Baicheng is a prefecture-level city in the northwestern part of Jilin province, China, bordering Inner Mongolia to the north and west and Heilongjiang to the east and northeast. At the 2010 census, 2,033,058 people lived within its administrative area of 25683 km2.

Toponymy

By 1938 the area was renamed to Baicheng, which in Chinese means white town. The name's origin is the Mongolian name of the city Chaghanhot, which also means "white town".

History

The area of present-day Baicheng has been inhabited by humans for more than 12,000 years, dating back to the Upper Paleolithic era. The area was subsequently inhabited by the nomadic Donghu from the period of the Shang dynasty through to the Qin dynasty. It would later be inhabited by the Xianbei and formed part of Buyeo from the period of the Han dynasty through to the Northern and Southern dynasties. During the time of the Sui dynasty and Tang dynasty, the area was inhabited by the Khitan people. During the Khitan-founded Liao dynasty, the area was incorporated as part of the, the seat of which was located in the ancient city of Chengsijiazi , located in present-day in Taobei District. Four emperors of the Liao dynasty were based out of Changchun Prefecture: Emperor Shengzong, Emperor Xingzong, Emperor Daozong, and Emperor Tianzuo. During this time, the area was a major political, military, economic, and cultural center of the Liao Dynasty. During the Jin dynasty, Changchun Prefecture remained intact until 1150, when it was reorganized as Changchun County, which was placed under the jurisdiction of. In 1198, the area was re-organized as, the seat of which was located in Chengsijiazi. During the Yuan dynasty, the area was first a fief of Genghis Khan's younger brother Temüge. Later, it was organized as, which was still based out of Chengsijiazi. During the Ming dynasty, Taining Circuit reorganized as, and was part of the Nurgan Regional Military Commission briefly used to administer Manchuria. During the Qing dynasty, the area belonged to the Khorchin Mongols. As Qing government forbade the settlement of Han Chinese in the 19th century, no farming was allowed until 1902. In 1902, under the reign of Emperor Guangxu, the Qing government approved the opening of the area to settlement. In 1904, was established in the area, which was under the jurisdiction of the. In the same year, Kaitong County and Jing'an County were established within Taonan Fu. In 1905, Anguang County was established as part of Taonan Fu. In December 1905, Dalai Ting was established in the area, and put under the jurisdiction of the. In 1907, the northeast portion of the Qing dynasty was reorganized into provinces, and positions of the Shangjing General and the Heilongjiang General, which were responsible for the area's administration, were merged into the Viceroy of the Three Eastern Provinces. Taonan Fu, including Kaitong County, Jing'an County, and Anguang County were under the jurisdiction of Fengtian province. Dalai Ting was placed under the jurisdiction of Heilongjiang province. In 1910, Zhendong County was established in the area, and placed under the jurisdiction of Fengtian province. In 1913, the area's administrative divisions were reorganized, and the area was split between in Fengtian province, and in Heilongjiang province. In 1914 Jing'an County was renamed Tao'an (洮南). In 1915, was established in Taochang Circuit. Baicheng's importance started to increase after a railway from Qiqihar to Siping through Baicheng was constructed in the 1920s. In the 1930s another railway connecting Baicheng to Ulanhot and the mines at Arxan was opened northwestward. These two lines enabled Baicheng to become a regional transportation hub in western Jilin province. One more rail line connecting Changchun was opened in the mid-1930s as well. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, the entire area was brought under the control of Longjiang province, part of Manchukuo. By 1938 the area was renamed to Baicheng, which in Chinese means white town. The name's origin is the Mongolian name of the city Chaghanhot, which also means "white town". After the liberation of the area from Japanese forces on August 15, 1945, all counties in the area were placed under the jurisdiction of Nenjiang province. In 1946, Communist forces took the area, and it was placed under the jurisdiction of Nenjiang province and. The following year, the area was reorganized as part of. In 1949, it was moved back to Heilongjiang province. The area was moved again to Jilin province in 1954. In August of that year, the area was reorganized as Baichengzi zone. The following year, it was renamed to Baicheng. From the late 1950s throughout the late 1970s, the area of Baicheng was modified multiple times, as were its internal borders. In July 1987, Tao'an County was reorganized as Taonan, a county-level city, which it remains today. In November 1988, Da'an County was also reorganized to be a county-level city, which it remains today. Baicheng underwent multiple more border changes in the early 1990s. In August 1993, it was reorganized as a prefecture-level city, which it remains today.

Geography

Situated in the northwestern part of Jilin province, Baicheng is located in the western portion of the Songnen Plain, and in the eastern part of the. The city stretches from a latitude of 44° 13′ to 46° 18′ N, and a longitude of 121° 38′ to 124° 22' E. At its greatest width, the city spans 230 km from north to south and 211 km from east to west. The total area of the city is 25,758.73 km2, occupying 13.7% of the provincial area. The eastern part of the Greater Khingan Mountains lies in the northwest of Baicheng. Grassland and wetlands are prominent throughout the city's southeastern part. Baicheng is bordered by Songyuan to its east and southeast. It is bordered by Horqin Right Middle Banner, Tuquan County, and Horqin Right Front Banner in Hinggan League in Inner Mongolia to the west and northwest. To its north and northeast, Baicheng is bordered by Tailai County in Qiqihar, as well as Dorbod Mongol Autonomous County and Zhaoyuan County in Daqing, all in the province of Heilongjiang. The city's metro area is located 333 km from the provincial capital of Changchun, 218 km from Qiqihar, 448 km from Siping, and 83 km from Ulanhot.

Climate

Baicheng has a rather dry, monsoon-influenced, humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa), with long (lasting from November to March), very cold, windy, but dry winters due to the influence of the Siberian high, and hot, humid summers, due to the East Asian monsoon. The coldest month, January, averages −16.1 °C, while the warmest month, July, averages 23.5 °C; the annual mean is 5.5 °C. More than 70% of the annual precipitation falls from June to August alone. Drought conditions are common in spring and autumn; from 1961 to 2009, there were 31 years with spring drought and 28 with autumn drought.

Administrative divisions

Baicheng directly administers one district, two counties, and two county-level cities. These county-level divisions then in turn administer 31 subdistricts, 38 towns, and 35 townships (including 8 ethnic townships).

Demographics

Per a 2023 government publication, 93.65% of Baicheng is ethnically Han Chinese. Of the remaining 6.35%, the largest ethnic minorities in the city include the Mongols (3.51%), the Manchu (1.92%), Koreans (0.58%), and the Hui (0.21%). As of 2023, Baicheng has eight ethnic townships under its jurisdiction: in Taobei District, in Da'an, and in Taonan, and in Zhenlai County, and and in Tongyu County. 43.3% of Baicheng's population lived in urban areas as of 2022. As of 2022, 50.2% of Baicheng's population is male, and 49.8% is female.

Economy

As of 2022, Baicheng's gross domestic product (GDP) totaled 57.486 billion renminbi (RMB). Its primary sector accounted for 29.2% of its GDP, while its secondary sector accounted for 18.9%, and its tertiary sector accounted for 51.9%. The per capita disposable income of urban residents in the city was 29,109 RMB, an increase of 2.4% over the previous year, while the per capita disposable income of rural residents in the city was 14,282 RMB, an increase of 5.7% over the previous year. The total output of the city's agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery industries totaled 31.577 billion RMB in 2022. Major crops grown in Baicheng include maize, rice, various beans, and oilseeds. Textile industry is one of the main pillars of the economy. It is home to the Baicheng Weapons Test Centre. The total retail sales of consumer goods in Baicheng totaled 15.319 billion RMB in 2022. Baicheng was home to 3.203 billion RMB-worth of foreign trade in 2022.

Transportation

Railway

Baicheng railway station is a railway hub in western Jilin Province. It is the terminus of the Changchun–Baicheng railway. There are multiple daily departures to other cities including Beijing, Harbin, Changchun, Shenyang, Dalian, Qiqihar, Ulanhot and several other cities in northern provinces of China.

Road

Expressways National highways (GXXX):

Air

Baicheng Chang'an Airport is located in the town of Taohe (洮河) in Taobei District, 16.5 km from the city center. It has been under construction since October 26, 2012. The total investment is 480 million yuan. The airport was opened on 31 March 2017, the fifth civil airport in Jilin province. The airport has a runway that is 2,500 meters long and 45 meters wide (class 4C), and a 4,471 square-meter terminal building. It is designed to handle 200,000 passengers and 700 tons of cargo annually by 2020.

Culture

As of 2022, Baicheng has one art gallery, five cultural centers, six museums, and six public libraries. The city has seven radio stations and six television channels.

Healthcare

As of 2022, the city has 1,947 medical institutions, including 49 hospitals, 6 maternal and child health care institutions, 5 specialized disease prevention and treatment institutions, 6 disease prevention and control centers, 11 community service centers, 92 township health centers, and 847 clinics, health centers, medical offices, and nursing stations. At the end of the year, Baicheng's health institutions had 9,248 beds, of which, 8,980 were located in hospitals and health centers. The city has 13,340 healthcare professionals, including 5,508 practicing assistant doctors, 4,397 practicing doctors, and 5,869 registered nurses.

Sister cities