Liaocheng

Liaocheng 聊城市
Prefecture-level city
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Shandong
County-level divisions	8
Township-level divisions	134
Municipal seat	Dongchangfu District ()
Government
• CPC Secretary	Song Yuanfang (宋远方)
• Mayor	Lin Fenghai (林峰海)
Area
• Prefecture-level city	8,715 km2 (3,365 sq mi)
• Urban	1,254 km2 (484 sq mi)
• Metro	1,254 km2 (484 sq mi)
Population (2010 census)
• Prefecture-level city	5,789,863
• Density	660/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
• Urban	1,229,768
• Urban density	980/km2 (2,500/sq mi)
• Metro	1,229,768
• Metro density	980/km2 (2,500/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Area code(s)	0635
License Plate Prefix	鲁P
Website	http://www.liaocheng.gov.cn/

Liaocheng (Chinese: 聊城; pinyin: Liáochéng), also known as the Water City, is a prefecture-level city in western Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the southeast, Dezhou to the northeast, Tai'an to the south, and the provinces of Hebei and Henan to the west. The Grand Canal flows through the city center. Its population was 5,789,863 at the 2010 census whom 1,229,768 lived in the built-up area made up of Donchangfu district, even though large parts remain rural.

During the Song dynasty, the area of present-day Liaocheng included the prefectures of Bozhou (博州) and Jizhou (濟州). In 2007, the city is named China's top ten livable cities by Chinese Cities Brand Value Report, which was released at 2007 Beijing Summit of China Cities Forum.

Administration

The prefecture-level city of Liaocheng administers eight county-level divisions, including one district, one county-level city, and six counties.

• Dongchangfu District (东昌府区)
• Linqing City (临清市)
• Yanggu County (阳谷县)
• Dong'e County (东阿县)
• Chiping County (茌平县)
• Gaotang County (高唐县)
• Guan County (冠县)
• Shen County (莘县)

These are further divided into 134 township-level divisions.

Education

• Liaocheng University (聊城大学)

History

Liberation

In August 1949 Liaocheng was detached from Shandong and attached to Pingyuan. In November 1952 Pingyuan was dissolved and Liaocheng returned to Shandong.

Attractions

Shanxi-Shaanxi Assembly Hall.

• Shanxi-Shaanxi Assembly Hall (short Shanshan Hall, Chinese: 山陕会馆; pinyin: shān shǎn huì guǎn)
• Guangyue Tower (Chinese: 光岳楼; pinyin: guāng yuè lóu)
• Yueyang Building
• Huanghe Building
• Iron Tower
• Lion Building (site where - according to the legend - Wu Song fought and killed Ximen Qing)
• Linqing Mosque

Sister cities

Liaocheng is a sister city of the following cities.

• Uiryeong County, South Korea (since June 7, 2001)
• Blacktown, Australia (October 14, 2003)
• Gwangmyeong, South Korea (May 3, 2005)
• Naberezhnye Chelny, Russia (since 2009)

Furthermore, there is a partnership with the district Offenbach in Germany.

External links

• Government website of Liaocheng (available in Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean)