Honkei

A prefecture-level city in the eastern part of Liaoning Province, China. It is a mining and industrial city located in the upper reaches of the Prince River. It governs four city districts, Pingshan, Mingshan, Xihu, and Nanfen, as well as the Manchu autonomous counties of Benxi and Huanren (as of 2016). The permanent population is 1,512,103 (2015). Known as the "town of iron and coal," iron has been mined since the Liao and Jin dynasties, and coal since the Qing dynasty, but it developed after the establishment of the Japanese-Chinese joint venture Benxihu Coal and Iron Coal Company (now Benxi Steel Group) in 1911. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, production facilities were expanded, and factories for iron and steel, rolling, construction materials, etc., as well as iron mines and coal mines, were built, but in recent years they have become increasingly dilapidated. Other industries include spinning, petrochemicals, and metallurgy.

The Shenyang Line (Shenyang-Dandong) runs north to south, and the Liaoxi Line (Liaoyang-Benxi) and the Xitian Line (Benxi-Nanshu) branch off here. Benxi Lake, from which the city's name originates, and Tiessetsu Mountain in Benxi County are known as scenic spots, and Wunshan Mountain in Huanren County is home to the remains of a Goguryeo mountain fortress.

[Michihiro Kono, Editorial Department, April 18, 2017]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、遼寧(りょうねい)省東部の地級市。太子河(たいしが)上流に位置する鉱工業都市である。平山(へいさん)、明山(めいざん)、渓湖(けいこ)、南芬(なんふん)の4市轄区、本渓、桓仁(かんじん)両満洲(まんしゅう)族自治県を管轄する（2016年時点）。常住人口151万2103（2015）。「鉄と石炭の町」として知られ、鉄は遼・金(きん)の時代、石炭は清(しん)代から採掘が行われていたが、1911年日清合弁の本渓湖煤鉄(ばいてつ)公司(コンス)（現、本鋼集団）が創設されてから発展した。中華人民共和国成立後、生産設備が増強され、鉄山、炭鉱のほか製鉄、製鋼、圧延、建築材料などの工場がつくられたが、近年老朽化が進んでいる。その他、紡績、石油化学、冶金などの工業が立地する。

　瀋丹線（瀋陽(しんよう)―丹東(たんとう)）が南北に通り、遼渓線（遼陽(りょうよう)―本渓）、渓田線（本渓―南旬）が分岐する。市名の語源である本渓湖や本渓県の鉄刹(てっせつ)山は名勝地として知られ、桓仁県の五女山(ごじょさん)には高句麗(こうくり)の山城(やまじろ)遺跡がある。

［河野通博・編集部　2017年4月18日］

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