Xinzhou, ancient name Xiurong (秀荣), is a prefecture-level city occupying the north-central section of inner land Shanxi Province in the People's Republic of China, bordering Hebei to the east, Shaanxi to the west, and Inner Mongolia to the northwest. As of 2022, the city has a permanent population of 2,655,563.

Administrative divisions

As of 2024, there are 14 county-level administrative divisions under jurisdiction of Xinzhou, including 1 district, 1 county-level city, and 12 counties. The details of those county-level administrative divisions are as follows:

Climate

Xinzhou has a continental, monsoon-influenced semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk), with cold, very dry, and somewhat long winters, and warm, somewhat humid summers. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from −9.1 °C in January to 22.8 °C in July, and the annual mean is 8.51 °C. Typifying the influence of the East Asian Monsoon, close to three-fourths of the annual 428 mm of precipitation occurs from June to September.

Demographics

According to the seventh national census of Xinzhou, the prefecture city had 2,689,700 inhabitants in 2020, of whom the built-up (or metro) area was home to 1,446,400 inhabitants. Contrasting to the previous census conducted in 2000, there is a decline of 378,000 inhabitants (-12.32%, or -1.31% annually). Xinzhou is the eighth populous city in Shanxi. The illiteracy rate of Xinzhou is 2.39%, a 1.13% decrease since 2010. Xinzhou’s sex ratio is 106:100 (Woman is 100).

Tourism

Dai County is home to the AAAAA-rated Yanmen Pass, a mountain pass hosting a major fortification along the Great Wall. And Mount Wutai is one of four sacred mountain of Buddhist (中国佛教四圣山).

Education

Xinzhou has numerous public high schools. And Xin Zhou Di Yi Zhong Xue (Xin Zhou Number One High School), is considered the most prestigious public high school in this region. Another public high school of interest is the nearby laboratory high school. It functions as an extension of the Xin Zhou Normal University. The third famous high school is the Xin Zhou Shi Yan Zhong Xue (Xin Zhou Experimental High School). This school was initiated as a public-private partnership. The school is partially funded by the Chinese government, follows national educational standards, and maintains close ties (and even joint faculty) with Xin Zhou Yi Zhong Xue; however, it maintains a greater independence from the government than traditional public schools. The experimental school also runs a small primary school program (generally only one classroom per grade level) which is populated almost exclusively by the children of Yi Zhong Xue and Shi Yan Zhong Xue teachers.

Transportation