# Shulan

Shulan (simplified Chinese: 舒兰; traditional Chinese: 舒蘭; pinyin: Shūlán) is a county-level city in northern Jilin province, Northeast China. It falls under the administration of Jilin City, 71 kilometres (44 mi) to the south-southwest.

## Administrative divisions

Shulan is divided into 5 subdistricts, 10 towns, and 5 townships. The city is also home to a National Economic and Technological Development Zone. The following table shows the township-level subdivisions of Shulan:
Township-Level Subdivisions of Shulan City :
| English Name | Pinyin | Hanzi | Subdivision Type |
| Beicheng Subdistrict | Běichéng Jiēdào | 北城街道 | Subdistrict |
| Nancheng Subdistrict | Nánchéng Jiēdào | 南城街道 | Subdistrict |
| Huancheng Subdistrict | Huánchéng Jiēdào | 环城街道 | Subdistrict |
| Jishu Subdistrict | Jíshū Jiēdào | 吉舒街道 | Subdistrict |
| Binhe Subdistrict | Bīnhé Jiēdào | 滨河街道 | Subdistrict |
| Baiqi | Báiqí Zhèn | 白旗镇 | Town |
| Chaoyang | Chāoyáng Zhèn | 朝阳镇 | Town |
| Shangying | Shàngyíng Zhèn | 上营镇 | Town |
| Ping'an | Píng'ān Zhèn | 平安镇 | Town |
| Shuiquliu | Shuǐqūliǔ Zhèn | 水曲柳镇 | Town |
| Fate | Fǎtè Zhèn | 法特镇 | Town |
| Xihe | Xīhé Zhèn | 溪河镇 | Town |
| Xiaocheng | Xiǎochéng Zhèn | 小城镇 | Town |
| Kaiyuan | Kāiyuán Zhèn | 开原镇 | Town |
| Jinma | Jīnmǎ Zhèn | 金马镇 | Town |
| Lianhua Township | Liánhuā Xiāng | 莲花乡 | Township |
| Liangjiashan Township | Liàngjiǎshān Xiāng | 亮甲山乡 | Township |
| Xin'an Township | Xīn'ān Xiāng | 新安乡 | Township |
| Qili Township | Qīlǐ Xiāng | 七里乡 | Township |
| Tiande Township | Tiāndé Xiāng | 天德乡 | Township |

## Geography

The city spans an area of approximately 4,557 square kilometers in area, bounded by the Songhua River to its west. The Hulan River also flows through the city. The city has an average elevation of 740 meters in height. Shulan is home to a total of 318 species of animals which are classified as protected by the government, including sables, tigers, oriental storks, black storks, Asian black bears, yellow-throated martens, lynx, red deer, hazel grouse, Siberian cranes, swans, and various types of hawks and eagles.

### Climate

The average annual temperature of Shulan 4.3 °C, and the annual precipitation averages 683 millimeters.
Climate data for Shulan, elevation 268 m (879 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 4.2 (39.6) | 11.0 (51.8) | 19.0 (66.2) | 28.6 (83.5) | 32.5 (90.5) | 37.0 (98.6) | 35.8 (96.4) | 34.6 (94.3) | 29.7 (85.5) | 26.9 (80.4) | 20.5 (68.9) | 10.7 (51.3) | 37.0 (98.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −10.1 (13.8) | −5.0 (23.0) | 3.2 (37.8) | 13.6 (56.5) | 20.7 (69.3) | 25.6 (78.1) | 27.5 (81.5) | 26.2 (79.2) | 21.4 (70.5) | 12.9 (55.2) | 1.3 (34.3) | −7.8 (18.0) | 10.8 (51.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −16.6 (2.1) | −11.7 (10.9) | −2.5 (27.5) | 7.5 (45.5) | 14.7 (58.5) | 20.1 (68.2) | 22.8 (73.0) | 21.2 (70.2) | 15.1 (59.2) | 6.8 (44.2) | −3.9 (25.0) | −13.6 (7.5) | 5.0 (41.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −22.5 (−8.5) | −18.2 (−0.8) | −8.1 (17.4) | 1.5 (34.7) | 8.6 (47.5) | 14.8 (58.6) | 18.4 (65.1) | 16.9 (62.4) | 9.4 (48.9) | 1.4 (34.5) | −8.7 (16.3) | −18.9 (−2.0) | −0.5 (31.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −41.4 (−42.5) | −40.3 (−40.5) | −27.8 (−18.0) | −15.0 (5.0) | −3.6 (25.5) | 4.5 (40.1) | 10.5 (50.9) | 5.8 (42.4) | −4.0 (24.8) | −13.5 (7.7) | −28.6 (−19.5) | −39.1 (−38.4) | −41.4 (−42.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 6.8 (0.27) | 8.5 (0.33) | 18.0 (0.71) | 33.5 (1.32) | 70.2 (2.76) | 106.5 (4.19) | 165.7 (6.52) | 148.3 (5.84) | 65.5 (2.58) | 38.9 (1.53) | 26.1 (1.03) | 12.1 (0.48) | 700.1 (27.56) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 6.8 | 6.1 | 7.8 | 8.9 | 12.8 | 15.1 | 15.1 | 14.6 | 9.0 | 9.1 | 8.2 | 8.7 | 122.2 |
| Average snowy days | 10.0 | 8.2 | 8.9 | 3.8 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 | 9.2 | 11.5 | 54.7 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 68 | 63 | 58 | 51 | 59 | 69 | 78 | 81 | 74 | 64 | 65 | 69 | 67 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 148.9 | 176.5 | 206.2 | 204.7 | 226.8 | 230.4 | 215.2 | 213.2 | 219.9 | 184.6 | 142.6 | 132.5 | 2,301.5 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 52 | 59 | 56 | 51 | 49 | 50 | 46 | 50 | 59 | 55 | 50 | 48 | 52 |
| Source: China Meteorological Administration ||||||||||||||

## History

From the Xia dynasty through the Qin dynasty, the region of present-day Shulan was inhabited by the Sushen People. Afterwards, during the Han dynasty, the area fell under the jurisdiction of the Xuantu Commandery. Upon the establishment of the Dongdan Kingdom, the area began inhabited by the Jurchen People.
Shulan's historical sites include the tombs of Wanyan Xiyin, the erstwhile "Chief Shaman" of the Jurchens and, later, the chief minister of the early Jin Empire, and his family members. Since 1961, they have been listed on the provincial register of the protected historical sites.
During the Qing dynasty, the so-called Outer Willow Palisade, separating the Mongolian and Manchurian lands to the west and east respectively, ended near the town of Fate (法特镇) within today's Shulan.

## Economy

Like much of China, Shulan experienced vast economic growth throughout the 2000s, with the city's GDP increasing from 4.309 billion Renminbi in 2005 to 12.801 by 2010. During this time, the city's average wages also rose dramatically, from 8,039 Renminbi in 2005 to 22,896 Renminbi five years later. The city's GDP peaked in 2014 at 21.052 billion Renminbi, and has remained stable at approximately 20 billion during the latter 2010's. During this economic slowdown, the Shulan's tertiary sector has grown in importance, accounting for 53.7% of the city's GDP as of 2018.

### Agriculture

As of 2018, the city's crop planting area is 134,000 hectares, including 48,000 hectares of rice, 79,000 hectares of corn, and 77,000 hectares of soybeans, and the city achieved total grain output of 914,000 tons. Shulan's animal husbandry sector includes 1.222 million live pigs, 327,000 heads of cattle, 1.201 million heads of chickens, and 1.806 million heads of swan. The city has also developed a considerable forestry industry.

### Natural Resources

Mineral deposits in Shulan include lignite, silica, white granite, and peat. The city also has China's only significant deposit of ball clay. Shulan's proven basic reserves of coal are 211 million tons, mainly lignite. The proven reserves of molybdenum in the city are 710,300 tons, which are mainly distributed in a few small towns. The city also has proven reserves totaling 97.097 million tons of ball clay, 5.67 million cubic meters of basalt, and about 200 million cubic meters of granite. There is also considerable reserves of mineral water.

## Education

There are 184 schools in the city, including 4 high schools, 1 vocational high school, 20 junior high schools, 95 primary schools, and 1 special education school. The city has a total of 53,000 students.

## Transportation

Key roadways which pass through Shulan include China National Highway 202, Jilin Provincial Highway 204, and Jilin Provincial Highway 205. The Labin Railway and the Jilin-Shulan Railway pass through the city. Major railway stations in the city include the Fengguang, Jishu, Dongfu, Ma'anling, Shangying, Xiaocheng, Shuiqiliu, Ping'an, and Shulan stations.