Bengbu, Anhui Province, China

🇨🇳 Bengbu is a city in northern Anhui Province, China. Its metropolitan area consists of four urban districts. Its name means "Oyster Wharf" in Chinese, echoing its former reputation as a freshwater pearl fishery.

Administration The prefecture-level city of Bengbu administers seven county-level divisions, including four districts and three counties: Longzihu District, 龙子湖区; Bengshan District, 蚌山区; Yuhui District, 禹会区; Huaishang District, 淮上区; Huaiyuan County, 怀远县; Wuhe County, 五河县; Guzhen County, 固镇县.

These are further divided into 74 township-level divisions, including 36 towns, 19 townships and 19 subdistricts.

Geography Bengbu is located in the south-east of the North China Plain, on the Huai River. The built up urbanized area is divided into two parts: greater Bengbu on the south bank of the river and little Bengbu on the north bank. Dragon Lake is on the East side of the urbanized area. On the other side of the lake is the university district, containing four institutions of higher learning.

History In ancient times, the Dongyi peoples inhabited this area and were collectively known as the Huaiyi after the Huai River. During the late Western Zhou Period and the early Spring and Autumn period, the Dongyi became increasingly sinicized. During the late Spring and Autumn period, the once-powerful Dongyi state of Xu was pressured from all directions and destroyed through a series of wars with its neighbors, such as the Chu State and the Wu State. Another Dongyi State was the small Zhongli State, which was a part of the Huaiyi Confederation led by the State of Xu. Tombs belonging to the royalty of the Zhongli State were discovered in excavations between 2005 and 2008 near Fengyang. Eventually, the Huaiyi peoples were assimilated.

Bengbu has always been a hub of water and land communications in Anhui province, and a major distribution centre for the Huai basin.

In 1948, during the Chinese Civil War, the Communist People's Liberation Army won a decisive victory over Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist (KMT) forces near Bengbu, in the Huaihai Campaign.

Economy: Industry Bengbu is now a famous food city in Anhui province. Food-related industries account for 44% of the city's industrial production. The city's other industries include engineering works, textiles, glass making, chemicals, and electronics. The light textile holds an important position in the industrial structure.

Agriculture Bengbu is teeming with oil, vegetables, meat and aquatic products. Bengbu is a large producer of peanuts. The pomegranates from Huaiyuan (a county of Bengbu), have a high reputation in China. In Wuhe (a county of Bengbu), the crabs are also famous.

Culture Pollution in the village of Qiugang, a suburb of Bengbu, was the subject of the 2010 film The Warriors of Qiugang, an 83rd Academy Awards nominee. The Bengbu Stadium is located in the city. The 15,000-capacity stadium is used mostly for football matches.

Food Bengbu cuisine, along with northern Anhui cuisine, is similar to cuisine from nearby Henan and Shandong provinces, as well as Xuzhou cuisine in northern Jiangsu province.

Transport The city is on the Jinghu Railway, with hourly direct trains to Beijing, Shanghai and other large cities. Bengbu South Railway Station is served by the high-speed Beijing-Shanghai Railway.

Bengbu Airport, which was relocated from the city's central urban area around the turn of the 21st century, is now operated only as a military airport. A new commercial airport is under construction in the district north of the Huai river.

Construction on the Bengbu Metro started in 2019 and is due to be completed in 2023.

Education: Universities • Anhui University of Finance and Economics • Bengbu Medical College • Bengbu College • Bengbu Tank College (Army) • Thirteenth Flying Academy (Air Force).