Hengyang

An industrial city in the south-central part of Hunan Province, China. It is a prefecture-level city with jurisdiction over five city districts and five counties, and acts as the administrative center for two county-level cities (as of 2016). It has a population of 7,915,000 (2014). It is located at the confluence of the Xiangjiang River, part of the Yangtze River system, and its tributaries, the Laishui and Jiangshui. Its name comes from Mount Hengshan, one of the Five Mountains. During the Han dynasty, it belonged to Chengyang and Zhongwu counties, and during the Sui dynasty, it was combined with Linjiang County to form Hengyang County, which became Hengzhou Prefecture, and was a prefecture and a prefecture for many dynasties. It was incorporated as a city in 1943.

It is a key point for land and water transport in southern Hunan Province, where the Xianggui Line (Hengyang-Pingxiang) branches off from the Beijing-Guang Line, and is also a river port on the Xiang River. It has a wide variety of underground resources, including kaolin soil, and is home to industries such as metals, machinery, mining development, cement, chemical fertilizers, and textiles. The surrounding rural areas produce rice, sweet potatoes, tobacco, ramie, beans, and lotus, and are famous for Yunwu tea (a type of green tea) in Nanyue, huanghua cabbage (edible flowers) and matting in Qidong, and citrus fruits in Hengdong. There are scenic spots such as Shiguzui and Huiyan Peak.

[Editor, Michihiro Kono, December 12, 2016]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、湖南(こなん)省中南部の工業都市。地級市であり、5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）。人口791万5000（2014）。長江(ちょうこう)（揚子江(ようすこう)）水系の湘江(しょうこう)とその支流の耒水(らいすい)、蒸水(じょうすい)との合流点に位置する。五岳の一つである衡山(こうざん)がその名の由来である。漢代は承陽、鐘武2県に属し、隋(ずい)代に臨烝県とあわせて衡陽県が置かれ、衡州州治となり、歴代路治、府治であった。1943年市制施行。

　湖南省南部の水陸交通の要衝で、京広線から、湘桂(しょうけい)線（衡陽―憑祥(ひょうしょう)）が分岐し、湘江の河港でもある。地下資源はカオリン土など多種多様で、金属、機械、鉱山開発、セメント、化学肥料、紡織などの工業が立地する。周辺農村部は米、サツマイモ、タバコ、ラミー（チョマ）、豆類、ハスを産し、南岳(なんがく)の雲霧茶(うんむちゃ)（緑茶の一種）、祁東(きとう)の黄花菜(ホワンホワツアイ)（食用花）と莚(むしろ)、衡東(こうとう)の柑橘(かんきつ)類などが名産である。石鼓嘴(せきこし)、回雁峰(かいがんほう)などの名勝がある。

［河野通博・編集部　2016年12月12日］

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