Fuling District () is a district in central Chongqing, China. It is the second-largest district in Chongqing. Former U.S. Peace Corps teacher Peter Hessler worked in the district for two years and later wrote the memoir River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze.

The district spans an area of , and has a population of 1,115,016, according to the 2020 Chinese Census.

History

According to the district's government, the area comprising contemporary Fuling District has been inhabited since approximately 3000 BCE.

During the Spring and Autumn period, the area was inhabited by the . All-time Oct high

| source 2 = Weather China

| source =

Demographics

Fuling District has a population of 1,115,016, according to the 2020 Chinese Census.

As of 2020, 71.85% of the district's population is urbanized, up from 55.80% in 2010. These township-level divisions in turn administer 719 administrative villages and 80 residential communities.

{| class="wikitable"

! Name !! Chinese (S) !! Area (km<sup>2</sup>)

|-

| || || || 105,296 || 3.8

|-

| || || || 75,746 || 11.24

|-

| || || || 156,753 || 126

|-

| || || || 36,538 || 78.09

|-

| || || || 51,078 || 91.6

|-

| || || || 88,124 || 91.1

|-

| || || || 34,541 || 63.2

|-

| || || || 46,160 || 121.5

|-

| || || || 26,447 || 67.14

|-

| || || || 16,197 || 107.4

|-

| || || || 41,114 || 114

|-

| || || || 50,017 || 56.3

|-

| || || || 29,285 || 83.5

|-

| || || || 23,454 || 78.2

|-

| || || || 32,360 || 55.5

|-

| || || || 36,511 || 80.6

|-

| Linshi town || || || 41,730 || 82.3

|-

| || || || 34,299 || 81.7

|-

| || || || 26,144 || 54

|-

| Yihe town || || || 37,390 || 70.4

|-

| Luoyun Township|| || || 14,940 || 56.5

|-

| || || || 3,200 || 96.3

|-

| Wulingshan Township|| || || 6,360 || 103.3

|-

| Dashun Township|| || || 18,844 ||

|-

| Zengfu Township|| || || 15,527 || 70.4

|-

| Tongle Township|| || || 18,659 || 65.73

|}

Economy

Fuling District had a total gross domestic product (GDP) of 140.274 billion renminbi (RMB) as of 2021, an 8.7% increase from 2020. As of the latest available data, Fuling District's economic performance has been notable. The materials industry plays a significant role in Fuling's economy, with a 2023 production value of 120.4-billion-yuan, accounting for one-fifth of Chongqing's total. This industry leads all districts and counties in Chongqing, highlighting its importance to the region's economic development.

The district's primary sector accounted for 6.48% of total GDP in 2021, and grew at a rate of 6.4% from 2020; the secondary sector accounted for 55.80% of GDP, and grew 6.7% from 2020; the tertiary sector accounted for 37.72% of GDP, and grew 12.0% from 2020.

Transportation

Historically, Fuling was primarily served by Yangtze river boats, as the development of ground transportation was slow, due to the difficult terrain.

Railways arrived to the Fuling area only in the 21st century. First was the Chongqing–Huaihua Railway, completed in 2005. Its Fuling Railway Station is located a few kilometers west of town ().

The high-speed Chongqing−Lichuan Railway, opened on December 28, 2013, serves Fuling as well, with its Fuling North Railway Station. This railway crosses the Yangtze near the city over the Hanjiatuo Bridge. The railway's Caijiagou Bridge (; ), located in Fuling District, is said to be the world's tallest railway bridge, as measured by the height of the bridge's tallest pillar (139 m). The Nanchuan–Fuling Railway, completed in 2012, forms part of Chongqing's outer railway ring.

As of 2015, Fuling had five Yangtze River bridges.

Education

thumb|[[Yangtze Normal University]]

Yangtze Normal University (formerly Fuling Teachers College) is in Fuling. The university hosted Peace Corps volunteers from 1996 until 2020, when the last volunteers were evacuated from the Peace Corps China program in the wake of COVID-19.

Culture

thumb|200px|Silver-inlaid Copper Pot, Warring States period, unearthed at Xiaotianxi, Fuling

The White Crane Ridge (Baiheliang), a rock outcrop on the Yangtze River, has been used as a hydrological station recording water levels since the Tang Dynasty. It includes many rock carvings. With the flooding of the Yangtze as part of the Three Gorges Dam project, the White Crane Ridge Underwater Museum was opened in 2009 to protect the carvings and allow viewing by visitors under the new water level of the river.

Cuisine

The Wu River brand zha cai pickled mustard tuber is produced in Fuling. The Fuling Zhacai company is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and in 2021 celebrated selling 15 billion packets.

In 1998, Peter Hessler wrote that most residents of Fuling were genetically incapable of being alcoholics. When imbibing large amounts of alcohol many people became very sick and they could not drink heavily all the time. Therefore, according to Hessler, consumption of alcohol was not habitual but rather a ritual, and drinking patterns were "abusive with light consequences."

See also

  • Fuling Catholic Church
  • 816 Nuclear Military Plant

Notes

Bibliography

  • Hessler, Peter. River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze (ebook edition). HarperCollins e-books.
  • Official site