Huaian’s history and culture

Huai'an has traces of the activities of our ancestors as early as five or six thousand years ago, leaving behind the "Qingliangang Culture" that has been recorded in history.

During the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, the city was a settlement of "Huaiyi" and "Xuyi". During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there was not only the Hangou (i.e. Huaiyang Canal) dug by King Wu Fucha to connect the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River, but also a land trunk road - Shandao, which connected the north and south. "Chronology of the Huaihe System? Preface" states that the middle and lower reaches of the ancient Huaihe River, including the city, "have the most advantages in transportation and irrigation in the country" and have become an important area for great powers to compete for. They were successively owned by Wu, Yue and Chu.

After Qin unified the six kingdoms, it implemented the system of prefectures and counties. The city is divided into Sishui County and Donghai County. The first counties were Huaiyin (governing today's Wharf Town, Huaiyin District), Xuyi (governing the northeast of today's Xuyi County), and Dongyang (governing the southeast of Maba, today's Xuyi County). During the Western Han Dynasty, the city generally belonged to Linhuai County, and counties such as Huaipu (governing the west of today's Lianshui County), Sheyang (governing the southeast of today's Huai'an District), and Fuling (governing the center of today's Hongze Lake) were added. The Eastern Han Dynasty was divided into Xiapi State and Guangling County.

During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the city was at the forefront of wars and confrontations for a long time. Its construction was chaotic and its affiliations were changeable. The dock towns and Huaicheng towns in today's urban areas were both military fortresses at that time, and many states and counties were established. , where the border commanders were stationed. The long-term war has brought about the miserable scene of "thousands of miles of bare land between the Jianghuai River and the Huaihe River", and the economy and culture have been severely damaged. In the seventh year of Yongming in the Southern Qi Dynasty (489), the east of Zhidu Pofu was cut off, and 100 households from the lower reaches of Huaiyin Town were settled in Huai'an County, and the name "Huai'an" first appeared.

During the Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties, the territory had been in a stable environment for a long time, and the construction was relatively stable. Most of Huaibei belonged to Sizhou (governing the other side of the Huaihe River to the north of Xuyi County today), and Huainan belonged to Chuzhou (governing Huaicheng, today's Huai'an District). ), the economy can continue to develop and prosper again. Chuzhou and Sizhou became two nationally famous cities along the canal, and Chuzhou was even praised as "the first state in the southeast of Huaihe River" by Bai Juyi.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, the territory was relatively peaceful. The city first belonged to Huainan Road, which belonged to Chuzhou and Sizhou. Later, Huainan Road was divided into Huainan East and West Roads, and the city belonged to Huainan East Road. During the period of confrontation between the Southern Song Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty, the city once again became the front line, and the two sides repeatedly fought for it, and the construction became chaotic and changeable.

In the Yuan Dynasty, the Huaidong Appeasement Department, the Huaidong General Manager's Office, and Huaian Road (which governs today's Huaicheng Town, Huaian District) were successively established in the territory. The jurisdiction of Huai'an Road includes most of the present-day northern Jiangsu area and part of northern Anhui.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Huai'an Prefecture was built in the territory. In the Ming Dynasty, Huai'an Prefecture governed Shanyang, Qinghe, Andong, Yancheng, Taoyuan, Suqian, Shuyang, Suining, Ganyu, Pizhou, and Haizhou, totaling 9 counties and 2 prefectures, covering most of the five cities in northern Jiangsu today.

During this period, there were also the Governor of Water Transport and the Governor of Nanhe stationed in Huai'an. The Governor of Water Transport also often patrols the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers, controlling the four prefectures of Huai (an), Yang (zhou), Lu (zhou), Feng (yang) and the three prefectures of Xu (zhou), Chu (zhou) and He (zhou). Including the vast area north of the Yangtze River in today's Jiangsu and Anhui provinces. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Jianghuai Province was once established. Huai'an was the residence of the Jianghuai governor and the provincial capital.

In the first year of the Republic of China (1912), Huai'an Prefecture was abolished, and most of the city's territory first belonged to Huaiyang Road (the Road Department was established in today's Qingpu District), and later to the Huaiyin Administrative Supervision District and the Seventh Administrative Supervision District. During the Anti-Japanese War and the War of Liberation, the territory became an important base area and liberated area. The Central China Bureau of the Communist Party of China, the New Fourth Army Military Headquarters, the Central China Branch of the Communist Party of China, the Central China Military Region, and the Jiangsu-Anhui Border Region Government were all stationed in the territory.

Due to the environment behind enemy lines, the administrative districts of the base areas and liberated areas have changed greatly and have many clues. They are generally divided into Huaihai District, Yanfu District, Huainan District and Huaibei District.

For one year from the victory of the Anti-Japanese War to September 1946, Huai'an was the center of the Liberated Area in Central China and the capital of the Jiangsu-Anhui Border Region. At that time, the Jiangsu-Anhui Border Region was bounded by the Yangtze River to the south, the Longhai Railway to the north, and the Yellow Sea to the east. It stretches to Yuxikou in the west, across the four provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan and Shandong, and governs 53 old counties. In December 1948, the entire city was liberated. In May 1949, the Huaiyin Zone was established.

After the founding of New China, Huaiyin Prefecture first belonged to the Northern Jiangsu Administrative Region and then to Jiangsu Province.

After several zoning adjustments in June 1950, August 1954, December 1954, and March 1971, the entire city now belongs to Huaiyin District.

In 1983, Huaiyin Prefecture was changed to Huaiyin City, with jurisdiction over 11 counties such as Suqian, Shuyang, Guannan, Sihong, Siyang, Lianshui, Huaiyin, Huai'an, Hongze, Xuyi and Jinhu and two districts, Qinghe and Qingpu. Guanyun County is placed under the jurisdiction of Lianyungang City.

In 1987, the counties Huai'an and Suqian were changed into county-level cities. In August 1996, the four counties (cities) of Suqian, Siyang, Shuyang and Sihong were separated from Huaiyin City and established the prefecture-level Suqian City. At the same time, Guannan County was placed under Lianyungang City. In February 2001, Huaiyin City was renamed Huai'an City, the former county-level Huai'an City was changed to Chuzhou District of Huai'an City, and the former Huaiyin County was changed to Huaiyin District of Huai'an City. On February 23, 2012, Chuzhou District was renamed Huai'an District.

In 2016, Qinghe District and Qingpu District of Huai'an City were merged and renamed Qingjiangpu District, and Hongze County was renamed Hongze District of Huai'an City. So far, Huai'an City has jurisdiction over 4 districts and 3 counties: Qingjiangpu District, Huaiyin District, Huai'an District, Hongze District, Lianshui County, Xuyi County, and Jinhu County.

Extended information:

The terrain of Huai'an City is high in the west and low in the east. Except for the hills and hills in Xuyi County in the southwest of the city, the city is dominated by plains and the terrain is flat. The territory is intertwined with rivers and lakes, and the water network is crisscrossed by nine rivers: the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, the Huaishu River, the North Jiangsu Irrigation Canal, the Huaihe River Inlet Channel, the Huaihe River Inlet Channel, the Ancient Yellow River, Liutang River, Yan River, and the main branch of the Huaihe River.

Most of Hongze Lake, one of the five largest freshwater lakes in the country, is located in the city, and there are also small and medium-sized lakes such as Baima Lake, Gaoyou Lake, and Baoying Lake embedded in it. The plain area accounts for 69.39% of the total area, the lake area accounts for 11.39%, and the hilly area accounts for 18.32%.

Huai'an Municipal Government-Huai'an History