Anyang facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anyang 安阳市
Prefecture-level city
Wenfeng Pagoda and the Tianning Temple Pagoda Temple of Han Qi Site of Youlicheng Yue Fei Temple in Tangyin Kuiguang Mansion Yinxu China National Writing Museum
Location of Anyang City jurisdiction in Henan
Anyang Location in North China Plain Show map of North China Plain Anyang Location in China Show map of China
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Henan
Municipal seat	Wenfeng District
Area
• Prefecture-level city	7,355 km2 (2,840 sq mi)
• Urban	543.5 km2 (209.8 sq mi)
• Metro	2,392 km2 (924 sq mi)
Elevation	69 m (226 ft)
Population  (2020 census)
• Prefecture-level city	5,477,614
• Density	744.75/km2 (1,928.89/sq mi)
• Urban	1,398,887
• Urban density	2,573.85/km2 (6,666.2/sq mi)
• Metro	2,675,523
• Metro density	1,118.53/km2 (2,897.0/sq mi)
GDP
• Prefecture-level city	CN¥ 203.0 billion US$ 30.6 billion
• Per capita	CN¥ 39,603 US$ 5,962
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal Code	455000, 456100, 456300, 456400, 456500
Area code(s)	0372
ISO 3166 code	CN-HA-05
Major Nationalities	Han
County-level divisions	9
License plate prefixes	豫E

Anyang (pronounced Ahn-yahng) is a fascinating city in the Henan province of China. It's located in the northern part of Henan. Anyang is a very old city, famous for its rich history and culture. It's known as one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization.

In 2020, about 5.4 million people lived in Anyang. Over 2.6 million of these people lived in the main city area. Anyang is surrounded by other cities and provinces. To its east is Puyang, to the south are Hebi and Xinxiang, and to the west and north are the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei.

Anyang was once the capital of the ancient Shang dynasty, a very important period in Chinese history. This ancient capital was called Yin. Because of its long and important past, Anyang has many amazing historical sites. It was even named a national historical and cultural city in 1986.

Anyang's Long and Ancient History

Early Settlements and Ancient Kings

Anyang has been home to people for a very long time. In an area called Xiaonanhai, on the western side of the city, scientists found tools and animal bones from prehistoric cavemen. These items are over 7,000 years old! They tell us about a culture called the Xiaonanhai culture.

Around 2000 BC, ancient legends say that two wise kings, Zhuanxu and Emperor Ku, ruled their lands from around where Anyang is today. Their burial places can still be found in a village south of Neihuang County.

The Shang Dynasty Capital: Yin

Anyang became very important around the 14th century BC. King Pangeng of the Shang dynasty built his capital city, called Yin, near the Huan River. This was about 2 kilometers north of the modern city. Yin was the first stable capital in all of Chinese history. Because of this, the Shang dynasty was also sometimes called the Yin dynasty.

Twelve kings ruled from Yin over eight generations. One of the most famous was King Wu Ding, under whom the Shang dynasty became very powerful. However, in 1046 BC, the Shang dynasty and its capital, Yin, were conquered by King Wu of the Zhou dynasty.

Anyang has been an important local center since about 607 CE. It has kept this role ever since.

Famous People from Anyang

Tangyin County, a part of Anyang, is famous as the birthplace of Yue Fei. He was a very brave and respected general during the Song dynasty. This area was also home to Zhou Tong, who was Yue Fei's teacher in military skills.

Anyang in Modern Times

The city was known as Zhangde until 1912. Then, when the Republic of China was formed, it was given its current name, Anyang.

In August 1949, Anyang became part of a new, temporary province called Pingyuan. This province also included Puyang and Xinxiang. However, Pingyuan province was dissolved in November 1953. Anyang, along with the other cities, then returned to being part of Henan province.

Anyang's Geography and Weather

Land and Mountains

Anyang covers a large area of about 7,355 square kilometers. The land in Anyang is not flat everywhere. In the western part of the city, it's higher because of the foothills of the Taihang Mountains. As you move east, the land becomes lower and flatter. This eastern part is part of the North China Plain.

Anyang's Climate

Anyang experiences four distinct seasons. Its weather is influenced by monsoons. This means it has a humid continental climate and a semi-arid climate.

Winters in Anyang are cold and very dry. The average temperature in January is about -1.2 degrees Celsius. Summers are hot and humid. In July, the average temperature is around 27.3 degrees Celsius.

Most of the rain in Anyang falls during July and August. The city gets about 552 millimeters of rain each year. The average temperature for the whole year is about 14.28 degrees Celsius. Anyang also gets a lot of sunshine, about 2,225 hours per year. The sunniest months are from April to June.

The weather in Anyang can be quite extreme. Temperatures have gone as low as -23.6 degrees Celsius and as high as 43.2 degrees Celsius! In winter, winds usually blow from the north. In summer, winds mostly come from the south.

How Anyang is Governed

City Divisions

Anyang is a prefecture-level city. This means it's a large city that also manages several smaller areas around it. Anyang oversees 10 county-level areas. These include 4 city districts, 1 county-level city, and 4 counties.

These 10 areas are further divided into smaller parts. There are 46 subdistricts, 66 towns, and 23 townships. These smaller parts then manage 302 residential communities and 2,979 administrative villages.

Map
Wenfeng Beiguan Yindu Long'an Anyang County Tangyin County Hua County Neihuang County Linzhou (city)

Anyang's People and Cultures

Population and Ethnic Groups

According to the 2020 Chinese Census, Anyang has a population of about 5.48 million people. Most of the people living in Anyang are Han Chinese.

There are also about 10,000 people from other ethnic groups. In total, 43 different ethnic minorities live in the city. Some of the larger groups include the Hui, Mongols, Manchus, Zhuang, Miao, Tibetans, and the Yi.

Anyang's Economy and Industries

Main Industries and Resources

Anyang is an industrial city. Its main industries include making metals like iron and steel. It also produces coal coking and clothing. A big Chinese steel company, Shagang Group, has factories in Anyang.

The city is also rich in natural resources. It has reserves of minerals like dolomite, potassium-rich shale, nepheline syenite, quartzite, limestone, and clay.

Economic Growth

In 2021, the total value of goods and services produced in Anyang, called its gross domestic product (GDP), was 243.55 billion renminbi (RMB). This was a 5% increase from the year before.

• The primary sector (like farming) made up 9.7% of the city's GDP.
• The secondary sector (like manufacturing) made up 43.7%.
• The tertiary sector (like services) made up 46.6%.

The average amount of money people had to spend in Anyang in 2021 was 27,365 RMB. This was a 7.2% increase from 2020. For people living in urban areas, this amount was 37,464 RMB. For people in rural areas, it was 18,424 RMB.

Business and Development

Anyang has welcomed 16 foreign-funded businesses. These include joint ventures and companies fully owned by foreign investors. The city has also created an economic and technological development zone. This zone covers about 22.8 square kilometers. Anyang offers special benefits to attract more businesses from China and other countries.

Anyang Hongqiqu Airport

The Anyang Hongqiqu Airport opened on November 29, 2023. This airport is located where Anyang, Puyang, and Hebi cities meet. It covers an area of about 2,339 acres. The total cost to build it was 1.366 billion yuan. It is a domestic civil airport designed to handle medium-sized aircraft. The airport serves air travel for 11.6 million people in northern Henan. It also reaches about 60 million people within 150 kilometers in eastern Shanxi, southern Hebei, and southwestern Shandong.

Exploring Anyang: Historical Sites and Nature

Anyang is an ancient city with over 3,000 years of history. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China and one of the best-preserved. It is a key birthplace of ancient Chinese culture. Anyang is also a national historical and cultural city. It is known as the home of Oracle Bone Inscriptions and the birthplace of the Book of Changes. It also holds the spirit of the Red Flag Canal.

Anyang is home to the Yinxu World Cultural Heritage site. You can also find Cao Cao's Gaoling and the Museum of Chinese Characters here. The city has primitive caves from 25,000 years ago. You can see layers of ancient cultures like the Yangshao Culture, Longshan Culture, and Xiaotun Culture. There are also memorial tombs for ancient Emperors Zhuanxu and Emperor Ku from over 4,000 years ago.

Anyang has the first library of inscriptions on bones and tortoise shells. You can visit the Soul Spring Temple, known as the "First Ancient Buddhist Temple in Henan," and the 10,000-Buddha Ravine. The city also features unique pagodas like the Wenfeng Pagoda, Xiuding Temple Pagoda, and Mingfu Temple Pagoda.

Anyang has three large museums: the Anyang Museum, the National Museum of Chinese Writing, and the Yinxu Museum. The Yinxu Museum is located at the ruins and royal tombs of the Shang dynasty. Anyang also offers beautiful natural scenery. You can explore the Taihang Linlu Hill Scenic Area in the Taihang Mountains and the grand 1,500-kilometer Red Flag Canal.

Changchun Temple

Changchun Temple is a Taoist temple. It was built on a mountainside during the Tang dynasty. After careful restoration, it officially opened to visitors on May 1, 2014.

Tianning Temple

Tianning Si (Mansion Temple) was built during the Tang dynasty. It has been restored by the Protection and Research Institute of Ancient Architecture of Anyang City. It is now open to the public. The temple has several main buildings. These include the gate house and the Hall of the Heavenly King. There is also the larger Precious Hall of the Great Hero. The famous Wenfeng Pagoda is also located within the temple grounds.

Wenfeng Pagoda

The Wenfeng Ta (Literature Peak Pagoda) is on the grounds of the Tianning Temple. It is believed to have been built around 925. The current pagoda was constructed during the Ming dynasty. It got its name during the Qing dynasty because it was close to the Confucian temple.

This unique pagoda is 38.65 meters high. It has five stories and is octagonal. What's special is that it's wider at the top than at the bottom! It is topped with a 10-meter Lamaist stupa-style steeple. The pagoda stands on a two-meter-high stone base. It is decorated with many-eaved roofs and carvings of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. This distinctive pagoda is a symbol of Anyang.

Yinxu Ruins and Museum

About 2 kilometers northwest of Anyang are the ruins of the Shang dynasty capital, known as Yin. This huge archaeological site was found in 1899. It was excavated over many years and first opened to the public in the 1980s.

The current Yinxu Museum opened on March 16, 2005. It includes the famous Tomb of Fu Hao. The site was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2006.

Images for kids

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  Ancient Shang era Houmuwu ding bronze artifact unearthed at Anyang.

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  A map showing the former Pingyuan Province (1949–52), which included Anyang.

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  The Yinxu Ruin area, an ancient capital site.

See Also

In Spanish: Anyang para niños

• List of twin towns and sister cities in China
• Historical capitals of China
• History of the political divisions of China