Zhuxi County (simplified Chinese: 竹溪县; traditional Chinese: 竹谿縣; pinyin: Zhúxī Xiàn) is a county in the northwest of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, bordering Shaanxi to the west and Chongqing to the southwest. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Shiyan. The county spans an area of 3,279 km2 (1,266 sq mi),[2] and has a population of 315,259 as of 2010.[1]
The name Zhuxi County is named for the Zhuxi River, whose name (Chinese: 竹溪河; pinyin: Zhúxī Hé; lit. 'bamboo stream river') was derived from the large amounts of bamboo forests which bordered both sides of the river.[1]
The area of present-day Zhuxi County once belong to the Chu State.[1] Part of the remains of the Great Wall of Chu , which possibly date back to the 3rd century BCE.[2]
Zhuxi County was established in 1476 under the reign of the Chenghua Emperor.[1]
In 1914, it was placed under the jurisdiction of Xiangyang Circuit
.[1] In 1932, the Republic of China introduced Administrative Inspectorates , and the county was assigned to the 11th Administrative Inspectorate of Hubei Province.[1] In 1936, it was re-assigned to the 8th Administrative Inspectorate of Hubei Province.[1]In 1949, under the People's Republic of China, Zhuxi County was assigned to Liangyun Prefecture , which was renamed to Yunyang Prefecture the following year.[1]
The county was moved to Xiangyang Prefecture
in 1952, but was moved back to Yunyang Prefecture in 1965.[1]In 1994, Zhuxi County was placed under the prefecture-level city of Shiyan, where it remains today.[1]
In 2010, Longbatownship to a town.[1] In 2013, Bingying and Huiwan were upgraded from townships to towns.[1]
was upgraded from aThe county's geography is fairly mountainous, with its highest point reaching approximately 2,740 metres (8,990 ft) in height.[2] The county's main rivers are the Zhuxi River and the Huiwan River, which both flow into the larger Han River.[2]
Zhuxi County experiences an average annual temperature of 14 °C (57 °F), and an average annual precipitation of 1,000 millimetres (39 in).[2]
Zhuxi County is divided into eleven towns, four townships, and eight other township-level divisions.[5]
Its eleven towns are Chengguan
, Jiangjiayan , Zhongfeng , Shuiping , Xianhe , Quanxi , Fengxi , Longba , Bingying , Huiwan , and Xinzhou .[5]Its four townships are Eping Township
, Tianbao Township , Taoyuan Township , and Xiangba Township .[5]Its other township level divisions are Longwaya Tea Farm (Chinese: 龙王垭茶场), Guoying Zhuxi Comprehensive Farm (Chinese: 国营竹溪综合农场), Stock Seed Farm (Chinese: 原种场), Fishing Stock Farm (Chinese: 渔种场), Zhongxu Field (Chinese: 种畜场), Wangjiashan Tea Farm (Chinese: 王家山茶场), Biaohu Tree Farm (Chinese: 标湖林场), and Shuangzhu Tree Farm (Chinese: 双竹林场).[5]
Zhuxi County has sizable deposits of coal, limestone, and marble.[2] The county is also home to the most Taxus chinensis production of a county in China.[2]