Jinhu County () is under the administration of Huai'an, Jiangsu province, China with 289,456 inhabitants (2020 census). It occupies the northwestern shores of and extends into Gaoyou Lake, bordering the prefecture-level cities of Yangzhou to the south and east, and Chuzhou (Anhui) to the southwest.
During the Spring and Autumn (~770- 476 BCE). Belongs to the state of Wu (å´å½), State of Yue(è¶Âå½) and state of Chu(æ¥Âå½).
During the Qin Dynasty(221- 207 BCE), the county system was established, belonging to the Dong Yang Countyï¼Âä¸Âé³å¿ï¼Â, Dong Hai Commandery ï¼Âä¸Âæµ·é¡ï¼Â.
During Western Han Dynasty(206 BCE to 9 CE). The land first belongs to Dong Yang County (ä¸Âé³å¿ï¼Â.
During the Emperor Wu of Han Yuan Shou(reign name) Five years (æ±Âæ¦å¸Âå Âç©äºÂå¹´-118 BCE), With the separation of Dong Yang County (ä¸Âé³å¿), Gao You County ï¼Âé«Âé®å¿ï¼Âwas established. The southern area from Ta Ji ï¼Âå¡ÂéÂÂéÂÂï¼Âand Jin Nan townï¼ÂéÂÂÃ¥ÂÂéÂÂï¼ belongs to Gao You County(é«Âé®å¿)ï¼ the rest of towns still belong to Dong Yang County ï¼Âä¸Âé³å¿ï¼Â.
During Emperor Wu of Han Yuan Shou(Reign Name) six years(æ±Âæ¦å¸Âå Âç©å Âå¹´-117 BCE), Dong yang county analysed and established She Yangï¼Âå°Âé³＠and Ping An ï¼Âå¹³å®Âï¼Âcounty, the Ping An cityï¼Âå¹³å®ÂÃ¥ÂÂï¼Âwas established. The Jin Nan townï¼ÂéÂÂÃ¥ÂÂéÂÂï¼Â, Jin Gou townï¼ÂéÂÂæ²ÂéÂÂï¼Â, Taji townï¼Âå¡ÂéÂÂéÂÂï¼Â, Tiantangji townï¼Â天å ÂéÂÂéÂÂï¼ and its northern area belongs to Ping An Countyï¼Âå¹³å®Âå¿ï¼Â, the southern area belongs to Gao You Countyï¼Âé«Âé®å¿ï¼Â, and Dai Lou townï¼Âæ´楼éÂÂï¼ belongs to Dong Yang county ï¼Âä¸Âé³å¿ï¼Â.
During Wang Mang ï¼ÂçÂÂè½ï¼ÂPeriod (Xin dynasty ~45 BCE - 6 23 October CE), Ping An County (å¹³å®Âå¿)changed to Du Xiang Countyï¼ÂæÂÂ乡å¿ï¼Â, Gao Youï¼Âé«Âé®å¿＠and Dong Yang countyï¼Âä¸Âé³å¿＠remains the same.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 - 220 CE), Ping An County ï¼Âå¹³å®Âå¿ was restored while Gao Youï¼Âé«Âé®å¿＠and Dong Yang County ï¼Âä¸Âé³å¿＠remained the same.
During the Western Jin Period (266 â 420 CE), Ping An County ï¼Âå¹³å®Âå¿＠was incorporated into She Yang County ï¼Âå°Âé³å¿ï¼Â. The area was divided into three counties: She Yang (å°Âé³), Gao Youï¼Âé«Âé®＠and Dong Yangï¼Âä¸Âé³ï¼Â.
In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, San'e Qiao ï¼Âä¸Âé¿侨ï¼Âset up two prefectures, You Zhouï¼Âå¹½å·Âï¼ and Yan Zhouï¼Âå Âå·Âï¼Â. In the fourth year of Taiyuan (太å ÂÃ¥ÂÂå¹´-379 AD), the Battle of San'e ï¼Âä¸Âé¿ä¹ÂæÂÂï¼ took place within the territory between the former Qin and the Eastern Jin.
During the Southern and Northern Dynasties(Ã¥ÂÂÃ¥ÂÂæÂÂ), Southern Qi(Ã¥ÂÂé½Â) established An Yi County(å®Âå®Âå¿) in Ping An City(å¹³å®ÂÃ¥ÂÂ), and Yangping Commandery(é³平é¡) in Shi Jian City(ç³é¼ÂÃ¥ÂÂ).
During the Southern Liang(Ã¥ÂÂæ¢Â) Dynasty, Dong Guan County(ä¸ÂèÂÂå¿) was established in An Yi City(å®Âå®ÂÃ¥ÂÂ), and Yang Ping County(é³平å¿) was moved from Shi Jian City (ç³é¼ÂÃ¥ÂÂ). Gao You County (é«Âé®å¿) analysed and set up Zhu Tang(竹å¡Âå¿) and Sanqui County(ä¸Âå½Âå¿).
Southern Chen(Ã¥ÂÂéÂÂ)then abolished Dong Yang County(ä¸Âé³å¿) and left An Yi (å®Âå®Âå¿) and Gao You county (é«Âé®å¿)as they were.
In the Northern Zhou (Ã¥ÂÂå¨)Dynasty, Shi Xian County(ç³é¼Âå¿) was set up in Shi Xian City(ç³é¼ÂÃ¥ÂÂ). The part of present-day Dai Lou town(æ´楼éÂÂ), originally belonging to Dong Yang County (ä¸Âé³å¿), was reorganised under Shi Xian County(ç³é¼ÂÃ¥ÂÂ).
At the beginning of the Sui Dynasty(éÂÂæÂÂ), Shi Xian County (ç³é¼Âå¿ï¼Âwas incorporated into An Yi County(å®Âå®Âå¿). Gao You Countyï¼Âé«Âé®å¿＠remained unchanged.
In the winter of the eleventh year of the Daye Dynasty (大ä¸Â11å¹´-615 AD), an insurgent army led by Du Fuwei ï¼ÂæÂÂä¼Âå¨Âï¼Âcaptured the city of Anyi ï¼Âå®Âå®ÂÃ¥ÂÂï¼Â. The city was massacred and burned by Du Fuwei ï¼ÂæÂÂä¼Âå¨Âï¼Â.
During the Tang Dynastyï¼ÂÃ¥ÂÂæÂÂï¼Â, in the fourth year of the Tang Wude (Ã¥ÂÂæ¦德åÂÂå¹´-621 AD), An Yi Countyï¼Âå®Âå®Âå¿＠was moved to Bai Tianï¼Âç½ç°＠(and present-day Bao Ying Countyï¼Âå®ÂåºÂå¿ï¼Â), east of the Grand Canal, and in the third year of the Tang Shangyuan(Ã¥ÂÂä¸Âå Âä¸Âå¹´), An Yi Countyï¼Âå®Âå®Âå¿＠was changed to Bao Ying Countyï¼Âå®ÂåºÂå¿ï¼Â. The land was divided into two counties, Bao Yingï¼Âå®ÂåºÂï¼Âand Gao Youï¼Âé«Âé®ï¼Â.
During the Song Dynastyï¼Âå®ÂæÂÂï¼Â, Bao Yingï¼Âå®ÂåºÂå¿＠and Gao Youï¼Âé«Âé®å¿＠counties remained the same.
In the Yuan Dynasty, Gao You countyï¼Âé«Âé®å¿＠was changed into a prefecture, and Bao Yingï¼Âå®ÂåºÂï¼ was changed into An Yi prefectureï¼Âå®Âå®ÂåºÂ. The An Yi Prefecture (å®Âå®ÂåºÂ)was abolished, and Bao Ying Countyï¼Âå®ÂåºÂå¿＠remained.
In the Ming Dynastyï¼ÂæÂÂæÂÂï¼Â, Gao Youï¼Âé«Âé®＠was changed from a prefecture to a department prefecture, and Bao Yingï¼Âå®ÂåºÂï¼ remained as a county.
Qing dynasty(渠æÂÂ), Bao Ying County ï¼Âå®ÂåºÂå¿ï¼Â, Gao You Zhou (department prefecture) (é«Âé®å·Â) remained the same.
Republic of China, Bao Ying Countyï¼Âå®ÂåºÂå¿＠remained the same as before, Gao Youï¼Âé«Âé®＠changed the prefecture â zhou (å·Â) to countyï¼Âå¿ï¼Â
In 2001, the former prefecture-level Huai Yin Cityï¼Âæ·®é´åÂÂï¼ was renamed Huai'an Cityï¼Âæ·®å®ÂÃ¥ÂÂï¼Â, and Jinhu County ï¼ÂéÂÂæ¹Âå¿ï¼Âwas also transferred to Huai'an Cityï¼Âæ·®å®ÂÃ¥ÂÂï¼Â, Licheng Street ï¼Âé»ÂÃ¥ÂÂè¡ÂéÂÂï¼Âis the seat of the county people's government.
In 2019, massive protests erupted over expired vaccine usage.
Jinhu County was formerly administered by Baoying and Gaoyou counties until 1959, when it became its own county.
In October 1959, when the county was established, the name "Jinhuï¼ÂéÂÂæ¹Âï¼Â" was chosen for two reasons. The first reason is the Bomkwang Lakeï¼Âæ±Âå Âæ¹Âï¼ in the county. In ancient times, Bomkwang Lake was called "Jinhu", so the county's name was a homonym of "Jinhu - the Bomkwang Lake". The second reason is that "Jinhuï¼ÂéÂÂæ¹Âï¼Â" can be interpreted as "the lake which produces gold", symbolizing the county's rich resources, rich in produce. Zhou Enlai, then Premier of the State Council, appreciated it and chose "Jinhuï¼ÂéÂÂæ¹Âï¼Â".
Jinhu County has 11 towns.
Jinhu county is located in a network of waterways, with numerous lakes, rivers, and channels, where the water surface area accounts for 30.1% of the total area. The territory is flanked by three major lakes â Baima Lake, Baoying Lake, and Gaoyou Lake â from the northeastern to the southeastern parts. The water surface area in Jinhu County covers 42,000 hectares, accounting for one-third of the county's total area. The plentiful water resources are attributed to the numerous lakes and rivers: the area enjoys abundant natural precipitation, averaging 1085 millimeters annually; the Huai River contributes approximately 20 billion cubic meters of pass-through flow each year; and the underground water reserves are estimated at 100 million tons.
The specialties of Jinhu, such as silverfish from Gaoyou Lake, lobsters, the famed Jinhu large crabs, and clams from the Sanhe River, enjoy widespread popularity in markets both at home and abroad. The county's total area dedicated to aquaculture extends over 10,000 hectares, with inland waters covering 4,000 hectares and lake aquaculture systems occupying 6,000 hectares. The production of aquatic goods reaches 48,200 tons, with an average output of 134.2 kilograms per person, the highest in Jiangsu Province. The cultivation area for specialized aquaculture products, predominantly crabs, softshell turtles, and green shrimp, spans 8,000 hectares, contributing to a yield of 13,500 tons. There is one professional fishing town and five fishing villages in the county, supporting over 2,600 fishing families and employing more than 8,000 individuals in the fishery sector. The industry of crayfishï¼Âå°Âé¾Âè¾＠in Jinhu, from breeding and fishing to storage, transportation, and catering, has developed into a distinctive feature of Jinhu, renowned as Jinhu's speciality.
The unique geological structures of the Jinhu Depression and the Sanhe Depression in Jinhu County harbor rich petroleum resources, with proven reserves amounting to tens of millions of tons. Oil extraction began in the mid-1970s, and today there are two oil fields, Biyang and Cuizhuang, with over 600 oil wells, producing 600,000 tons of oil annually. Jinhu has become an important crude oil production base in southern China, hosting the second experimental oil extraction plant of SINOPEC's Jiangsu Oilfield Branch.
Located in Taji Town(å¡ÂéÂÂéÂÂ), Jinhu Countyï¼ÂéÂÂæ¹Âå¿ï¼Â, the Hehuadang Scenic Area spans an area of approximately and is classified as a national 4A scenic site. It holds designations as a National Water Conservancy Scenic Spot and a destination for lotus viewing. The site is geographically positioned with lakes on three sides, featuring large lotus fields and proximity to Gaoyou Lake, contributing to its distinct ecological landscape.
The area focuses on lotus culture and combines various tourist activities such as agricultural sightseeing, leisure, educational programs, and health-related offerings. Hehuadang is known for initiating the Lotus Festival in China, having consistently hosted the event since 2000, making it a longstanding venue for this festival. The site has received recognition in various forms, including being named a "National Agricultural Tourism Demonstration Site" and included in the list of top 100 rural leisure tourism routes by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in 2018.
Utilising its large lotus fields and integrating local historical and cultural elements, the scenic spot has developed multiple attractions, including a tourism centre, parks, a lotus cultivation area, and thematic parks centred on a lotus and aquatic life. The site is also equipped with facilities to support visitors, including accommodation and dining services. The area showcases the lotus blossoms and greenery during the summer, aligning with its cultural and natural thematic focus.
Su Dongpo, the poet in the Song Dynasty, left his linesï¼ "é Â沽横è¡桥头æÂÂï¼Âè¶砮éÂÂå±±åºÂÃ¥ÂÂæ³Â(Wine sold at the bustling bridgehead under the moon, tea brewed with the spring water behind the temple in the green mountains )."