Suzhou, Anhui
Suzhou (Chinese: 宿州; pinyin: Sùzhōu) formerly romanized as Suchow[2] is a prefecture-level city in northern Anhui province. It borders the prefectural cities of Huaibei and Bengbu to the southwest and south respectively, the provinces of Jiangsu to the east, Shandong to the north, and Henan to the northwest.
Suzhou 宿州市 | |
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| Coordinates (Suzhou municipal government): 33°38′53″N 116°57′50″E | |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Province | Anhui |
| County-level divisions | 5 |
| Township-level divisions | 118 |
| Municipal seat | Yongqiao District |
| Government | |
| • CPC Secretary | Liang Weiguo (梁卫国) |
| • Mayor | Tang Chengpei (唐承沛) |
| Area | |
| • Prefecture-level city | 9,939.8 km2 (3,837.8 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 2,906.92 km2 (1,122.37 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 2,906.92 km2 (1,122.37 sq mi) |
| Population (2010 census) | |
| • Prefecture-level city | 5,352,924[1] |
| • Urban | 1,647,642 |
| • Urban density | 570/km2 (1,500/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 1,647,642 |
| • Metro density | 570/km2 (1,500/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
| Postal code | 234000 |
| Area code(s) | 557 |
| ISO 3166 code | CN-AH-13 |
| GDP | ¥21.919 billion (2003) |
| GDP per capita | ¥3,696 |
| License Plate Prefix | 皖L |
| Major Nationalities | Han |
| Website | www |
Its population was 5,352,924 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 1,647,642 lived in the built-up area (or metro) made of Yongqiao urban district, even though it remains largely rural.
History
Suzhou was formerly Su County (simplified Chinese: 宿县; traditional Chinese: 宿縣; pinyin: Sù Xiàn).
Administration
Suzhou administers five county-level divisions, including one district and four counties.
- Yongqiao District (埇桥区)
- Dangshan County (砀山县)
- Xiao County (萧县)
- Lingbi County (灵璧县)
- Si County (泗县)
| Map |
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These are further divided into 118 township-level divisions.
Climate
Suzhou has a monsoon-influenced, humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa), 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 0.8 °C (33.4 °F). Summers are typically hot and humid, with a July average of 27.3 °C (81.1 °F). The annual mean is 14.73 °C (58.5 °F), while annual precipitation averages about 840 millimetres (33 in), a majority of which occurs from May to August.
| Climate data for Suzhou (1971−2000) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 20.1 (68.2) |
25.2 (77.4) |
30.0 (86.0) |
34.3 (93.7) |
37.6 (99.7) |
40.3 (104.5) |
40.9 (105.6) |
38.2 (100.8) |
37.1 (98.8) |
35.1 (95.2) |
30.0 (86.0) |
22.1 (71.8) |
40.9 (105.6) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 6.1 (43.0) |
8.5 (47.3) |
13.6 (56.5) |
21.0 (69.8) |
26.5 (79.7) |
30.7 (87.3) |
31.8 (89.2) |
31.1 (88.0) |
27.1 (80.8) |
22.0 (71.6) |
14.9 (58.8) |
8.7 (47.7) |
20.2 (68.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 0.8 (33.4) |
3.0 (37.4) |
8.0 (46.4) |
15.0 (59.0) |
20.5 (68.9) |
25.2 (77.4) |
27.3 (81.1) |
26.6 (79.9) |
22.0 (71.6) |
16.2 (61.2) |
9.1 (48.4) |
3.0 (37.4) |
14.7 (58.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −3.2 (26.2) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
3.2 (37.8) |
9.6 (49.3) |
15.0 (59.0) |
20.3 (68.5) |
23.7 (74.7) |
23.1 (73.6) |
18.0 (64.4) |
11.6 (52.9) |
4.6 (40.3) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
10.3 (50.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −13.2 (8.2) |
−18.1 (−0.6) |
−8.2 (17.2) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
5.3 (41.5) |
12.0 (53.6) |
16.8 (62.2) |
15.5 (59.9) |
7.2 (45.0) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
−7.7 (18.1) |
−18.7 (−1.7) |
−18.7 (−1.7) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 19.3 (0.76) |
27.2 (1.07) |
45.7 (1.80) |
51.7 (2.04) |
64.3 (2.53) |
115.4 (4.54) |
218.2 (8.59) |
115.7 (4.56) |
81.8 (3.22) |
56.4 (2.22) |
29.2 (1.15) |
14.0 (0.55) |
838.9 (33.03) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 4.7 | 6.2 | 7.9 | 7.5 | 7.8 | 9.7 | 13.6 | 10.7 | 8.4 | 7.7 | 6.0 | 4.2 | 94.4 |
| Source: Weather China | |||||||||||||
Festivals
Sacrifice to The Kitchen God (祭灶)
This festival is the traditional lunar festival of East Asia, celebrated in Suzhou. People think this festival is to give presents to God. In Suzhou, this festival is celebrated by offering food and burning incense on a table and white wine on the floor to worship the gods. This food is left untouched for, more or less, one day. Also, some food is shared with family and friends.
Pear Flower Festival (梨花节)
There are many pear trees in Suzhou and when their flowers bloom people get together to appreciate it and have a picnic. At night there is a festival program on Anhui TV to show how beautiful it is.
Sacred Stone Festival (奇石节)[3]
Suzhou Lingbi Sacred Stone Festival aims to promote the charming and admirable Lingbi sculptures. This festival expands the economy, sets up an investment promotion platform, promotes Suzhou economic and social development, and enhances its visibility and reputation. People get together and show their unique and beautiful stones. They can be viewed at the Suzhou QiShi Museum. The city mayor chooses the best one to be sent to the National Museum of China.
Notes and references
- "China: Ānhuī (Prefectures, Cities, Districts and Counties) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- Postal romanisation.
- 党和国家领导人将来参加第三届宿州奇石节. szxx.com.cn.
External links
- Government website of Suzhou (in Simplified Chinese)