Yuncheng, formerly known as Hedong, is located in the southwest of Shanxi Province, the golden triangle area of the Yellow River in Shanxi, Shaanxi and Henan Province. It is one of the important birthplaces of the Chinese nation and civilization. It is also the hometown of the martial saint Guan Gong. Located to the east of the Yellow River, the mother river of the Chinese nation, Yuncheng was called "Hedong" in ancient times. During the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), Emperor Xian of the Kingdom Jin made his capital in Jiang (now Jiangxian County) in 669 BC. After the Jin Kingdom was divided into the three Kingdoms of Han, Zhao and Wei, Yuncheng belonged to the Wei kingdom. During that time, Anyi (near Yuwang township in Xiaxian County today) was the capital of the Wei kingdom. Later Emperor Qin Shihuang unified China and set up 36 counties. Yuncheng was named Hedong County with its capital in Anyi. During a span of more than 2000 years after that, though the capital moved frequently, the name "Hedong" remained. Yuncheng, named after being the city of salt transportation, is the only city in China that is built for salt. In 2000, Yuncheng was promoted from a prefectural region to a city, consisting of 1 district (Yanhu District), 2 county-level cities (Yongji and Hejin) ,10 counties (Ruicheng, Linyi, Wanrong, Xinjiang, Jishan, Wenxi, Xiaxian, Jiangxian, Pinglu, Yuanqu), 12 Provincial Development Zones, 149 villages and towns (sub-district office), as well as 2172 village committees, and 231Community residents committees. By the end of 2020, the city's permanent resident population was 4.7745 million, among which the urban population was 2.3525 million, and the urbanization rate was 49.27%, while the rural population was 2,422,000.
Superior Geographical Condition with Preferential Policies
Located in the central part of the golden triangle area of the Yellow River in Shanxi, Shaanxi and Henan Provinces, with a coastline of 380 kilometers, Yuncheng is the last great bend where the Yellow River turns eastward towards the sea. With the distance to Xi’an and Luoyang 200 km, Taiyuan 380 km, Yuncheng is the junction of North China, Northwest China and Central Plains, as well as a significant node of the Belt and Road Initiative. Taking advantage of this superior location, the Shanxi-Shaanxi-Henan Yellow River Golden Triangle Industrial Transfer Demonstration Zone, led by Yuncheng City, was successfully approved in May 2012. It is the only cross-provincial demonstration zone to undertake industrial transfer in China, including Weinan in Shaanxi, Sanmenxia in Henan, Yuncheng and Linfen in Shanxi, with a total area of 58,000 square kilometers and a population of 17 million. It has complementary industrial advantages and connected infrastructure. In April 2014, the State Council issued the Replenum on the Regional Cooperation Plan for the Yellow River Golden Triangle of Shanxi, Shaanxi and Henan, this area was elevated into a national strategy and incorporated into the Guanzhong Plain City Agglomeration by the state council. This area is connected to the Bohai Economy Circle and adjacent to the Guantian Economic Zone, boasting the advantages of policy superposition of Shanxi Comprehensive Reform Pilot Zone and Central Plains Economic Zone. It will enjoy more policy support in the aspects of mechanism system, project layout, talent introduction and financial support. Yuncheng will usher in a new round of important strategic opportunities for development.
Sound Transportation Network with Tremendous Development Potential
In Yuncheng, the three-dimensional traffic patterns of roads, railways and aviation has already taken shape. In terms of roads, a one-hour economic circle from city center to counties has been formed. The highway mileage of the city is 16,096 kilometers and the highway density is 113.5 kilometers /100 km2. The expressway mileage is 603 kilometers. In terms of railway, it takes 1 hour to reach Xi 'an, 2 hours to Taiyuan, 5 hours to Beijing, 6 hours to Chongqing and 7 hours to Shanghai by high-speed rail. South Tongpu Railway runs from north to south and Houxi Railway runs from east to west. Since the operation of the Daxi passenger line, the daily passenger transport capacity of Yuncheng Station has reached up to 14,000.
Profound Cultural Heritage with Rich Tourism Resources
Yuncheng is one of the cradles breeding the 5000-year Chinese civilization. The discovery of the Eosimias fossil in Yuanqu County in the 1990s by Chinese and American scientists has pushed the origin of humankind back by about 10 million years. Archeologists believe that Eosimias（about 45 million years ago）was the earliest ancestor of all primates, including humans. Xihoudu Cultural Relics in Fenglingdu Town, Ruicheng County, is the earliest evidence of human’s first use of fire, dating back to 1.8 million years ago. It is a famous cultural relic of the Paleolithic Age.
Houtu Temple at Wanrong County was first built in the Han Dynasty to offer sacrifices to our Creator Nüwa—the ancient leader of matrilineal clan. The earliest record is Emperor Xuanyuan’s sweeping the floor of the altar in Fen Yin. From Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, the official worship of the shrine continued until the Song Dynasty, during which 43 emperors came to Yuncheng to offer sacrifices to the soil. Among them, Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty came to Yuncheng six times and left us with the famous masterpiece Songs of the Autumn Wind. Boasting a history of more than 4,000 years and covering an area of 132 square kilometers, Yuncheng Salt Lake played a pivotal role in the development of Chinese civilization. The development and utilization of salt, together with the use of fire, greatly improved the quality of human life and accelerated the pace of the evolution of human civilization. The legendary Zhuolu War between the Yellow Emperor and Chi You took place in Yuncheng, fighting for the salt lake here. Today there is a village named Chi You in Yanhu Disctrict, Yuncheng, to commemorate that fierce battle between Huangdi and Chi You. It is said that during the Tang and Song Dynasty, the tax levied from Salt Lake accounted to 1/8, even 1/6 of the public revenue of the whole country.
Guan Yu, a well-known general in the Kingdom of Shu Han, was born in ancient Yuncheng (or Hedong). Because of his loyalty, bravery and credibility, Guan Gong has been worshiped as a deity for generations. The existence and advocacy of Guan’s spirit met the social, cultural and psychological needs of the society. Yuncheng, an ancient land, witnessed many moving historical tales and legends such as the Yellow Emperor’s fighting Chi You, Emperor Shun’s plowing in Lishan Mountains, Emperor Yu’s cutting through Longmen, Leizu’s breeding silkworms. Puban, the capital of Shun (Yongji), Anyi, the capital of Yu (Salt Lake District), and the capital of Xia, the first dynasty of China's slave society, were all built in Yuncheng. The litterateur Liu Zongyuan, the author Wang Bo, the dramatist Guan Hanqing, the historian and famous minister Sima Guang, and Yang Yuhuan, one of the four beauties in ancient times, were all from Yuncheng. The three distinguished families of Pei, Wang fand Xue in Yuncheng were prominent, of which Family Pei in Wenxi County were the most famous. Yuncheng has been praised as a place of love and righteousness. It is the place where the love story between Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying in The Romance of the Western Chambertook place. It is also the hometown of the martial arts saint Guan Gong. In Yuncheng, there are 47 cultural relics open to the outside world, 102 national cultural relics and 67 provincial cultural relics.
Here there is Guandi Temple (the ancestor of Wu Temple), Guanque Tower (one of the four famous historical buildings in China), Yongle Palace (the Palace of Art), Puju Temple (the place where The Romance of the West Chamber took place), and Emperor Shun’s Mausoleum (a holy place offering sacrifice to our ancestors), the Iron Ox (the splendor of China); the black mud bathing pool in Salt Lake, Wen Xi Pei's prime ministerial village, as well as the Guan Gong cultural complex ( ranking fifth on the preparatory list of world cultural heritage in China). Relying on these abundant tourism resources, we are building a famous cultural tourism city. Since ancient times, Yuncheng has had a fine tradition of cultivating and studying, emphasizing education and learning. Basic education and vocational skills education have always been at the forefront of the province. Kangjie Middle School and Yuncheng Middle School have been ranked among the top 100 demonstration high schools in China. Besides that, the 7 higher vocational colleges and 59 secondary vocational colleges in Yuncheng provide continuously the reliable talents to meet the needs of the society.
Pleasant Climate with Abundant Agricultural Products
In Yuncheng, the land is flat and the soil is fertile. At present, there are leading industries of grain, fruits, vegetables and livestock as well as a circular industrial chain. There are seven state-level demonstration zones for the quality and safety of exported food and agricultural products. The annual grain output was stable at 2.82 billion kilograms, and fruit output exceeded 6 billion kilograms. Apples, nectarines and other high-quality fruits were exported to more than 60 countries and regions such as the United States, Australia and Peru, accounting for nearly a quarter of China's total exports of 380 million kilograms. In 2020, the total output value of the city's agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery was 53.25 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 4.1%; The added value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery reached 28.65 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 4.1%. Of these, the total agricultural output value was 40.54 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 4.6%. The total output value of forestry was 730 million yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 0.6%. The gross output value of fishery was 290 million yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 4.2%. The total output value of animal husbandry was 8.16 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 1.9%. The total output value of agricultural, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery professional and auxiliary activities was 3.57 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 3.7%. In 2020, the city's total grain output was 28.22 billion kilograms, with a year-on-year growth of 6.3%; The area under grain cultivation was 535.7 thousand hectares, with a year-on-year growth of 0.6 %.
Solid Raw Material Industry with Plentiful Mineral Resources
Yuncheng boasts 61 kinds of minerals, 34 of which have been exploited and used in industrial production and manufacturing. The production of magnesium salt ranks second in China, the copper and glass quartz sandstone reserves account for 95% and 67% respectively in Shanxi province. The main minerals include 450 million tons of coal, 6.024 million tons of iron ore, 2.4 million tons of copper and 10.64 million tons of bauxite. The raw material industry has a solid foundation, with alumina production capacity of 3.3 million tons, accounting for about 12% of the country. The production capacity of electrolytic aluminum is 800,000 tons, accounting for about 7% of the whole country. The production capacity of magnesium is 400,000 tons, accounting for about 30% of the whole country. The coke production capacity is 10 million tons, which has laid a good foundation for the development of deep processing of raw materials and the extension of industrial chain. It has initially formed industrial clusters such as coal electricity aluminum, coal coking, metal magnesium, transportation equipment manufacturing, medicine, chemical industry, agricultural and sideline products processing, new materials, etc. and created 28 well-known Chinese trademarks such as Dayun Auto, Yabao Pharmaceuticals, Fengxi, etc.
Comfortable Habitat with a pleasant Ecological Environment
Yuncheng is a typical landscape city, on a plain with an annual mean temperature 13.3℃, rainfall 510.7 millimeters each year, total annual sunshine 2188.8 hours and frost-free 188-238 days annually. The forest coverage is up to 29.1% of the forestland area of 9.696 million mu, promoting the carrying capacity of the region, and ranks second in Shanxi Province. Relying on the advantages of landscape resources and Guan Gong Culture, Yuncheng is constructing a brilliant scenic spot, combining the natural landscape of the Salt Lake with the cultural landscape of the Guan Di Temple. The urbanization rate of the whole city is 51.24%. The overall planning determines that the urban area of the city is 88.9 square kilometers, and the coverage rate of urban regulatory planning reaches 100%.
In 2020, the city's GDP reached 164.36 billion yuan, an increase of 5.2%. The added value of industries above the designated size increased by 7.5%. The investment in fixed assets reached 63.81 billion yuan, an increase of 11.0%. The total retail sales of consumer goods reached 71.08 billion yuan, a decrease of 2.0%. Revenue in the general public budget reached 9 billion yuan, an increase of 3.9%. The per capita disposable income of urban residents was 32,728 yuan, an increase of 4.8%; The per capita disposable income of rural residents was 12,947 yuan, an increase of 7.9%.
