Liling City (LI LING SHI)
Liling is located in eastern Hunan, on the west edge of the northern section of the Luoxiao Mountains, and in the Lushui River Basin, a tributary of the Xiangjiang River. It borders Pingxiang City in Jiangxi Province to the east, Liuyang City to the north, You County to the south, and is close to the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Tanxi Golden Triangle Economic Zone. The total area is 2157.2 square kilometers. The landform is dominated by hills and mountains. It has a humid subtropical monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of about 18°C, sunshine hours of 1588-1321 hours, annual rainfall of 1719-1423 mm, and a frost-free period of 305-279 days.
Liling is rich in ceramics, firecrackers and fireworks, and is known as the "City of Porcelain" and the "Hometown of Firecrackers". It is a key high-yield grain area in the country and the first county (city) in the Yangtze River Basin to produce more than tons of grain per mu. Liling is rich in natural resources, with forestry land accounting for 57% of the total area and 396 tree species. Among them, there are 13 precious tree species protected by the state, including metasequoia and ginkgo. The tree species are mainly timber forests and economic forests. In 1986, the output of Camellia oleifera ranked fourth in the country. In 2001, it was awarded the title of "Hometown of Camellia oleifera in China" by the State Forestry Administration. Non-metallic minerals include porcelain clay, refractory clay, coal, limestone, fluorite, powder stone, stone, etc. Metal minerals include gold, silver, lead, zinc, tungsten, antimony, uranium, etc. Liling has abundant precipitation and abundant surface water. The annual surface runoff within the territory is 1.63 billion square meters. It has three water systems: Lushui River, Zhaoling River and Jianjiang River. There are 57 large and small rivers with a total length of 914 kilometers. There are 169 large, medium and small reservoirs. With 26,000 small ponds, there is huge potential for the development of freshwater aquaculture.
There are new developments in various social undertakings. The scientific and technological work focuses on the development strategy of "revitalizing the city through science and technology", and has done a good job in the application, preparation and implementation of 27 science and technology plan projects at all levels and various types; won the provincial science and technology progress 2 awards, 1 "Spark Project" award, and applied for 33 patents, an increase of 57%. All types of education have been developed in a coordinated manner, primary education has been further popularized, and the quality of education has been improved. Culture, radio and television, health, and sports continued to develop.
Liling has a long history, outstanding people, and many places of interest. The older generation of revolutionaries such as Li Lisan, Zuo Quan, Geng Biao, and Song Shilun, patriotic generals such as Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren, and a number of influential scientists and celebrities such as the famous biologists Tang Feifan and Peng Daoru all grew up in Liling; the farmer Qu Yongshou was awarded the title of "International Outstanding Rice Farmer" by the United Nations. There are 115 scenic spots in the territory, including 15 strange peaks, 22 caves, 30 strange rocks and 48 springs. The main ancient buildings include Yunyan Temple in Hejiaqiao, Qingxing Temple in the suburbs, Confucian Temple on the east gate, Tiyun Pavilion in the east of the city, Pingshan Temple in Wangfang Township, Lujiang Academy and Song Mingchen Temple in Xishan, and Mabeiling Temple in the suburbs. Qiyuan Pagoda, Caiyuan Pagoda on the Lushui River on the other side of Jiangwan and Yuan's Chastity Archway in Dongbao Township. The rich cultural landscape provides unique conditions for the development of Liling tourism.