Zoucheng

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Zoucheng
邹城市
County-level city
A Zoucheng landscape
A Zoucheng landscape
Country China
Province Shandong
Prefecture-level city Jining
Area
 • County-level city 1,619 km2 (625 sq mi)
 • Urban 1,619 km2 (625 sq mi)
 • Metro 1,619 km2 (625 sq mi)
Population (2010 census)
 • County-level city 1,116,692
 • Urban 1,116,692
 • Urban density 690/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
 • Metro 1,116,692
 • Metro density 690/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
Time zone China Standard (UTC+8)

Zoucheng (Chinese: ; pinyin: Zōuchéng) is a county-level city in the south of Shandong province in China. Before it became a city, it was known as Zou County or Zouxian.[1]

Zoucheng is located about 20 km south of the city of Qufu, and like Qufu, is administratively under the prefecture-level city of Jining. Its population was 1,116,692 at the 2010 census even though its built-up (or metro) area is much smaller.

Historical sites

The philosopher Mencius was born in Zoucheng, then within the feudal State of Zou. His descendants lived in Zoucheng all the way to the present. Some of them migrated to Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War. In the present day, there are four major sites in the city relating to Mencius: the Mencius Temple (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Mèng Miào), the Mencius Family Mansion (Chinese: ; pinyin: Mèng ), the Mencius Forest (Chinese: ; pinyin: Mèng Lín, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.), and Mencius' Mother's Forest (Chinese: ; pinyin: Mèng Lín, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.).

The Mencius Temple, which covers an area of more than 4 hectares (9.9 acres) on the south side of town, has five courtyards and sixty-four halls and rooms. Its history dates back to the year 1037 in the Northern Song dynasty.[2] The Mencius Mansion, where his descendants lived, is adjacent to the temple, and has 116 halls and rooms.[3]

According to the management of the Mencius Temple, the temple grounds house over 270 stone steles and sculptures, some of which dating from as early as the Song dynasty.[4] Among them are some Yuan dynasty stelae with inscriptions in 'Phags-pa script.[5]

Immediately to the north of Zoucheng lies the tomb of the King of Lu of the Ming dynasty (明鲁王墓). It is the tomb of Zhu Tan (1370-1389), the tenth son of the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming dynasty. There is also a royal tomb from the Han dynasty (汉鲁王墓).

Mencius Temple 
Inscriptions on precipices of Tieshan 

Transportation

See also

References

  1. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. - Rev. A. Williamson's account of his visit to Zoucheng (Tsou-hien, or Tsiu-hien, in his transcription) and the Temple of Mencius in 1865
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. Overview of steles at the Temple of Mencius, placard on site.
  5. 孟子故里文化典藏丛书之五《孟庙孟府孟林》

External links

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