Changde
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Changde 常德市 |
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|---|---|
| Prefecture-level city | |
 Changde
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| Coordinates: 29°02′N 111°41′E / 29.033°N 111.683°E | |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Province | Hunan |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Zhou Derui (周德睿) |
| • Party Secretary | Wang Qun (王群) |
| Area | |
| • Prefecture-level city | 2,748.7 km2 (1,061.3 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 35 m (115 ft) |
| Population (2010 census) | |
| • Prefecture-level city | 5,717,218 |
| • Density | 2,100/km2 (5,400/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 1,232,182 |
| Time zone | China Standard (UTC+8) |
| Postal code | 415000 |
| Area code(s) | 0736 |
| GDP | 2012 |
| - Total | CNY 203.85 billion |
| - Per capita | CNY 35,475 |
| - Growth |
 12.1% |
| License plate | 湘J |
| City tree | Camphor laurel |
| City flower | Gardenia |
| Website | eng |
Changde (Chinese: 常德; pinyin: Chángdé) is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of Hunan province, People's Republic of China, with a population of 5,717,218 as of the 2010 census, of which 1,232,182 reside in the urban districts of Dingcheng and Wuling. In addition to the urban districts, Changde also administers the county-level city of Jinshi and six counties. Changde is adjacent to Dongting Lake to the east, the city of Yiyang to the south, Wuling and Xuefeng Mountains to the west, and Hubei province to the north.
The area has been inhabited by humans since around 8,000 years ago. In that time, the city has changed names several times, but it has been known as Changde since the 12th century. The city is well known for the Battle of Changde during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–45) and the atrocities committed then by the Imperial Japanese Army.
In the past decade, the city has seen a massive construction boom. New highrises have sprung up, roads were rebuilt and new schools, parks and museums have opened. Locals and tourists often visit the Changde Poetry Wall, covered in a variety of poems mostly from ancient China. The wall stretches for 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) along the Yuan River downtown and functions as a flood wall. It is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest wall with engraved arts in the world.
Changde is known for its many Paleolithic and Neolithic sites. About 500 of them have been discovered to date. In 1984 neolithic human settlements were discovered in Li County, part of Changde. In 1988, the Pengtoushan site was excavated leading to the identification of the "Pengtoushan Culture". The site contains the earliest evidence of a settled village yet discovered in China. Archeological research from 2011 suggests that a settlement called Shanlonggang, part of the Pengtoushan civilization, may have cultivated rice 8,000-9,000 years ago, making it the possible birthplace of rice cultivation.
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