Zhaoyuan is a county-level city within the prefecture-level city of Yantai, Shandong Province, China, located on the Bohai Sea. Zhaoyuan is well known for its abundant gold deposit and production, and is occasionally nicknamed "China's gold capital". The city spans an area of 1432.32 km2, and has a population of 560,234 as of 2019.

History

The area was first incorporated under the Han dynasty as Qucheng County. Gold was discovered at Zhaoyuan in the Tang dynasty. The myth accompanying the city's discovery of gold is that a giant tortoise named Ao once told villagers struggling with famine to dig, and upon digging, they struck gold. The county was named Zhaoyuan County in 1131.

People's Republic of China

Five townships in Zhaoyuan were upgraded to towns on September 1, 1988. On December 21, 1991, Zhaoyuan was upgraded from a county to a county-level city. Throughout the mid-1990s, three more townships were upgraded to towns. On January 11, 1999, the town of Zhaocheng was divided into three subdistricts:, Quanshan Subdistrict, and. The Fifth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China reported that Zhaoyuan had a population of 593,705. On December 19, 2000, Dahuchenjia Township became the city's last township to be upgraded to a town.

2014 murder of Wu Shuoyan

In late May 2014, five members of The Church of Almighty God, an outlawed new-age cult, entered a McDonald's in Zhaoyuan and began soliciting customers' phone numbers. When 37 year-old Wu Shuoyan refused to give her phone number to the group, they claimed she was an "evil spirit", and began beating her with chairs and a metal mop handle, ultimately killing her. In February 2015, two of the attackers were executed, and the other three received jail sentences ranging from seven years to life.

Geography

Zhaoyuan's city center is located approximately 90 km southwest of Yantai's urban center. The city's terrain is higher in the northeast, middle and west, and lower in the northwest and southeast

Climate

The city's annual average temperature is 11 °C, and its annual average precipitation is 607.3 mm.

Administrative divisions

Zhaoyuan administers five subdistricts and nine towns.

Subdistricts

Zhaoyuan's five subdistricts are, Quanshan Subdistrict, , , and.

Towns

Zhaoyuan's nine towns are, , , , , , , , and.

Economy

The city has a significant amount of gold deposits, largely concentrated in its northeast. Zhaojin Mining has its headquarters located in the city. Additionally, Linglong Tire is headquartered in the city.

Transport

National Highway 206 runs through Zhaoyuan.

Tourist attractions

A large golden statue of Ao, a Chinese mythical giant turtle is located in the village of Oujiakuang, in the town of. Located in Luoshan National Forest Park, the statue is Asia's largest statue of Ao, and is located at 37.46°N, 120.47278°W. The statue is 15 meters tall and 20 meters long. The is located in Zhaoyuan.

Notable people