# Lu'an

Lu'an (Chinese: 六安; pinyin: Lù'ān), is a prefecture-level city in western Anhui province, People's Republic of China, bordering Henan to the northwest and Hubei to the southwest. As of the 2020 census, it had a total population of 4,393,699 inhabitants whom 1,752,537 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of Yu'an and Jin'an urban districts. Neighbouring prefecture-level cities are the provincial capital of Hefei to the east, Anqing to the south, Huanggang (Hubei) and Xinyang (Henan) to the west, and Huainan and Fuyang to the north. Although the character 六 (literally: "six") is normally pronounced "Liù", in this case it changes to "Lù" on account of the historical literary reading.
Lu'an, also known as "Gaocheng". Located in the west of Anhui Province, between the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River, at the northern foot of the Dabie Mountains, "Western Anhui" in the geographical sense refers specifically to Lu'an. Lu'an has beautiful mountains and clear waters, and beautiful natural scenery. You can not only enjoy flowers and birds, but also mountain climbing and rafting. At the same time, Lu'an has many cultural relics and historic sites, as well as talented people. Good generals and prime ministers, literary heroes, party history heroes, and political figures are like stars in the sky, shining through the past and present.

## History

In 121 AD, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty took the meaning of "safety in the six places" and established the Liu'an Kingdom in the second year of Yuanxing. The name "Liu'an" is still used today. Because Shun granted Gaotao the title of Liu (Lù), later generations called Liu'an Gaocheng.
During the Xia and Shang Dynasties, Liu was a country south of the Huaihe River. From the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period, there were many feudal states, and the territory of Ying, Liu, Liao, Qunshu and other vassal states were formed successively. During the Warring States Period, the princes merged and became subordinate to Wu and Chu successively.
During the Qin Dynasty, six counties were established, which belonged to Jiujiang County. The Western Han Dynasty established Liu'an Kingdom, and the Eastern Han Dynasty established Liu'an County, named after the ancient Six Kingdoms. In the Sui Dynasty, Shouzhou was established. In the eighth year of Zhenghe of the Song Dynasty (1118), the Lu'an Army was established. In the Yuan Dynasty, it was called Liu'an Prefecture and belonged to Luzhou Road. It belonged to Luzhou Prefecture in the Ming Dynasty and Zhili Prefecture in the Qing Dynasty.
In December 1992, Lu'an City and Lu'an County merged and were called Lu'an City (county level). In September 1999, the State Council approved the withdrawal of land from Lu'an to establish a city. The original county-level Lu'an City was divided into Jin'an District and Yu'an District. In March 2000, the provincial-level Lu'an City was officially established.

## Population

At the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, Lu'an City has a permanent population of 4.343 million people and an urbanization rate of 51.41%.
Among the city's permanent population, 2.233 million people live in cities and towns, accounting for 51.41% of the total population; 2.110 million people live in rural areas, accounting for 48.59% of the total population. There are 2.239 million men, accounting for 51.56% of the total population; there are 2.104 million women, accounting for 48.44% of the total population. The sex ratio is 106.46.

## Geography and climate

Lu'an is marked by the southern fringes of the North China Plain in its north and the northern part of the Dabie Mountains in its south. Its administrative area spans 31°01′−32°40′ N latitude and 115°20′−117°14′ E longitude, respectively.
Lu'an has a monsoon-influenced, humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), with four distinct seasons. Winters are cold and damp, with average low temperatures in January dipping just below freezing; the January 24-hour average temperature is 2.8 °C (37.0 °F). Summers are typically hot and humid, with a July average of 28.0 °C (82.4 °F). The annual mean is 16.0 °C (60.8 °F), while annual precipitation averages just above 1,100 mm (43 in), a majority of which occurs from May to August. Annual sunshine duration is 2,000 to 2,300 hours.
The terrain is high in the southwest and flat in the northeast, distributed in a trapezoid shape, forming three natural areas: mountains, hills, and plains.
Climate data for Lu'an, elevation 74 m (243 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–2010) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 22.5 (72.5) | 28.7 (83.7) | 34.9 (94.8) | 35.3 (95.5) | 37.6 (99.7) | 38.4 (101.1) | 40.6 (105.1) | 39.7 (103.5) | 40.0 (104.0) | 34.6 (94.3) | 31.2 (88.2) | 25.1 (77.2) | 40.6 (105.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.2 (45.0) | 10.3 (50.5) | 15.6 (60.1) | 22.3 (72.1) | 27.0 (80.6) | 29.6 (85.3) | 32.6 (90.7) | 31.6 (88.9) | 27.7 (81.9) | 22.5 (72.5) | 16.3 (61.3) | 9.8 (49.6) | 21.0 (69.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.1 (37.6) | 5.8 (42.4) | 10.7 (51.3) | 17.0 (62.6) | 22.0 (71.6) | 25.3 (77.5) | 28.2 (82.8) | 27.3 (81.1) | 23.1 (73.6) | 17.6 (63.7) | 11.3 (52.3) | 5.3 (41.5) | 16.4 (61.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.1 (32.2) | 2.5 (36.5) | 6.9 (44.4) | 12.6 (54.7) | 17.8 (64.0) | 21.8 (71.2) | 24.9 (76.8) | 24.2 (75.6) | 19.7 (67.5) | 13.8 (56.8) | 7.5 (45.5) | 2.1 (35.8) | 12.8 (55.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −13.6 (7.5) | −11.6 (11.1) | −3.2 (26.2) | 0.2 (32.4) | 7.6 (45.7) | 12.1 (53.8) | 18.0 (64.4) | 15.3 (59.5) | 10.7 (51.3) | 1.7 (35.1) | −4.7 (23.5) | −11.7 (10.9) | −13.6 (7.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 52.3 (2.06) | 53.0 (2.09) | 84.3 (3.32) | 88.7 (3.49) | 101.6 (4.00) | 156.4 (6.16) | 214.2 (8.43) | 150.7 (5.93) | 83.8 (3.30) | 60.1 (2.37) | 59.5 (2.34) | 35.0 (1.38) | 1,139.6 (44.87) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 9.1 | 9.3 | 11.5 | 10.4 | 11.4 | 11.1 | 12.9 | 12.6 | 9.9 | 9.1 | 9.1 | 7.5 | 123.9 |
| Average snowy days | 5.0 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 11.3 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 73 | 72 | 70 | 68 | 70 | 77 | 79 | 81 | 77 | 73 | 72 | 70 | 74 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 121.0 | 122.0 | 152.8 | 183.1 | 190.7 | 171.4 | 196.9 | 181.0 | 154.9 | 159.8 | 150.5 | 136.8 | 1,920.9 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 38 | 39 | 41 | 47 | 45 | 40 | 46 | 44 | 42 | 46 | 48 | 44 | 43 |
| Source 1: China Meteorological Administration ||||||||||||||
| Source 2: Weather China ||||||||||||||

## Administration

The prefecture-level city of Lu'an administers seven county-level divisions, including three districts and four counties.
As of the end of 2022, Lu'an City governs 3 municipal districts of Jin'an, Yu'an and Yeji, 4 counties of Huoqiu, Jinzhai, Huoshan and Shucheng, as well as the national-level Lu'an Economic and Technological Development Zone; it has 10 sub-districts, 95 towns, 35 townships, a total of 140 towns (streets); a total of 174 urban community residents' committees and 1,795 villagers' committees.
The city's total area is 15,450.9016 square kilometers. Among them, there are 6618.98 hectares of wetland, 497245.32 hectares of cultivated land, 49507.09 hectares of garden land, 626483.09 hectares of forest land, 5786.65 hectares of grassland, 159656.48 hectares of urban, village and industrial and mining land, 29053.67 hectares of transportation land, and 152606.61 hectares of water and water conservancy facilities land.
Map :
| Jin'an Yu'an Yeji Huoqiu County Shucheng County Jinzhai County Huoshan County ||||||
| Name | Simplified Chinese | Hanyu Pinyin | Population (2015) | Area (km$^2$) | Density (/km$^2$) |
| Districts ||||||
| Jin'an District | 金安区 | Jīn'ān Qū | 878,600 | 1653.58 | 531 |
| Yu'an District | 裕安区 | Yù'ān Qū | 1,024,600 | 1925.61 | 532 |
| Yeji District | 叶集区 | Yèjí Qū | 168,000 | 555.17 | 302 |
| Counties ||||||
| Huoqiu County | 霍邱县 | Huòqiū Xiàn | 1,702,200 | 3248.16 | 524 |
| Shucheng County | 舒城县 | Shūchéng Xiàn | 995,000 | 2109.77 | 471 |
| Jinzhai County | 金寨县 | Jīnzhài Xiàn | 674,400 | 3914.74 | 172 |
| Huoshan County | 霍山县 | Huòshān Xiàn | 362,600 | 2040.42 | 177 |
These are further divided into 142 township-level divisions.

## Transport

* China National Highway 312: National Highway 312, also known as National Highway 312, G312, and Huhuo Line, is a national highway that crosses East China, Central China, and Northwest China. It starts from People's Square in Huangpu District, Shanghai, and ends at Horgos City, Yili Autonomous Prefecture. Take Kazakhstan A353 highway.
* Lu'an railway station: The station is located at No. 7 Jiefang South Road, Yu'an District, and is under the jurisdiction of the Shanghai Railway Bureau. Lu'an Station is a railway station in Lu'an City, Anhui Province, China. It is currently a second-class station and passes through the railways such as "Ningxi Railway, Shanghai-Hancheng High-speed Railway, and Fuliu Railway".

## Economy

Lu'an has developed industries and has basically formed key industries such as iron ore metallurgy, food processing, machinery manufacturing, clothing and textiles, energy and electricity, and construction and building materials, and has initially established a regional trade and logistics center in the Dabie Mountains.
Lu'an is rich in resources. There are more than 10 million acres of vast mountain fields, nearly 4 million acres of arable water surface, and 12 billion cubic meters of surface water resources. Six major reservoirs have accumulated 7 billion cubic meters of high-quality water sources above Class II.
There are more than 40 kinds of metallic ores and non-metallic minerals. Among them, Huoqiu Iron Mine has proven reserves of more than 2 billion tons and prospective reserves of 3 billion tons, ranking first in East China and fifth in the country; Jinzhai Molybdenum Mine has proven reserves of more than 2.2 million tons. The potential mining value reaches 1 trillion yuan; Lu'an jade is of high quality and contains unlimited business opportunities.

## Specialty

Lu'an Guapian, a famous traditional Chinese tea and one of the top ten famous teas in China, is a green tea. Guapian or Piancha, for short, is produced in the Dabie Mountain area of Lu'an City, Anhui Province. It was called "Luzhou Lu'an Tea" in the Tang Dynasty and was a famous tea. Lu'an Guapian is produced in the Dabie Camellia Area in western Anhui, north of the Yangtze River and south of the Huaihe River. Lu'an and other places are the most famous, and are called Lu'an Guapian. The Dabie Mountains have high mountains, lots of clouds and mist, and high humidity. Together with the exquisite harvesting and processing, the quality is particularly excellent. Lu'an Guapian is melon seed-shaped and is a single piece of tender green tea. It has the characteristics of "emerald green color, clear aroma, fresh and sweet taste, green and clear soup color, and frequent brewing". Lu'an Guapian has a long history and rich cultural connotation. As early as the Tang Dynasty, Lu Yu's famous book "The Book of Tea" contains records about "Luzhou Liu'an Tea". Xu Guangqi, a scientist in the Ming Dynasty, said in his book "The Complete Book of Agriculture" that "the tea from Liu'an Prefecture is the best tea". During the Qing Dynasty, melon slices were listed as tribute.
Jinzhai Kiwi，Jinzhai kiwi is a specialty of Jinzhai County, Lu'an City, Anhui Province. The wild kiwi fruit in Jinzhai County is not very large and uneven in size. It has a fragrant and delicious taste, pleasant sweet and sour taste, and is durable for storage.

## Food

Jinzhai chestnut cake Jinzhai is the hometown of chestnuts. Jinzhai Chestnut Crisp is made from the local specialty Jinzhai chestnut. Traditional production techniques are combined with Western pastry methods. The resulting chestnut cake melts in your mouth, with crispy skin and sweet fillings. It is a special snack that is very popular among local residents and foreign tourists.
Jinzhai Shaobing is produced in Lu'an. Jinzhai Shaobing is also called Jinhua Crispy Cake. It is golden in color, crispy and delicious. It has a round appearance, like a ball. When you bite it, you will get the meaty aroma accompanied by the aroma of dried plums and vegetables. The crispy baked skin is very sweet and delicious, and is deeply loved and welcomed by people.
Fried shredded chicken buns have thin skin and thick meat, crispy texture and rich aroma. With the tenderness of the shredded chicken, the taste is even better. It is a delicious snack.

## Celebrity

Yingbu was a famous general in the late Qin and early Han dynasties. He was previously one of Xiang Yu's generals. He once accompanied Xiang Yu to destroy Qin and was granted the title of King of Jiujiang. Later, he surrendered to Liu Bang and together with Han Xin destroyed Xiang Yu. After the establishment of the Han Dynasty, he was named King of Huainan by Liu Bang for his merits. Together with Han Xin and Peng Yue, he was named the three most famous generals in the early Han Dynasty. He was later killed for rebellion.
Duan Qirui (1865–1936), formerly known as Qirui and courtesy name Zhiquan, was known as the "Righteous Old Man" in his later years. He was a native of Liu'an County, Anhui (now Lu'an City). A famous politician in the Republic of China, known as the "Tiger of the North" and the leader of the Anhui warlords. The main target of Sun Yat-sen's "Dharma Protection Movement".
Fang Yong (1895–1956), courtesy name Jinglue, was born in Shouxian County. He devoted himself to the study of philology, read extensively about calligraphy and history, and made detailed textual research. He once made friends with Yi Baisha, a famous figure in Chinese studies. He has successively served as a lecturer and professor at Anhui University, editor of the Anhui Provisional General Chronicle Library, compiler of the National Translation and Translation Center, and professor of Anhui University of Political Science. After the Anti-Japanese War, he successively served as a Chinese language teacher in provincial and county middle schools. When students asked questions, he immediately answered them and pointed out the source. The students respected him and called it "the source of the word that fell off the page."