CH'U-CHOU

also spelled Chu-zhou, Pinyin Quzhou, formerly Ch'-hsien, Pinyin Quxian, city in western Chekiang sheng (province), China. Ch'-chou has been a natural transportation centre since ancient times, being situated on the upper stream of the Ch'ien-t'ang River-there known as the Ch'ang-shan River-at its confluence with the Wu-hsi River. Natural routes lead westward into Kiangsi province, south into Fukien province, and southeastward to Wen-chou in southeastern Chekiang. It is the natural collecting centre for the upper valleys of the Ch'ien-t'ang tributaries. Its importance as the head of navigation on the Ch'ang-shan River has been increased since the completion in 1931 of the railway link to Hsiao-shan and later to Hang-chou and Shanghai. Besides its commercial importance as a collecting centre, Ch'-chou has traditionally had considerable industry. Before World War II, besides rice-polishing, oil-extraction, and other food-processing plants, woodworking and well-known paper and parchment industries were established there. After the mid-1960s great electric power resources from the Hsin-an River hydroelectric project became available, and a large aluminum-refining industry developed. In the late 1950s an industrial chemicals plant was constructed there, and a large fertilizer plant was subsequently built. Pop. (1990) 125,341.