Anqing

Anqing (, also Nganking, formerly Hwaining, now the name of Huaining County) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Anhui province, People's Republic of China. Its population was 4,165,284 as of the 2020 census, with 804,493 living in the built-up (or metro) area made up of three urban districts. Anqing is famous as the birthplace of Chen Duxiu, one of the founding fathers of the Chinese Communist Party, who served as the first General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party from 1921 to 1928. Huangmei opera, a renowned Chinese opera style, originated in the city of Anqing. This captivating art form gained immense popularity since the 1950s, largely attributed to the exceptional talents of local actors and actresses from Anqing. Huangmei opera is a significant cultural treasure that defines the rich heritage of the city of Anqing.

History
Anqing was built during the Southern Song dynasty in 1217. Anqing was held by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom for almost nine years, from June 1853 to December 1861. It served as the capital of the Taiping's Anhui province during this period. The final Battle of Anqing, in which the Qing forces laid siege to the city, began in 1860, and the Xiang Army and other Qing forces were able to retake Anqing by December 1861. The constant battles around Anqing devastated the city, and it took long to fully recover. In 1938, the Japanese occupied Anqing, which again caused major damage to the city. Following the Japanese defeat, the capital of Anhui was moved to Hefei, which eventually lead to Anqing's gradual loss of status as one of the "Five Tigers of the Yangtze".

Culture
The people of Anqing have a unique dialect that mixed with the Gan Chinese, Wu Chinese and Lower Yangtze Mandarin. It is therefore quite different from the rest of the province, which is predominantly Huizhou-speaking. Huangmei Opera performed in the local dialect of Anqing.

The early presence of actors from Anqing in the world of Peking opera (Beijing Opera) has significantly impacted the development of this renowned Chinese theatrical art form. This influence is evident in various aspects, including language accents and cultural nuances within Peking Opera.

Administration
The prefecture-level city of Anqing administers 10 county-level divisions, including 3 districts, 2 county-level cities and 5 counties.
 * District
 * Yingjiang District (迎江区)
 * Daguan District (大观区)
 * Yixiu District (宜秀区)
 * County-level city
 * Tongcheng (桐城市)
 * Qianshan (潜山市)
 * County
 * Huaining County (怀宁县)
 * Taihu County (太湖县)
 * Susong County (宿松县)
 * Wangjiang County (望江县)
 * Yuexi County (岳西县)

Geography
Anqing is located in the southwestern part of Anhui province, and on the northern shore of the lower Yangtze. To the north are the Dabie Mountains. Neighbouring prefectures are:


 * Tongling (E)
 * Chizhou (SE)
 * Jiujiang, Jiangxi (S)
 * Huanggang, Hubei (W)
 * Lu'an (N)
 * Hefei (NE)

The total area of the prefecture is 16300 km2, with an urban area of 550 km2, which is only 3.4% of the total.

Climate
Anqing has a four-season, monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), with chilly, damp winters and very hot, humid summers. Cold northwesterly winds from Siberia can occasionally cause nightly temperatures to drop below freezing (although snow is uncommon), while summer can see extended periods of 35 °C+ days. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 4.3 °C in January to 29.2 °C in July, while the annual mean is 17.20 °C. Precipitation tends to reach a maximum in tandem with the meiyu (plum rains) while wintertime rainfall is generally light. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 30% in March to 54% in August, the city receives 1,831 hours of bright sunshine annually.

Transport
Anqing has one Yangtze River crossing, the Anqing Yangtze River Bridge.

Anqing Tianzhushan Airport serves the city.

The Nanjing–Anqing Intercity Railway opened in December 2015, allowing a 90-minute journey time to Nanjing, and 3 hours to Shanghai. Wuhan-Hangzhou High-Speed Railway is also under construction.

One of the bus operators in Anqing, the Anqing Zhongbei Bus Company, is owned by a joint venture between Nanjing Public Utilities Development (formerly Nanjing Zhongbei) and RATP Dev Transdev Asia (RDTA). RDTA itself is a joint venture between Transdev and RATP Dev.



Tourism

 * Zhenfeng Pagoda, built in 1570 during the Ming Dynasty, is located in Anqing on the banks of the Yangtze River.
 * Little Orphan, a rock hill in the middle of Yangtze River in Susong.

Sister cities

 * 🇺🇸 Calabasas, California, United States