CHU-CHOU

Pinyin Zhuzhou, city in east-central Hunan sheng (province), China. Situated 15 miles (25 km) east of Hsiang-t'an on the east bank of the Hsiang River, Chu-chou, until the beginning of the 20th century, was only a minor market town and river port. Its rise to importance came entirely from modern transportation and began with the opening of the P'ing-hsiang collieries in Kiangsi province to the east to provide coking coal for the Han-yang Ironworks (established 1894) in Hupeh province to the north. A railway was built from P'ing-hsiang to Chu-chou, whence the coal was shipped by water to Han-k'ou (now part of Wu-han) in Hupeh. Chu-chou was later connected by rail lines to Canton, Han-k'ou, Ch'ang-sha, and Nan-ch'ang, among other cities. Chu-chou has thus become an important rail junction. It has water communications with southern Hunan and also is the focus of a network of local highways. The full benefits of these developments were delayed by the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-45. Northern Hunan was the centre of severe fighting during much of the war, and in 1944 a great Japanese offensive overran Chu-chou, which remained under Japanese occupation until 1945. Under the Communist government, Chu-chou was designated as a major centre for industrial development. A large thermal power plant was installed with Soviet aid and came into operation in 1957. A large chemical fertilizer plant was also completed in the late 1950s and yet another in 1960. The surrounding area has rich mineral resources, which include iron, lead, manganese, zinc, tungsten, copper, and antimony. A large metallurgical industry, producing lead, zinc, and copper on a large scale, has been established. Chu-chou's facilities as a transport centre have been greatly improved since 1949. The port facilities were redeveloped, and a freight yard-one of the largest in southern China-was built in the late 1950s. In the 1960s Chu-chou became a major producer of rolling stock, turning out railroad cars and electric locomotives. Pop. (1990) 409,924.