District in Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China
Aihui District (simplified Chinese: 爱辉区; traditional Chinese: 愛輝區; pinyin: Àihuī Qū), formerly known as Aihui (simplified Chinese: 瑷珲; traditional Chinese: 璦琿; pinyin: Àihuī), Aihun (simplified Chinese: 艾浑; traditional Chinese: 艾渾; pinyin: Àihún), Aihu (simplified Chinese: 艾浒; traditional Chinese: 艾滸; pinyin: Àihǔ), and Aihu (simplified Chinese: 爱呼; traditional Chinese: 愛呼; pinyin: Àihū), is an administrative district and the seat of the prefecture-level city of Heihe, Heilongjiang Province, China.[1] It is located on the right (south-western) bank of the Amur River, across which is Blagoveshchensk, Amur Oblast, Russia. Aihui District spans an area of 1,443 km2 (557 sq mi), and had a population of 192,764 as of 2000.[1]
Names
Aihui has undergone a number of name changes throughout its history.[1] Most recently, in 1956, the area's Chinese characters were changed from Aihui (simplified Chinese: 瑷珲; traditional Chinese: 璦琿; pinyin: Àihuī) to the present Aihui (simplified Chinese: 爱辉; traditional Chinese: 愛輝; pinyin: Àihuī), due to the uncommon nature of the former name's characters.[1]
History
The area of present-day Aihui has been occupied on-and-off by various Chinese dynasties dating back to the Tang dynasty.[1]
Qing dynasty
To fend off military Russian military forces invading the area, Qing dynasty forces were stationed in present-day Aihui in 1683.[1]
In 1685, the city of Aihui (simplified Chinese: 瑷珲; traditional Chinese: 璦琿; pinyin: Àihuī) was built on orders from the Yamen of Heilongjiang.[1] In the subsequent two centuries since its founding, Aihui served as one of the most important towns of Northern Manchuria.[citation needed]
Following the Boxer Rebellion the city was briefly occupied by Russia, until 1906, when it was returned to the Qing dynasty.[1]
Republic of China
In 1913, Aihui incorporated as Aihui County (simplified Chinese: 瑷珲县; traditional Chinese: 璦琿縣; pinyin: Àihuī Xiàn).[1]
From December 1934 to 1945, the city was ruled by the Japanese puppet-state of Manchukuo.[1]
On December 11, 1956, was renamed Aihui County (simplified Chinese: 爱辉县; traditional Chinese: 愛輝縣, pronunciation unchanged).[1] On November 15, 1980, Heihe City was created, and on June 6, 1983, Aihui County was abolished, being merged into the Heihe City.[2]
To further complicate the situation, in 1993 the former Heihe City (a county-level administrative unit) was reorganized into Aihui District (also a county-level unit), while the former Heihe Prefecture (黑河地区) became Heihe Prefecture-level City (which consists of Aihui District and a number of counties).[2] This administrative division has been in effect ever since.
Geography
The Fabiela River [zh] and the Gongbiela River [zh] both run through the district.[3] Much of the district is forested, particularly in the west.[3] The primary trees of Aihui District are larch, red pine, poplar, and birch.[3]
The district shares a 184.3 kilometres (114.5 mi) border with Russia, and faces the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk.[4]
Administrative divisions
Aihui is divided into 4 subdistricts, 3 towns, 5 townships, 3 ethnic townships, and 23 other township-level divisions.[1][5]
Subdistricts
The district's four subdistricts are Huayuan Subdistrict [zh] , Xing'an Subdistrict [zh], Hailan Subdistrict [zh], and Xixing Subdistrict [zh].[1][5]
Towns
The district's three towns are Xigangzi [zh], Aigun, and Handaqi [zh].[1][5]
Townships
The district's five townships are Xingfu Township [zh], Shangmachang Township [zh], Zhangdiyingzi Township [zh], Xifengshan Township [zh], and Erzhan Township [zh].[1][5]
Ethnic townships
The district's three ethnic townships are Sijiazi Manchu Ethnic Township [zh], Kunhe Daur and Manchu Ethnic Township [zh], and Xinsheng Oroqen Ethnic Township [zh].[1][5]
Other township-level divisions
The district also has 23 other township-level divisions, which include mines, farms, forestry areas, and other similar operations which have township-level status.[1][5]
Demographics
About 18,500 persons (9.4% of the entire population) belong to ethnic minorites.[2] Aihui is home to 26 different ethnic groups, including Han Chinese, Manchu, Hui, Daur, Oroqen, Korean, and Mongol populations.[4]
As of the 1990s, the village of Dawujia (Chinese: 大五家子屯), located in the district, remained one of the few pockets where the Manchu language was commonly spoken.[6]
Economy
The district is home to proven reserves of 69 different types of minerals.[4] Provel coal reserves total 1.1 billion tons, proven gold reserves are 80 tons, proven silicon reserves are 1 million tons, and proven limestone reserves total 12 million tons.[4] There are also sizable reserves of marble, basalt, perlite, and quartz sand.[4]
