Beihai


Beihai is a prefecture-level city in the south of Guangxi, People's Republic of China. Its status as a seaport on the north shore of the Gulf of Tonkin has granted it historical importance as a port of international trade for Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan. Between the years 2006 and 2020, Beihai is predicted to be the world's fastest growing city. Beihai has a large shipyard, but most of the money generated in the city is derived from trade.
In addition, it governs the small islands of Weizhou and Xieyang, and is directly west of Leizhou Peninsula.

Subdivisions

Beihai contains three districts and one county, which are subdivided into five urban sub-districts, 23 towns, 3 townships, 87 neighborhood committees, 343 village committees.
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History

After the 1876 Sino-British Treaty of Yantai, eight Western nations set up consulates, hospitals, churches, schools, and maritime customs. Today, 15 of these western buildings remain in Beihai. It officially became an international tourist spot in 1982.

City timeline

Beihai has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate, with mild to warm winters and long, hot summers, and very humid conditions year-round. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in July, while extremes have ranged from. Rain is both the heaviest and most frequent from June to September, when 70% of the annual rainfall also occurs. This is in contrast to the autumn and winter months, where only of rain falls per month. The area receives about 2,000 hours of sunshine annually.

Language

Vernacular languages of Beihai include Qin-Lian Yue, Hakka and Min. Mandarin is of increasing prevalence as a result of the Chinese government's general promotion of it.

Transportation

Air Transportation

Beihai is served by Beihai Fucheng Airport. It serves domestic destinations and also Hong Kong.

Rail

Beihai is served by a railway branch from Nanning. There are passenger trains to Nanning and Guilin. At the end of 2013, the introduction of high-speed train service to Beihai was announced as well.

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