Zoucheng
| Zoucheng 邹城市 | |
|---|---|
| County-level city | |
|
A Zoucheng landscape | |
| Country | China |
| Province | Shandong |
| Prefecture-level city | Jining |
| Area | |
| • County-level city | 1,619 km2 (625 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 1,619 km2 (625 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 1,619 km2 (625 sq mi) |
| Population (2010 census) | |
| • County-level city | 1,116,692 |
| • Urban | 1,116,692 |
| • Urban density | 690/km2 (1,800/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 1,116,692 |
| • Metro density | 690/km2 (1,800/sq mi) |
| Time zone | China Standard (UTC+8) |
Zoucheng (Chinese: 邹城; pinyin: Zōuchéng) is a county-level city in the south of Shandong province in China. Before it became a city, it was known as Zou County or Zouxian.[1]
Zoucheng is located about 20 km south of the city of Qufu, and like Qufu, is administratively under the prefecture-level city of Jining. Its population was 1,116,692 at the 2010 census even though its built-up (or metro) area is much smaller.
Historical sites
The philosopher Mencius was born in Zoucheng, then within the feudal State of Zou. His descendants lived in Zoucheng all the way to the present. Some of them migrated to Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War. In the present day, there are four major sites in the city relating to Mencius: the Mencius Temple (simplified Chinese: 孟庙; traditional Chinese: 孟廟; pinyin: Mèng Miào), the Mencius Family Mansion (Chinese: 孟府; pinyin: Mèng Fǔ), the Mencius Forest (Chinese: 孟林; pinyin: Mèng Lín, 35°28′42.27″N 117°2′56.11″E / 35.4784083°N 117.0489194°E), and Mencius' Mother's Forest (Chinese: 孟母林; pinyin: Mèng Mǔ Lín, 35°29′29.97″N 116°58′49.09″E / 35.4916583°N 116.9803028°E).
The Mencius Temple, which covers an area of more than 4 hectares (9.9 acres) on the south side of town, has five courtyards and sixty-four halls and rooms. Its history dates back to the year 1037 in the Northern Song dynasty.[2] The Mencius Mansion, where his descendants lived, is adjacent to the temple, and has 116 halls and rooms.[3]
According to the management of the Mencius Temple, the temple grounds house over 270 stone steles and sculptures, some of which dating from as early as the Song dynasty.[4] Among them are some Yuan dynasty stelae with inscriptions in 'Phags-pa script.[5]
Immediately to the north of Zoucheng lies the tomb of the King of Lu of the Ming dynasty (明鲁王墓). It is the tomb of Zhu Tan (1370-1389), the tenth son of the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming dynasty. There is also a royal tomb from the Han dynasty (汉鲁王墓).
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Transportation
- Zoucheng Railway Station on the Beijing-Shanghai Railway
- Frequent bus service to the nearby Qufu and Yanzhou.
See also
References
- ↑ Legge, James (1867). Confucius and the Chinese classics. pp. 379–384. - Rev. A. Williamson's account of his visit to Zoucheng (Tsou-hien, or Tsiu-hien, in his transcription) and the Temple of Mencius in 1865
- ↑ "Mengzi Temple". China Travel Tour Guide. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
- ↑ "Mengzi Mansion". China Travel Tour Guide. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
- ↑ Overview of steles at the Temple of Mencius, placard on site.
- ↑ 孟子故里文化典藏丛书之五《孟庙孟府孟林》
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zoucheng. |
External links
- Zoucheng municipal website (Chinese)
Coordinates: 35°24′N 116°58′E / 35.400°N 116.967°E