Wenzhou

A prefecture-level city in the southeastern part of Zhejiang Province, China. It is located at the mouth of the Oujiang River, at the back of Wenzhou Bay facing the East China Sea. It has a population of 8,137,000 (2014). It governs four city districts and five counties, and acts as the governing agent for two county-level cities (as of 2016). At the beginning of the Han dynasty, it was the land of Dong'ou Country, later called Yongjia County, and in the Later Han dynasty, Yongning County was established, and in the Sui dynasty, it was renamed Yongjia. During the Tang dynasty, it was the administrative center of Wenzhou, during the Song dynasty, it was the administrative center of Ruian Prefecture, and during the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was the administrative center of Wenzhou Prefecture. In 1949, Wenzhou City was established by separating from Yongjia County.

It was opened to the public in 1876 under the Treaty of Chifu, but even before that it prospered for a time as the sole export port for Zhejiang tea. Today, it is the starting point for coastal steamships, but private ships still sail up the Oujiang River, reaching Lishui City, about 100 kilometers northwest. It is a distribution center for timber, tea, hemp, citrus fruits, pigs, and other products in southeastern Zhejiang Province.

Handicrafts are well developed, and the city is famous for its porcelain and woven fabrics, known as "ou-so" and "ou-shu." Since the reform and opening up, the city's shoe and apparel industries have flourished, and private enterprises have made remarkable progress. In 1984, it was designated as one of the 14 coastal cities that have opened up to the outside world. It is the starting point of the Wenzhou-Fuzhou Line (Wenzhou-Fuzhou), and the terminus of the Yongtai-Wenzhou Line (Ningbo-Taizhou-Wenzhou), Jinhua-Wenzhou Line (Jinhua-Wenzhou), and Jinhua-Lishui-Wenzhou Line (Jinhua-Lishui-Wenzhou). The Jinhua-Wenzhou Line was the first railway line built in China with joint investment from mainland China and Hong Kong. Wenzhou Longwan International Airport is located on the coast of Wenzhou Bay. There are many scenic and unusual places of interest, such as Beiyandang Mountain and Jiangxin Island.

[Kazuo Hayashi, Editorial Department, April 18, 2017]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、浙江(せっこう)省南東部の地級市。東シナ海に面する温州湾の奥、甌江(おうこう)の河口に位置する。人口813万7000（2014）。4市轄区、5県を管轄し、2県級市の管轄代行を行う（2016年時点）。漢代の初めは東甌(とうおう)国の地で、のちに永嘉(えいか)郡とよばれ、後漢(ごかん)には永寧(えいねい)県が置かれ、隋(ずい)代に永嘉と改名された。唐代には温州の、宋(そう)代は瑞安(ずいあん)府の、明(みん)・清(しん)代は温州府の治所であった。1949年永嘉県から分離して温州市が設置された。

　1876年芝罘(チーフ)条約により開港されたが、それ以前にも浙江産の茶の独占輸出港として一時繁栄した。いまは沿岸航路汽船の起点であるが、民船はさらに甌江をさかのぼり、北西約100キロメートルの麗水(れいすい)市まで達している。浙江省南東部における木材、茶、アサ、柑橘(かんきつ)類、ブタなどの集散地となっている。

　手工業が発達し、「甌塑(おうそ)」「甌綉(おうしゅう)」の名の磁器と織布が有名である。改革開放以降、同市の靴、アパレル産業が勃興し、民営企業が著しい発展を遂げた。1984年には沿海対外開放14都市の一つに指定されている。温福線（温州―福州(ふくしゅう)）の起点、甬台温(ようだいおん)線（寧波(ニンポー)―台州(だいしゅう)―温州）、金温線（金華(きんか)―温州）、金麗温線（金華―麗水―温州）の終点。なお金温線は、中国本土と香港(ホンコン)の共同出資で建設された国内初の鉄道である。温州湾岸には温州竜湾国際空港がある。北雁蕩山(ほくがんとうさん)、江心嶼(こうしんしょ)など、名勝・奇勝が多い。

［林　和生・編集部　2017年4月18日］

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