Linqing

Linqing is a county-level city under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Liaocheng in western Shandong Province, China.

Geography and climate
It is located north-northwest of Liaocheng. The city is situated at the confluence of the Wei River and the Grand Canal. It is 380 km from Beijing on the Beijing–Kowloon railway line to Hong Kong. Elevation within Linqing County ranges from 29 to 38 m above sea level. The area of the county is 955 km2. The annual average temperature is 12.8 C, the highest recorded temperature 41.4 C, and the lowest recorded temperature −22.1 C. Annual mean precipitation is 590.4 mm. There are 205 frost-free days per year on average and the average annual sunshine is 2661 hours.

History and economy
Linqing has played an important role in the history of China. In Ming and Qing times it was a great center for the distribution of textiles, grain and bricks and is also famous as the place where the tiles of the Great Wall and the Forbidden City were produced. Today the city's flourishing economy is based on a number of light industrial enterprises.

Aside from the Grand Canal, sights include a distinctive promontory, a stupa, a Ming-dynasty Hui mosques (Linqing Northern Mosque, , Linqing Eastern Mosque, ), and ruins of the old customs house , Linqing City Museum (in a historical building ensemble known as the ). In particular, the Sheli Pagoda near the Grand Canal is a well-known local landmark.

Administrative divisions
As 2012, this city is divided to four subdistricts, eight towns and three townships.
 * Subdistricts
 * Towns
 * Townships
 * Jinhaozhuang Township (金郝庄乡)
 * Daiwan Township (戴湾乡)
 * Shangdian Township (尚店乡)

Demographics
The city proper has about 143,000 residents (January 2000), whereas Linqing as a whole had 709,328 inhabitants in 1999.

Ecclesiastical history
Once visited by the missionary and sinologist Matteo Ricci, Linqing has been the seat of a Latin Catholic Mission sui juris of Linqing / Lintsing since it was split off from the Apostolic Vicariate of Tsinanfu on 24 June 1927. It was promoted to Apostolic prefecture of Linqing / Lintsing / Lintsingen(sis) (Latin) (pre-diocesan jurisdiction, not entitled to a titular bishop) on 5 April 1931. It remains exempt, i.e. directly dependent on the Holy See and its missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The see has been vacant, without Apostolic administrator, since the third incumbent's death in 1981.

Ordinaries
(all Latin Rite) none available
 * ''Ecclesiastical Superior(s)

(Chinese secular priests)
 * Apostolic Prefects
 * Father Gaspar Hu Xiu-shen (胡修身) (1931.03.30 – retired 1940), died 1945
 * Fr. Joseph Li Chao-gui (李朝貴) (1940.11.22 – death 1948)
 * Fr. Paul Li Ben-liang (李本良) (1949.11.18 – death 1981)

Notable natives

 * Ming dynasty poet Xie Zhen
 * National Revolution Army general Zhang Zizhong
 * Indologist, linguist, paleographer, historian and writer Ji Xianlin

Sources and external links

 * Article on Linqing from China Today, no.78 (2005)
 * Official website of Linqing city government (in Chinese)
 * GCatholic Catholic missionary jurisdictions
 * Another Linqing site (in Chinese), but with pictures