During the reigns of the Hongwu Emperor through the Yongle Emperor, there was a concerted effort to resettle Chinese peasants from the Southern China to the North China Plains, which had been afflicted by conflict and natural disasters shortly before their reigns.[4][5] While en route to their new homes in the North China Plains, many migrants gathered at the Great Pagoda Tree of Hongtong,[4][5] and many even chose to settle in and around Pingyang Fu[zh],[4] which contained present-day Hongtong County.
Administrative divisions
Hongtong County is divided into nine towns and seven townships.[3] The county's seat of government is located in the town of Dahuaishu[zh].[3]
Lying in the northern end of the Linfen Basin, Hongtong County has an average altitude of 430 meters, with its highest peak, Huoshan, reaching 2,347 meters in elevation.[1] The Fen River runs north to south through the county.[1]
Climate
On an annual basis, Hongtong County experiences an average temperature of 12.7°C, 441.5 millimeters of precipitation, and 2079.1 hours of sunshine.[1]
Climate data for Hongtong, elevation 463m (1,519ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010)
The county's population was 766,579 as of 2019, of which 45.7% of the population lived in urbanized areas, whereas the remaining 54.3% lived in rural areas.[2]
Economy
As of 2019, Hongtong County has a GDP of 15.15 billion Renminbi.[2] Of this, the primary sector accounted for 6.6% of the economy, the secondary sector accounted for 45.8% of the economy, and the tertiary sector accounted for 47.6% of the economy.[2] Retail sales in 2019 totaled 7.03 billion Renminbi.[2] Residents of Hongtong County had a disposable income of 19,545 yuan per capita, which stood at 30,848 yuan for urban residents, and 13,025 yuan for rural residents, respectively.[2]
The Locust Tree of Hongtong retains a high degree of cultural significance, which is visited by about 200,000 tourists each year.[4] The Great Pagoda Tree has become a notable site in Chinese ancestor veneration, with tourists leaving messages at the site for their ancestors, and paying homage to them.[4][8] The site also hosts large events for the annual Qingming Festival.[8]
Transportation
By the end of 2019, there were 417 registered taxis, as well as 16 bus lines operational in the county serviced by 223 buses.[2]
12345洪洞大槐树移民的考证[A Textual Research on the Immigrants from the Great Pagoda Tree in Hongdong]. sxskw.org.cn (in Chinese). 2009-02-19. Archived from the original on 2012-03-04. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
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