Heze

Named in 1735 (during the Qing dynasty), after the ancient Heze marsh (Chinese: 菏澤), a body of water formerly located in the area which was mentioned in the Tribute of Yu. According to the Yuanhe Junxian Tuzhi, the marsh was named after He Mountain (Chinese: 菏山). In August 1949, Heze was detached from Shandong peninsula and given to the experimental province of Pingyuan, but was later returned to Shandong just over three years later. In April 1953, Heze and Jining gained counties from the former prefecture of Huxi after its abolition.

Heze has a monsoon-influenced climate that lies between the humid subtropical and humid continental zones (Köppen Cwa/Dwa), with four well-defined seasons. The city is warm and nearly rainless in spring, hot and humid in summer, crisp in autumn and cold and dry in winter. The mean annual temperature is 14.22 °C (57.6 °F), with the monthly 24-hour average temperature ranging from −0.5 °C (31.1 °F) in January to 27.1 °C (80.8 °F) in July. Nearly 70% of the annual precipitation occurs from June to September. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 48% in July to 60% in May, the city receives 2,411 hours of bright sunshine annually. At the same time, Heze is also an area prone to meteorological disasters. Droughts and floods are one of them, especially droughts that occur frequently and have a large impact, causing the most serious harm.

Heze is rich in cultural tourism resources and is known as the capital of peonies, the hometown of opera, martial arts, calligraphy and painting, and folk art. Peony cultivation began in the Sui Dynasty, flourished in the Tang Dynasty, and flourished in the Ming Dynasty. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had become the center of peony cultivation in China. It is known as "Caozhou has the best peonies in the world, and Heze has the best peonies in the world." Caozhou Mudan Garden: It is the largest Mudan (Peony) garden in Heze and with the most varieties. One Hundred Lion Square: It is famous for its column carved with 100 stone lions in different postures. It represents best wishes and longevity. The archway is 14 meters high and 9 meters wide. …

Heze is the largest center in China for the cultivation of the "national flower" peony, after which the Mudan District was named. Over 30% of its GDP comes from the sale of peony.

Heze has convenient transportation and has formed a transportation network consisting of four modes of transportation: railway, highway, shipping, aviation, and pipeline. The Beijing-Kowloon Railway Line and the Xinyan Line cross the territory, running through Caoxian, Dingtao, Mudan District, and Juan respectively. Cheng, Yuncheng, Dongming, Juye and other counties, there are 8 county-level railway stations; Beijing-Kowloon High-speed Railway and Shandong-Nan High-speed Railway intersect here, and highway transportation is developed. Highway: China National Highway 220; China National Highway 105; China National Highway 106; China National Highway 240; China National Highway 327 Heze Mudan Airport opened on April 2, 2021. Conventional rail services call at Heze railway station, high-speed services call at Heze East railway station.

According to the 2020 Chinese census, Heze was home to 8,287,693 people, of whom 1,346,717 live in the built-up area around the seat of government in Mudan District. The permanent population in the territory is mainly Han, and the ethnic minorities include Hui, Manchu, Tibetan, Miao, Uyghur, Kazakh, Zhuang, Mongolian and other ethnic groups.