Pu County, also known by its Chinese name Puxian, is a county in the southwest of Shanxi province, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Linfen; bordering county-level divisions are Yaodu District (the urban area of Linfen) to the southeast, Ji County to the southwest, Daning County to the west, Xi County to the north, Fenxi County to the northeast, and Hongtong County to the east. Pu County spans an area of 1513 km2, and had a population of 107,339 according to the 2010 Chinese census.

Toponymy

Pu County is named after the fabled Puzi Mountain in the area.

History

Spring and Autumn period

During the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history, the city of Pu and its hinterland were the appendage of the Jin prince Ji Chong'er before the Rong beauty Li Ji successfully schemed to drive him from the country in 655BC and to place her own son into succession for the duchy. Pu would have also been a home to the famous courtiers like Jie Zhitui who followed Ji Chong'er into his exile. Their court was later imposed on Jin by a Qin army in 636BC, with Ji Chong'er as the state's Wen Duke.

Northern Wei

During the Northern Wei, the ancient Pingchang County was located close to present-day Pu County, which fell under the jurisdiction of. Later in the Northern Wei, the area would be reorganized as Shicheng County, under the jurisdiction of.

Post-Northern Wei

In 579 CE, Shicheng County was renamed to Puzi County, and was placed under the jurisdiction of. In 606 CE, Puzi County was renamed to Pu County, and was placed under the jurisdiction of.

Republic of China

During the early years of the Republic of China, Pu County was administered by, and then placed under provincial administration upon the abolition of circuits.

People's Republic of China

Upon the foundation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Pu County was placed under Linfen Prefecture, which was renamed in 1954. The county was abolished from 1958 to 1961. In 2000, it was placed under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Linfen. On October 6, 2021, the county was afflicted by a flood which killed four people in the village of Jingpo in the town of.

Geography

The county's highest point is Wulu Mountain, which reaches 1946 m in height. The county's lowest point is 790 m in height. The flows through Pu County, as does a number of its tributaries.

Climate

Administrative divisions

Pu County administers four towns and five townships.

Towns

The county's four towns are, , , and.

Townships

The county's five townships are, , , , and.

Demographics

According the 2010 Chinese census, the county had a population of 107,339, up from the 98,860 reported in the 2000 Chinese census. The county had an estimated population of about 80,000 as of 1996.