012 Enguang Expressway
* G75 Lanzhou–Haikou Expressway
* Baoji–Chengdu railway (part of the main route from Chengdu to Xi'an and Beijing)
* Xi'an–Chengdu high-speed railway (completed in December 2017)
* Lanzhou–Chongqing high-speed railway
* Guangyuan Panlong Airport

## Cuisine

Guangyuan is known for Wangcang noodles.