Daqing () is a prefecture-level city in the west of Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China. The name literally means "Great Celebration" and refers to the tenth anniversary of the PRC. Daqing is known as the "Oil Capital of China" and has experienced a phenomenal boom since oil was discovered at the Daqing Oil Field in 1959.
Its population was 2,781,562 as of the 2020 census, of whom 1,574,389 lived in the built-up (or metro) area in four out of the total of five urban districts: Sartu, Longfeng, Ranghulu and Honggang.According to the sample survey of 5‰ population changes in 2024, the resident population of the city at the end of the year was 2.663 million, a decrease of 37,000 compared with the end of the previous year. Among them, the urban population is 1.996 million and the rural population is 667,000.
History
The region now known as Daqing Prefecture was a reasonably insignificant place until the Qing dynasty, known only as an unsettled hunting ground of Dörbet Oirat tribes due to its wetland and prairies. The region began to grow slightly after the Russian Empire constructed the Chinese Eastern Railway (KVZhD) through the area in 1898. The railway has a station at Sartu in today's Sartu District. It was not until 1959 that oil was discovered in the region as part of the large scale oil exploration put into motion across the Northeast China Plain.
The successful construction of the Daqing oil field despite harsh weather conditions and supply limitations became a model held up by the Party as an example during subsequent industrialization campaigns. The project also delivered critical economic benefits because without the production of the Daqing oil field, crude oil would have been severely limited after the Soviet Union cut off supplies as a result of the Sino-Soviet split. Ultimately, the city expanded incrementally with clusters forming around developing refineries and oil wells. Learn from Daqing in industry () was a slogan during the Cultural Revolution telling the people to use the city as an example for industrial production.
Daqing was promoted as a model communist industrial city.
Administrative divisions
Daqing is divided into 9 county-level divisions: 5 districts, 3 counties and 1 autonomous county.
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;"
! colspan="6"| Map
|-
| colspan="6"| <div style="position: relative" class="center">
</div>
|-
! Name
! Simplified Chinese
! Hanyu Pinyin
! Population<br />(2010 census)
! Area<br>(km<sup>2</sup>)
! Density<br>(/km<sup>2</sup>)
|----------
|Sartu District
|
|Sà'ěrtú Qū
|328,808
|549
|599
|----------
|Longfeng District
|
|Lóngfèng Qū
|352,404
|510
|691
|----------
|Ranghulu District
|
|Rànghúlù Qū
|564,534
|1,394
|405
|----------
|Datong District
|
|Dàtóng Qū
|234,557
|2,235
|105
|----------
|Honggang District
|
|Hónggǎng Qū
|169,522
|812
|209
|----------
|Zhaozhou County
|
|Zhàozhōu Xiàn
|387,463
|2,445
|158
|----------
|Zhaoyuan County
|
|Zhàoyuán Xiàn
|388,828
|4,198
|93
|----------
|Lindian County
|
|Líndiàn Xiàn
|244,578
|3,591
|68
|----------
|Dorbod Mongol Autonomous County
|
|Dù'ěrbótè Měnggǔzú Zìzhìxiàn
|233,838
|6,427
|36
|}
Climate
Located in the north temperate zone, Daqing has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa) and is affected by the Siberian high and the East Asian monsoon. Generally, winter is bitterly cold with occasional snowfalls, and spring and autumn are prevailed by monsoons. The vast majority of the annual rainfall occurs during summer. The diurnal temperature variation can be up to during the growing period. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in July, and the annual mean is . A majority of the annual precipitation falls in July and August alone. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 53% in July to 70% in February, the city receives 2,726 hours of bright sunshine annually. Extreme temperature ranges from to .
Demographics
Daqing has a population of 2.9 million, mainly Han Chinese, with a small population of 31 minority ethnic groups, including Manchu, Mongolian, Korean, and Hui nationalities. The population density is 112.69/km<sup>2</sup>, in urban areas 205.07/km<sup>2</sup>.
Economy
thumb|Well Sa-55 first drilled by Wang Jinxi and his colleagues
thumb|Wildcat in Daqing
Daqing's economy highly depends on petroleum and related industries. Daqing's oilfield is China's largest and the world's fourth most productive. Petroleum accounts for 60.8% of GDP. In 2011, Daqing's gross domestic product (GDP) was RMB374 billion yuan, representing a rise of 12.1% year on year. Primary industries output (including agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and the fisheries) increased by 13.5% to RMB13.29 billion. Secondary and value-added industries and construction output experienced an increase of 10.1%, reaching RMB307 billion, while the tertiary industry output increased 22.9% to RMB53.74 billion. In 2015 Daqing had a GDP of RMB 298.35 billion.
Foreign trade
Daqing exports over 10 million tons of crude oil each year. Over 160 varieties of paraffin wax, ethylene, tar oil and benzene are exported to more than 10 nations and regions including the US, the UK, Thailand and Hong Kong.
In 2011, total import and export volume in Daqing reached US$2.16 billion, up by 40.1%.
Banking and insurance
There were 32 banking institutions in Daqing by the end of 2006; none were foreign-invested banks. There are flights to several large cities including Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Qingdao and Shanghai.
Highway
Daqing is linked to the national highway network through the G45 Daqing–Guangzhou Expressway and G10 Suifenhe-Manzhouli Expressway.
Culture
thumb|Daqing Museum
thumb|The Iron Man Wang Jinxi Memorial Hall
Daqing spirit
Generated by the history of the city, Daqing has a culture centering around the "Daqing Spirit, the Daqing People," which is said to represent deep personal commitment in pursuing national goals, self-sufficient and frugal living, and urban-rural integrated land use.
In 1964, chief director of the Central Experimental Theater Sun Weishi and her husband, the actor Jin Shan, traveled to Daqing to live and work with the oil workers and their families.
- Tyumen, Tyumen Oblast, Russia
- Chungju, North Chungcheong, South Korea
See also
- List of twin towns and sister cities in China
References
External links
- Daqing Government Website