Longquan


Longquan is a county-level city and former county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Lishui in southwestern Zhejiang Province, China, located on the upper reaches of the Ou River and bordering Fujian province to the southwest.
Called Longyuan before the Tang dynasty, Longquan adopted its current name because of the naming taboo of Emperor Gaozu, the founder of Tang whose personal name was Li Yuan.

Demographics

Longquan has a population of around 270,000.
There is an Ethnic Township set aside for the She-nation minority at Zhuyang.

Celadons and swords

Longquan is famous locally for its swords and Longquan celadon ceramics, both of which are often regarded as historically the finest in China. Longquan celadon was one of China's finest ceramics from the Song dynasty until it fell out of fashion in the Imperial court during the Ming dynasty. Production continued but at lower quality. The swords made in Longquan are famous among martial artists in China. Modern sword production is now led by a workshop named "Shenguanglong" whose sword-making history can be traced back to the twentieth year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty. There are several private and state-owned swords-making factories in Longquan.

Industry

The city has a static inverter plant of HVDC Three Gorges-Changzhou.

Administration

The city's executive, legislature and judiciary are at Longyuan Subdistrict, together with the CPC and PSB branches. The other divisions, numbering two subdistricts, eight towns, seven townships and one ethnic township, are as follows:
Subdistricts:
Towns:
Townships: