Ma'anshan
Ma'anshan (), also colloquially written as Maanshan, is a prefecture-level city in the eastern part of Anhui province in Eastern China. An industrial city stretching across the Yangtze River, Ma'anshan borders Hefei to the west, Wuhu to the southwest, and Nanjing to the east. It is a satellite city of the Nanjing metropolitan area and is also a city in the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone. As of the 2020 census, Ma'anshan was home to 2,159,930 inhabitants, of whom 1,253,960 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of Huashan and Yushan urban districts and Dangtu County, which  is largely urbanized. One can notice that Ma'anshan is now being conurbated with Nanjing making a combined built-up area of 8,419,252 inhabitants. After the August 2011 administrative re-regionalization of Anhui Province, its population rose to 2.16 million, as two additional counties ("He" and "Hanshan") were placed under its administration. Administration. The prefecture-level city of Ma'anshan administers 6 county-level divisions, including 3 districts and 3 counties. In September 2012, Jinjiazhuang District was dissolved and merged with Huashan District, while part of Dangtu County was split and established as Bowang District. Name. The name of the city means  Horse Saddle Mountain. According to legend, the name came to be when the Western Chu hegemon Xiang Yu was fleeing from the Battle of Gaixia. Rather than be captured, the defeated general killed himself at the area now known as Ma'anshan after ensuring that his beloved horse would be ferried across the river to safety. Upon seeing his master die, the grief-stricken horse leapt into the river and was drowned. As a tribute, the boatman buried the horse's saddle on a nearby hill, giving Ma'anshan its name. City Flower and City Tree. Osmanthus fragrans is the city flower  of Ma'anshan and is widely planted in Ma'anshan. The climate of Ma'anshan is more rainy and mild, suitable for the growth of sweet-scented osmanthus. Generally from mid-September to Chinese National Day, the sweet-scented osmanthus blooms. Camphor tree is the city tree of Ma'anshan. Camphor trees are very popular among residents of Ma'anshan. Residents of Ma'anshan City often regard camphor trees as landscape trees and feng shui trees. Feng shui in China means warding off evil spirits, longevity and good luck. History. The south bank of the Yangtze River from Ma'anshan upstream for , has long been a mining  area. The coming of a railroad and the opening of the Huai-nan coalfield in the 1930s made it possible for the Japanese to open an iron and steel works in 1938. Although destroyed at the end of the Second World War, the industries were restored to production in 1953, and Ma'anshan grew rapidly under the Communists' first and second Five-Year Plans. Ma'anshan also has sulfur and limestone mines, and chemical and cement factories. In 1954, Ma'anshan was elevated to town level, and, in Oct. 12, 1956, Ma'anshan City was declared to be founded. Geography and climate. Surrounded by  low hills (the name of the city means "horse saddle mountain"), Ma'anshan is not as polluted as other major Chinese steelmaking cities, thanks to the environmental policies taken by the local government that granted the city the recognition as one of the "Ten Green Cities of China." Its climate is similar to other cities in the Yangtze River Delta, with lower humidity that makes its summers and winters less extreme. There are frequent showers during July and August. Economy. The main industry is the steel industry (MaGang) which employs much of the workforce of Ma'anshan. At present (2005) major expansions  of the steel plant are underway to increase production drastically. With the advanced manufacturing infrastructure and fast transportation link, Ma'anshan has received much investment in many industries. Ma'anshan city has an annual manufacture investment ranking No.1 in Anhui Province and her GDP ranks No.4 in Anhui Province after Hefei, Anqing and Wuhu. Ma'anshan's population ranks No.16 in the province and has a GDP per capita of US$7,118 which is No.1 in Anhui Province and near the average of Yangtze River Delta. Maanshan has been identified by the Economist Intelligence Unit in the November 2010 Access China White Paper  as a member of the CHAMPS (Chongqing, Hefei, Anshan, Ma'anshan, Pingdingshan and Shenyang), an economic profile of the top 20 emerging cities in China. Transportation. The deep water river port of Ma'anshan, with custom offices ensures fast and inexpensive transportation to other cities both in the East coast, and the inner cities along the Yangtze River. Nanjing Lukou International Airport is from Ma'anshan, with direct flights to every corner of China and also daily flights to Europe. By road, Ma'anshan is connected with highways to Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Hefei and Wuhu. The city has one Yangtze River crossing—the  Ma'anshan Yangtze River Bridge, opened in 2013, enables direct road access to cities in northern Anhui. , plans are underway to extend Nanjing Metro to Ma'anshan, the future Line S2 (Nanjing Metro) under review will connect Ma'anshan as well as the Dangtu County to the south with the city of Nanjing. Culture. There is a memorial to the famous Chinese poet, Li Bai (a.k.a. Li Po c.700-762), just west of Ma'anshan. Li Bai is said to have drowned at Ma'anshan after attempting to embrace a reflection of the moon. China's first poetry festival was held in Ma'anshan from October  25–30, 2005. The theme of the festival, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, the Chinese Writers Association, and the Anhui provincial government, was "Poetic China, Harmonious China." The Ma'anshan Sports Centre Stadium, a 36,542-capacity venue, is located in the city. The football stadium opened in 2019.