AN-CH'ING

formerly (191149) Huai-ning, Pinyin Anqing, conventional Anking city situated on the north bank of the Yangtze River in southwestern Anhwei sheng (province), China. Situated at a crossing place on the Yangtze, it commands the narrow section of the floodplain between the Ta-pieh Mountains to the north and the Huang Mountains on the south bank, at the west end of the Lower Yangtze Plain. An-ch'ing is the terminus of a highway running northward through Ho-fei, to Pang-pu in northern Anhwei, and on to Shang-ch'iu in southern Honan province. This road joins another, which follows the northern edge of the Yangtze floodplain on its way upstream to Wu-han (in Hupeh province), just south of An-ch'ing. A county was founded at the site under the Han dynasty (206 BCAD 220) in the 2nd century BC and was named Wan. In the 4th century AD it was called Huai-ninga name it retained until the 20th century. It became the seat of a commandery called T'ung-an under the Sui dynasty (581618). Under the T'ang (618907) and Sung (9601126) dynasties the town was known as the Shu prefecture. The name An-ch'ing was first given to a military prefecture set up there in the late 12th century; this was subsequently transformed into a civil superior prefecture called An-ch'ing. At the beginning of the Ch'ing dynasty (16441911), it became the capital of the new province of Anhwei and the administrative seat of its governor-general. It remained the provincial capital until 1949, when it was replaced by Ho-fei; from 1911 to 1949 it was officially known as Huai-ning. An-ch'ing played an important role during the Taiping Rebellion in the mid-19th century. Taken by the rebel forces in 1853, it remained one of their most important bases until 1861, when it was lost by them after a desperate defense. It was in the vicinity of An-ch'ing that Taiping reforms were most in evidence. After its recapture the imperial Chinese commander, Tseng Kuo-fan, ordered the establishment there of flour mills, granaries, and munition factories for his armies. From 1861 onward these works were under Chinese management, but, because of the lack of skilled technicians, the products of the arsenal were of little practical use, and after a few years it was shut down. An-ch'ing became a port of call for foreign shipping under the Chefoo Convention (1876) between China and the United Kingdom, and under the Sino-British trade agreement of 1902 it was to be opened to foreign trade. Little trade resulted, however, since An-ch'ing had no large or rich hinterland and its communications were relatively poor. Later, when railways to the interior of Anhwei reached the Yangtze River further east, its importance declined even more. An-ch'ing has remained a medium-sized provincial city, an important commercial centre for the plain north of the Yangtze, and a market for tea produced in the mountains both north and south of the river. While also a local cultural centre, it has remained comparatively stagnant after losing its status as provincial capital. Its modern industrial development includes a petrochemical works, producing fuel oils and synthetic ammonia, an oil refinery, and construction of a new port. Pop. (1990 est.) 250,718.