Tokushu - Tokushu

Japanese: 徳州 - とくしゅう

It is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of Shandong Province, China, on the border with Hebei Province. It has jurisdiction over two city districts and seven counties, and acts as the acting jurisdiction for two county-level cities (as of 2016). It has a population of 5,832,000 (2014). The city is home to peanut, wheat, and sorghum cultivation, and is a cotton-growing area in the Yellow River basin. Modern industries such as oil extraction, spinning, and machine tool manufacturing have developed here. Located in the center of the North China Plain, on the bank of the Grand Canal, it has developed since ancient times as a distribution center for goods from the Jiangnan area, and the Dezhou Warehouse was established there during the Ming dynasty. In addition to the Jinghu Line and the Shijiazhuang-Shijian Line (Shijiazhuang-Dezhou), the city is also a key railway hub where the high-speed rail Shiji Passenger Line (Shijiazhuang-Jinan) and the Delongyan Line (Dezhou-Longkou-Yantai) pass through. The city's specialty dish, "Dezhou Baji", is well-known nationwide and has become a brand.

[Masakazu Komai, Editorial Department, January 19, 2017]

World Heritage Registration

In 2014, the Dezhou Canal was registered as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) as a component part of the "Grand Canal of China" (World Cultural Heritage).

[Editorial Department, January 19, 2017]

[Reference items] | Jinghu Line | Shandong (province) | Grand Canal

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

中国、山東(さんとう)省北西端、河北(かほく)省との省境にある地級市。2市轄区、7県を管轄し、2県級市の管轄代行を行う（2016年時点）。人口583万2000（2014）。市域はラッカセイ、小麦、コウリャンの栽培をはじめ、黄河(こうが)流域ワタ作区として綿花の栽培が盛んである。搾油、紡績のほか工作機械製造などの近代工業が発達する。華北平原の中央部、大運河の沿岸にあるため、古来、江南方面からの物資の集散センターとして発展し、明(みん)代には徳州倉も設けられた。京滬(けいこ)線、石徳線（石家荘(せきかそう)―徳州）が交わるほか、高速鉄道の石済旅客専用線（石家荘―済南(さいなん)）、徳竜煙線（徳州―竜口(りゅうこう)―煙台(えんだい)）も市内を通る鉄道の要衝である。名物料理の「徳州扒鶏(パーチー)」は全国的に知名度が高く、ブランドになっている。

［駒井正一・編集部　2017年1月19日］