Pingdingshan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pingdingshan 平顶山市 Pingtingshan
Prefecture-level city
From top, left to right: Pingdingshan West railway station Mount Yao Pagoda in Ye County Spring Temple Buddha Pingdingshan museum
Nickname(s):  Eagle City
Pingdingshan in Henan
Pingdingshan Location in North China Plain Show map of North China Plain Pingdingshan Location in China Show map of China
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Henan
Municipal seat	Xinhua District
Area
• Prefecture-level city	7,874 km2 (3,040 sq mi)
• Urban	384 km2 (148 sq mi)
• Metro	1,771 km2 (684 sq mi)
Population  (2020 census for total, 2010 otherwise)
• Prefecture-level city	4,987,137
• Density	633.37/km2 (1,640.41/sq mi)
• Urban	979,130
• Urban density	2,550/km2 (6,604/sq mi)
• Metro	1,756,333
• Metro density	991.72/km2 (2,568.5/sq mi)
GDP
• Prefecture-level city	CN¥ 182.5 billion US$ 27.5 billion
• Per capita	CN¥ 36,708 US$ 5,526
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code	467000
Area code(s)	0375
ISO 3166 code	CN-HA-04
Major Nationalities	Han, Hui
County-level divisions	10
Township-level divisions	124
License plate prefixes	豫D

Pingdingshan (simplified Chinese: 平顶山; traditional Chinese: 平頂山; pinyin: Píngdǐngshān) is a big city in central Henan province, China. It's also known as Eagle City (simplified Chinese: 鹰城; traditional Chinese: 鷹城; pinyin: Yīngchéng). In 2010, about 4.9 million people lived here. Over 1.7 million of them lived in the main city area, including a nearby county called Ye.

History of Pingdingshan

In Chinese, "Pingdingshan" means "mountain with a flat top." The city gets its name from a flat-topped plateau nearby. The nickname "Eagle City" comes from a story over 2,000 years ago. During a time called the "Spring and Autumn Annals," a small royal country named Ying was in this area. In ancient Chinese, "Ying" sounded like "Eagle." That's why people started calling Pingdingshan "Eagle City."

Pingdingshan officially became a city in 1957.

Where is Pingdingshan?

Pingdingshan is located in the middle of Henan province. It shares borders with several other cities. To the north is Zhengzhou, the capital of the province. To the east are Xuchang and Luohe. Zhumadian is to the southeast, and Nanyang is to the south. To the west, you'll find Luoyang.

Mountains and Rivers

The Funiu Mountains run through the western part of Pingdingshan. The eastern part of the city is mostly flat, part of the North China Plain. Mount Yao is a famous mountain located within the city. More than 30 rivers flow through Pingdingshan. There are also 163 lakes and reservoirs in the area.

Weather in Pingdingshan

How Pingdingshan is Governed

Pingdingshan is a "prefecture-level city," which is a type of administrative division in China. It includes 4 smaller areas called districts, 2 county-level cities, and 4 counties. Each of these areas has its own local government.

Map
Xinhua Weidong Shilong Zhanhe Baofeng County Ye County Lushan County Jia County Wugang (city) Ruzhou (city)

People and Cultures in Pingdingshan

As of 2020, Pingdingshan has a population of about 4.98 million people. The city is home to many different groups of people. In 2019, about 79,467 people, or 1.8% of the population, were from ethnic minority groups. There are 48 different recognized groups living in Pingdingshan.

Major Ethnic Groups

The largest ethnic minority group in Pingdingshan is the Hui people. There are 62,040 Hui people, making up about 77.8% of all ethnic minorities in the city. Other large groups include the Manchus (8,780 people) and the Mongols (6,096 people). The remaining 45 ethnic groups are smaller, with a total of 2,551 people.

Some areas, like Zhanhe District, Jia County, and Ye County, have over 10,000 people from ethnic minority groups. Pingdingshan also has two special "ethnic townships" for the Hui people: Mazhuang Hui Ethnic Township in Ye County and Yaozhuang Hui Ethnic Township in Jia County. Many villages in the city have a large number of ethnic minority residents.

Education for Minorities

To support these diverse groups, Pingdingshan has 18 schools specifically for ethnic minorities. These include one Mongol primary school, 15 Hui primary schools, and two Hui secondary schools.

Economy of Pingdingshan

Pingdingshan's economy has grown very fast in the 21st century. The city's total economic output, called gross domestic product (GDP), more than doubled from 2009 to 2020. In 2010, Pingdingshan was even named one of the top 20 growing cities in China.

Main Economic Activities

The city's economy mostly relies on manufacturing and services. Manufacturing includes making goods, while services include things like shops, restaurants, and healthcare. These two areas make up most of Pingdingshan's economy. Farming and other primary activities make up a smaller part. The service industry has grown especially quickly, tripling in size from 2009 to 2020.

Big companies in Pingdingshan include China Pingmei Shenma Group, Pinggao Group, Wugang Company, and Tianrui Cement.

Natural Resources and Mining

Pingdingshan has one of the largest coal fields in all of China. This has made it famous for its coal industry. However, in recent years, coal production has decreased. This is due to less coal being available, new rules to protect the environment, and some mining accidents.

Besides coal, Pingdingshan also has large amounts of sodium and iron. Other important minerals found here include manganese, aluminum, fluorite, and gypsum. The city has about 10 billion tons of coal reserves, making it a major "coal storage" area for central China. It also has 230 billion tons of salt reserves, which is the most in Henan province and second most in China. Henan province also has huge amounts of limestone, and Pingdingshan is a key center for producing cement from this limestone.

Learning in Pingdingshan

Pingdingshan has many schools and colleges for students to learn and grow.

Colleges and Universities

• Pingdingshan University
• Henan University of Urban Construction [zh]
• Pingdingshan Vocational and Technical College [zh]
• Pingdingshan Polytechnic College [zh]
• Henan Quality Institute [zh]

High Schools

• Pingdingshan No.1 Middle School
• Pingdingshan No.1 High School
• Pingdingshan No.2 Middle School
• Pingdingshan No.2 High School
• Pingdingshan No.3 High School
• Pingdingshan No.8 Middle School
• Pingdingshan Experimental High School
• Lushan No. 1 Middle School

Religions in Pingdingshan

Pingdingshan has many different places of worship for various religions. The city has official organizations for Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims, Catholics, and Protestants.

There are 78 Buddhist temples, 100 Taoist temples, and 70 mosques. For Christians, there are 2 Catholic churches and 104 Protestant churches. One important historical site is the China Gospel Fellowship Church. In 1948, a famous leader named Deng Xiaoping held an important meeting there. Today, it is used as a memorial hall.

Fun Things to See and Do in Pingdingshan

Pingdingshan has many interesting places to visit and explore.

• Pingdingshan Thrush Valley: This is a beautiful natural area. It's called Thrush Valley because many thrush birds live and breed there. It's a large scenic spot, covering about 30 square kilometers. You can find attractions like Cuckoo Lake, which is sometimes called "the pocket of the Three Gorges."
• Mount Yao: This is a very popular place to visit. It was originally known as Yaoshan Shirenshan. Here, you can see the Spring Temple Buddha, which was built in 2002. It is the second largest statue in the world!
• Xiangshan Temple [zh]
• Qizu Pagoda
• Ruguan Kiln Ruins Museum [zh]
• Sansu Tombs [zh]
• Ma Street Book Club [zh]

Sister Cities

Pingdingshan has a special friendship with another city in the world. This is called a "sister city" or "twin town" relationship.

• Syzran, Samara Oblast, Russia (since November 28, 2000)

Images for kids

• 

  Map showing the administrative divisions of Pingdingshan.

See also

In Spanish: Pingdingshan para niños