Yongkang, Zhejiang

History

The Chinese name Yongkang means "eternal well-being." The city was formally established in 245CE in the Wu Kingdom, during the Three Kingdoms (220280CE) period. In the last two decades, the city has become known for both its aggressive promotion of tourism and its booming hardware manufacturing industry. It is widely considered "the hardware capital of China," though Shenzhen has also been given the title. In 2003, Yongkang's GDP ranked 47th out of over one thousand counties nationwide.

Lizhou was the ancient name of Yongkang. According to legend, when the mother of Sun Quan, the King of Wu, was ill, she went on a pilgrimage to pray for "eternal well-being" at a temple in Lizhou. After she recovered, Sun Quan was very pleased and named the area Yongkang ("eternal well-being") after her speedy recovery. At that time, it was a part of Wushang City; however, during the Tang dynasty, Yongkang was independently recognized under the name Lizhou, eventually becoming the general administrative area of Yue Prefecture.

In 1992, the State Council approved Yongkang as a county-level city.

Administrative divisions

Subdistricts:{{cite web |script-title=zh:金华市-行政区划网 |access-date = 2012-05-24}}

• Dongcheng Subdistrict (东城街道)
• Xicheng Subdistrict (西城街道)
• Jiangnan Subdistrict (江南街道)

Towns:

• Zhiying (芝英镇)
• Shizhu (石柱镇)
• Gushan (古山镇)
• Xiangzhu (象珠镇)
• Longshan (龙山镇)
• Huajie (花街镇)
• Qiancang (前仓镇)
• Zhoushan (舟山镇)
• Fangyan (方岩镇)
• Xixi (西溪镇)
• Tangxuan (唐先镇)

Economy

Since ancient times, Yongkang has been known for its hardware production. After 30 years of reform and modernization, Yongkang evolved from traditional to modern hardware, accelerating the pace of industrial upgrading and product branding. The county then became known domestically and abroad as a "hardware capital."

The city of Yongkang has always enjoyed the name "City of Metals," as metals and machinery are its flagship industry. Other industries in the city have grown consistently, including the production of electric tools, building materials, and automobile/motorcycle accessories. Additionally, the city is a national base for the production of anti-theft doors, electric bicycles, scooters, and thermal cups.

Due to fears of industrial theft, the Yongkang door industry, which has maintained its growth since 1997, has now become the eighth-largest Yongkang hardware industry. It has 454 enterprise portal products and produces four anti-theft doors every day, accounting for 1% of the national output of anti-theft doors. 52% of the national output of stainless steel tableware and 45% of the national output of the daily-use weighing apparatus come from Yongkang, along with a third of the national output of power tools. Packaging drums, non-slip case scales and other products accounted for more than 90% of the domestic market. Scooters, gas stove burners, pumps and saw blades are its primary exports.

Geographical

Yongkang is located in the central part of Zhejiang, in the People's Republic of China. It is southeast of the Jinhua City boundary and approximately 180 km (111.8 mi) from Hangzhou. It has an area of 1049 km².

Climate

|Jan record high C = 27.6 |Jan record low C = -8.2 |Feb record high C = 29.9 |Feb record low C = -5.2 |Mar record high C = 34.9 |Mar record low C = -4.3 |Apr record high C = 35.0 |Apr record low C = 1.2 |May record high C = 37.5 |May record low C = 9.2 |Jun record high C = 38.5 |Jun record low C = 12.1 |Jul record high C = 41.4 |Jul record low C = 18.4 |Aug record high C = 42.3 |Aug record low C = 18.2 |Sep record high C = 40.7 |Sep record low C = 12.5 |Oct record high C = 36.5 |Oct record low C = 2.7 |Nov record high C = 32.1 |Nov record low C = -2.3 |Dec record high C = 27.3 |Dec record low C = -9.5

Cityscape

Image:Yongkang Night.jpg|Yongkang at night (2008) Image:永康三江交汇.jpg|Confluence of Hua Brook (华溪) on the left and Nan Brook (南溪) on the right, forming the Yongkang River (永康江) in the middle (2010)

References

References

1. "China: Zhèjiāng (Prefectures, Cities, Districts and Counties) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map".
2. "China: Zhèjiāng (Prefectures, Cities, Districts and Counties) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map".
3. "China's 'hardware capital' grinds to a halt amid coronavirus fears".
4. "SHENZHEN: HARDWARE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD".
5. "Made in Shenzhen: The Silicon Valley of Hardware".
6. county
7. link. [[China Meteorological Administration]]