Quzhou, Zhejiang Province, China

🇨🇳 Quzhou is a prefecture-level city in western Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the upper course of the Qiantang River it borders Hangzhou to the north, Jinhua to the east, Lishui to the south-east, and the provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi and Anhui to the south, south-west and north-west respectively. The built-up (or metro) area is made of Qujiang and Kecheng urban Districts. Chinese actress and singer Zhou Xun was born in Quzhou.

History Descendants of Confucius During the Southern Song dynasty the descendant of Confucius at Qufu, the Duke Yansheng Kong Duanyou fled south with the Song Emperor to Quzhou, while the newly established Jin dynasty (1115–1234) in the north appointed Kong Duanyou's brother Kong Duancao who remained in Qufu as Duke Yansheng. From that time up until the Yuan dynasty, there were two Duke Yanshengs, once in the north in Qufu and the other in the south at Quzhou. An invitation to come back to Qufu was extended to the southern Duke Yansheng Kong Zhu by the Yuan dynasty Emperor Kublai Khan. The title was taken away from the southern branch after Kong Zhu rejected the invitation,   so the northern branch of the family kept the title of Duke Yansheng. The southern branch still remained in Quzhou where they lived to this day. Confucius's descendants in Quzhou alone number 30,000. The Hanlin Academy rank of Wujing boshi (五經博士) was awarded to the southern branch at Quzhou by a Ming Emperor while the northern branch at Qufu held the title Duke Yansheng. Kong Ruogu (孔若古) aka Kong Chuan (孔傳) 47th generation was claimed to be the ancestor of the Southern branch after Kong Zhu died by Northern branch member Kong Guanghuang.  The leader of the southern branch is Kong Xiangkai (孔祥楷).

Second World War During the Second World War, Imperial Japanese army used bacteriological weapons in Quzhou, spreading plague, typhoid and other diseases in Quzhou, as well as in Ningbo and Changde. As a result, between 1940 and 1948 more than 300,000 Chinese civilians in the area contracted the plague and other diseases, and an estimated 50,000 died in Quzhou alone.

On April 18, 1942, hours after bombing Tokyo, six US Army B-25 bombers crash landed near Quzhou after running out of fuel, including the leader of the raid, Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle.

Administration The prefecture-level city of Quzhou administers 2 districts, 1 county-level city, and 3 counties: 1 Kecheng District, 柯城区, Kēchéng Qū; 2 Qujiang District, 衢江区, Qújiāng Qū; 3 Jiangshan City, 江山市, Jiāngshān Shì; 4 Changshan County, 常山县, Chángshān Xiàn; 5 Kaihua County, 开化县, Kāihuà Xiàn; 6 Longyou County, 龙游县, Lóngyóu Xiàn.

Geography The centre of Quzhou sits on a broad basin along the Qu River a tributary of the Qiantang River. The Qu River flows roughly south-east for 81.5 km (50.6 mi) and is flanked on both sides by hills. Almost all the rivers of Quzhou feed into the Qiantang, which ultimately empties into Hangzhou Bay.

The terrain is higher in the west and the east. The territory of Quzhou Municipality is made up of plains (15%), hills (36%), and mountains (49%). In the north is the Qianli Gang (千里岗) mountain range and in the west the Yu Mountains (玉山脉). The highest mountains, the range known as the Xianxia Ling (仙霞岭), lie in the south. The highest point in the city is at Dalong Gang (大龙岗), which rises to 1,500 m above sea level.

70.7% of the land is covered with forest. The rest is densely irrigated and farmed, producing citrus fruits, tea and mulberry leaves.

The north China plain is an important grain-producing areas is also the key area of nitrogen loss, Quzhou nitrogen loss in 2017 about 9000 tons, through effective to improve crops (wheat, corn, vegetables and animal (pig, eggs) in the production of reasonable management to further improve the Quzhou has been the development of the north China plain green agriculture.

Economy: Tourist Industry • Ancestral Temple of the Southern Confucian Clan • Lanke Mountain, 10 km (6.2 mi) south-east of the city proper. It features green peaks and clear waters, and the huge rocks on top of the mountain support a horizontal rock to form a natural arch, the Tiansheng Bridge ("Nature-Formed").

Demographics The vast majority of the population are Han Chinese (99.16%) but there are also small minorities of She (0.73%) and Hui, Zhuang, Manchu and Miao (together making up 0.1%). Most of the people in Quzhou are engaged in agriculture (2,035,100). The genders are roughly evenly split. Population density is 273 people per km². At any given time there are a handful of foreign (mainly European and Australian) teachers at the schools and university of Quzhou, as well as alleged but never seen Russian Military Personnel who work and advise at the military base.

Transport Quzhou is well served by both railways and highways. The city of Quzhou is a major connection hub between the three provinces of Anhui, Jiangxi and Fujian, with the Zhegan Railroad running through southern Quzhou and the Qu River flowing past northern Quzhou. A local saying goes: "Four provinces through Qu, it's the head of five roads" (四省通衢、五路总头).

Transport: Air Quzhou Airport, ranked as class 4C, is located 3 km (1.9 mi) away from east side of city centre, and this airport was built in 22nd year of Republic of China (1933).The destinations are Beijing, Chongqing, Haikou, Jinan, Qingdao, Kunming, Dalian, Guiyang, Xi'an and Shenzhen. Airplane timetable and more information can be found on Quzhou airport official website. The nearest large-scale airport is Hangzhou International Airport, and its information can be found on Hangzhou International Airport Official Website

Transport: Rail One of the most famous railway passes through the city is Shanghai-Kunming Railway with a speed of 200 km/h (120 mph). This railway has three stations in city, which are Longyou railway station, Quzhou railway station, Jiangshan railway station, Changshan Station, Kaihua Station. More information can be found on Quzhou Railway Website.

Transport: Road Quzhou South Station, also named as Quzhou Express Station (衢州快客站),located in No.209 Shang Street, has 27 buses to Hangzhou, 18 to Jinhua, 8 to Ningbo, 6 to Wenzhou, and 3 to Shanghai daily. Another Express Station is located in He Hua Middle Road (荷花中路), on the south of newly built train station, and its destinations cover most cities in Jiangxi Province and Fujian Province.