Heze

Named in 1735 (during the Qing dynasty), after the ancient Heze marsh (), 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 (). 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. == City flower ==

Mudan is the city flower of Heze. The earliest documentary of Mudan is in Classic of Poetry, written almost 3,000 years ago. Mudan is also called the "king of flowers" from the Bencao Gangmu. It is a symbol of honor, peace, wealth, love, aristocracy and feminine beauty. There are 9 types of Mudan based on the colors: red, white, purple, yellow, blue, green, black, pink, and multi-colored. ==Climate==

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 , with the monthly 24-hour average temperature ranging from in January to 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. ==Administration==

The prefecture-level city of Heze administers nine county-level divisions. The municipal executive, legislature and judiciary are in Mudan District (), together with CPC and public security bureaux. There are two districts, seven counties, and 2 additional development zones: • Mudan District () • Dingtao District () • Cao County () • Chengwu County () - originally in Huxi • Shan County () - originally in Huxi • Juye County () - originally in Huxi • Yuncheng County () • Juancheng County () • Dongming County () • Heze Economic and Technological Development Zone (菏泽经济技术开发区) • Heze High-Tech Development Zone (菏泽高新技术开发区) These are further divided into 158 township-level divisions. ==Demographics==

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. == Government ==

The current mayor is Li Chunying and the chairman of the Municipal Council is Wang Weidong. == Culture ==

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." • 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. The 100 lions with different shapes represent superb architectural skills and immortal artistic value, which fully embodies the wisdom and strength of the ancient people. • Shui Hu Hero City: It is famous for the teaching and communication of martial arts and ancient buildings. It is also the Chinese ancient residence museum, CCTV-recommended tour routes and the source of water margins. • Fulong Lake Tourism Resort:Located in the southwest of Shanxian County, Heze City, Shandong Province, with a total area of 58.6 square kilometres, Furong Lake Tourism Resort is the second largest plain reservoir in Shandong Province, and is known as the 'Pearl of the Old Road, the West Lake of the North of the Yangtze River'. Floating Dragon Lake is the site of Mengzhuze, one of the four most famous zones in China. Foods • Shanxian lamb soup: The soup was first made in 1807. The taste is fresh but not mutton, and fragrant but not greasy. After more than 200 years of development and innovation of soup, it can be carried forward and accepted in many years. It is not only refreshing, but also functional in medicinal meal. • Peony cake: During a flower festival in which season when peonies are in full bloom, Wu Zetian led a maid to enjoy the flowers in the garden and ordered the maid to pluck a large number of flowers of various colors. After return to the palace, according to her design, she mashed them with rice, steaming them to make a cake known as the "hundred-flower cake" and used this dessert as a gift to officials. • Pijia roast chicken: The sauce is in color red, and you can smell the rich roast chicken scent just a few feet away from the pot. Its outstanding characteristics are fresh, fragrant, and tender with consistent taste inside and out. • Caozhou sesame cake: Its shape is round as a moon, tender inside with a crispy crust. Its ingredients include wheat essence powder, sesame oil, salt, pepper, fennel powder and other oil-based products. • Ju Ye pot of soup: Jar soup is the most representative of Shandong is the most representative characteristics of the south-west of Shandong traditional food. Originating from Daxieji Town, Juno County, Heze City, Shandong Province, it is the most authentic soup in Daxieji Town. Has been registered in the State Administration for Industry and Commerce 'Xieji authentic jar soup' trademark. It is one of the most popular soups among the local people, and has been listed as one of the famous foods in Southwest Shandong Province and Shandong Province, and was named as one of the famous Chinese foods in 2004. == Transportation ==

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. 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. ==Economy==

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. ==Sister cities==

• Mobile, Alabama ==References==