Pingdingshan

Pingdingshan (平顶山), also called Eagle City (鹰城), is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province, China. Its Chinese name means "mountain with a flat top," referring to a nearby plateau with a notably level summit. The nickname "Eagle City" dates back over two thousand years to the Spring and Autumn period, when a local ruler named Ying lived in the area. Because the word "Ying" sounded like the Chinese word for eagle, the city became known as Eagle City. Pingdingshan was established as a prefecture-level city in 1957.

The city borders Zhengzhou to the north, Xuchang and Luohe to the east, Zhumadian to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, and Luoyang to the west. The Funiu Mountains run through the western part of Pingdingshan, while the North China Plains cover the east. Mount Yao lies within the city limits. More than thirty rivers flow through Pingdingshan, and the area contains 163 lakes and reservoirs.

Since July 2021, Zhang Leiming has been the Chinese Communist Party Municipal Committee Secretary. The current mayor, Zhao Wenfeng, also took office in July 2021. Previous mayors include Wang Zhaoping (2003–2005), Zhao Qinglin (2005–2008), Li Endong (2008–2010), Chen Jiansheng (2010–2013), Zhang Guowei (2013–2018), and Zhang Leiming (2018–2021), who later became the party secretary.

Pingdingshan administers four districts, two county-level cities, and four counties.

As of 2020, the city's permanent population was about 4,987,100. In 2019, the city government reported 79,467 ethnic minorities, or 1.8% of the total population, representing 48 different groups. The largest minority is the Hui people, with 62,040 individuals (77.8% of the minority population). Other sizable groups include the Manchus (8,780) and Mongols (6,096). The remaining 45 ethnic groups together account for 2,551 people. Zhanhe District, Jia County, and Ye County each have over 10,000 ethnic minority residents. Pingdingshan has two ethnic townships: Mazhuang Hui Ethnic Township in Ye County and Yaozhuang Hui Ethnic Township in Jia County. Forty-eight administrative villages have an ethnic minority population of 30% or more, or more than 300 minority residents. The city operates 18 schools for ethnic minorities: one Mongol primary school, fifteen Hui primary schools, and two Hui secondary schools.

Pingdingshan's economy grew rapidly in the 21st century, with GDP more than doubling from 112.781 billion RMB in 2009 to 245.584 billion in 2020. The Economist Intelligence Unit's November 2010 Access China White Paper included Pingdingshan in the CHAMPS group (Chongqing, Hefei, Anshan, Maanshan, Pingdingshan, and Shenyang), a list of top 20 emerging cities in China. The economy relies heavily on the secondary sector (110.803 billion RMB, 45.12% of GDP) and the tertiary sector (114.318 billion RMB, 46.55% of GDP). The primary sector accounts for 20.464 billion RMB (8.33% of GDP). The tertiary sector grew by about 300% from 2009 to 2020. Major companies include China Pingmei Shenma Group, Pinggao Group, Wugang Company, and Tianrui Cement.

Pingdingshan has one of China's largest coal fields and is known for its coal mining industry. Starting in the latter half of the 2010s, coal production declined due to mine depletion, stricter environmental regulations, and several high-profile mining accidents. Sodium and iron are mined on a large scale, and other mineral resources include manganese, aluminum, fluorite, and gypsum. The city holds about 10 billion tons of coal reserves, the largest coalfield in southern and eastern China, and is often called "the coal storage of the central area of China." It also has 230 billion tons of salt reserves, ranking first in Henan province and second in China. Henan province has some of the largest limestone reserves in the country, estimated at over 24 billion tons, and Pingdingshan is the province's cement center for limestone mining and quarrying. Compared to other inland cities, Pingdingshan is rich in water resources, with reservoirs including Baiguishan, Zhaopingtai, Yanshan, Shimantan, and Gushitan.

Colleges and universities in Pingdingshan include Pingdingshan University, Henan University of Urban Construction, Pingdingshan Vocational and Technical College, Pingdingshan Polytechnic College, and Henan Quality Institute. High schools include Pingdingshan No.1 Middle School, Pingdingshan No.1 High School, Pingdingshan No.2 Middle School, and Pingdingshan No.2 High School.