Хуаянь қаласы: тарих, география және халқы

Huai'an, formerly Huaiyin, is a prefecture level city in central Jiangsu Province in Eastern China. As of 2020, the built up area (metro) of its 3 central urban districts had 2,544,767 inhabitants and the prefecture level city as a whole had 4,556,230 inhabitants, down from 4.8 million in 2010. Long an important regional center, Huai'an lies on and is named for the Huai River, the historical boundary between Northern and Southern Chinese culture. Once much closer to the East China Sea, it now lies in the middle of Jianghuai, the vast alluvial plain created by silt from the Huai and from the Yellow River, which flowed nearby for centuries prior to the massive floods in the mid 19th century which returned it to its old course north of Shandong. Huai'an is known as the birthplace of Han Xin, a famed general who helped found the Han dynasty and overwhelm Xiang Yu in Chu han contention; Wu Cheng'en (1500–1582), the Ming author of Journey to the West; and Zhou Enlai (1898–1976), a prominent and early Chinese Communist leader who served as premier of the PRC from 1949 until his death in 1976.

Huai'an is the atonal pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of the Chinese name (Huái'ān), the name of the River Huai and the Chinese word for "peaceful" or "pacified". The apostrophe is necessary because the second character begins with a vowel and pinyin generally avoids hyphens. The same name was previously romanized as Huai an in Wade Giles. For much of the 20th century, Huai'an was officially known as Huaiyin in pinyin, Huai yin in Wade Giles, and Hwaiyin in Postal Map, all romanizing the Chinese name written in traditional characters and in simplified ones, meaning "area on the yin, shady, or south bank of the Huai".

Huai'an lies on the Huai River in the alluvial Jianghuai Plain. The area is very flat with only a few notable hills in Xuyi County. The highest altitude in the municipality is The area is notable for its large number of lakes, rivers, and canals. The Grand Canal connects with the Huai in the city. Hongze Lake, the fourth largest freshwater lake in China, is southwest of the urban districts. Towards the south, there are also several smaller lakes. Huai'an is situated almost directly south of Lianyungang, southeast of Suqian, northwest of Yancheng, and north of Yangzhou and Nanjing in Jiangsu and northeast of Chuzhou in Anhui.

The climate in Huai'an is mild, generally warm and temperate. Winters are much drier than in summer. Its Köppen climate classification is Cwa: humid subtropical climate with dry winters.

The prefecture level city of Huai'an administers 7 county level divisions, including 4 urban districts and 3 more rural counties. These are further divided into 127 township level divisions, including 84 towns, 33 townships, and 10 subdistricts. Map Subdivision Simplified Chinese Hanyu Pinyin Population Area Density City Proper Qingjiangpu District 清江浦区 Qīngjiāngpǔ Qū 1,010,704 438.5 2,305 Suburban Huai'an District 淮安区 Huáiān Qū 785,272 1,460 537.9 Huaiyin District 淮阴区 Huáiyīn Qū 748,791 1,315 569.4 Hongze District 洪泽区 Hóngzé Qū 285,097 1,338 216.3 Rural Lianshui County 涟水县 Liánshuǐ Xiàn 829,699 1,679 494.2 Xuyi County 盱眙县 Xūyí Xiàn 607,211 2,506 242.3 Jinhu County 金湖县 Jīnhú Xiàn 289,456 1,338 216.3Total4,556,2309,971456.9 defunct districts Qinghe District & Qingpu District

Huai'an lies southeast of the cradle of early Chinese civilization on the Wei and Yellow Rivers. Modern Chinese archaeology has found remains from Neolithic civilizations in the area as far back as the 4th millenniumBC. The most famous of these is the Qinglianggang culture ([[:zh:青莲岗文化). Traditional Chinese historiography considered the area part of the Dongyi or "Eastern Barbarians", but Chinese myth sometimes extended the flood control efforts of Yu the Great to the Huai.

Under the Zhou, the area became an important agricultural center contested by the petty kingdoms of the Spring and Autumn period. In 486BC, the hegemon Fuchai of Wu completed the Han or Hangou Canal Hángōu), connecting his center of power at Suzhou near the Yangtze Delta with the Huai River at Huai'an to ease his supply lines in conflicts against Qi. Increasing in commercial and strategic importance, the town also became a waypoint on the Qian and Shan Roads. During the Warring States period, the area was held in turn by Wu, Yue, and Chu before being conquered by Shi Huangdi of Qin.