- Wade-Giles romanization:
- Te-chou
Dezhou
-
What is Dezhou?
Dezhou is a city in the northwestern region of Shandong province, China, situated on the Southern (Yongji) Canal, near the Wei River and the Hebei province border.
Throughout history, Dezhou has been a strategic transportation hub. It served as a supply depot and canal port on the Yongji Canal from the 7th century onward. The construction of the modern Grand Canal during the Yuan dynasty further solidified Dezhou's importance as a vital supply center, especially after the Yuan capital was moved to Beijing.
Today, Dezhou is a center for small-scale industry and medium-scale operations, including grain milling, oil pressing, and cotton textile manufacturing. The city is also a major supplier of electric power in the province, owing to its rich coal deposits and proximity to the Shengli oil field. Additionally, Dezhou remains an important railway junction and expressway hub in northwestern Shandong.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Where is Dezhou located in China?
Dezhou is a city in northwestern Shandong province, located in northeast-central China. It lies on the Southern (Yongji) Canal, just east of the Wei River and the border of Hebei province. Dezhou is a transportation hub because of its location on the route across the North China Plain. It is a railway and expressway hub and a major supplier of electric power for the northern provinces.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What is Dezhou known for?
Dezhou, located in northwestern Shandong province, China, is known as a strategic transportation center. Since the 7th century, it has been a supply depot and canal port. Under the Yuan dynasty, it became a vital supply center after the construction of the Grand Canal.
In the 20th century, the construction of railways further revived Dezhou's importance, making it a major junction and a collecting point for agricultural produce from the Hebei Plain. The surrounding area is well-known for its watermelons, Chinese dates, and pears. Today, Dezhou is a hub for expressways and a major supplier of electric power in the province.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some important industries in Dezhou?
Dezhou, located in northwestern Shandong province, China, has been a strategic and transportation center since early times.
Historically, it served as a vital supply depot and canal port on the Yongji Canal and later the Grand Canal. In the 20th century, the construction of railways further revived its importance, connecting it to major ports and industrial centers.
Today, Dezhou is a center for small-scale industry and medium-scale operations such as grain milling, oil pressing, tobacco curing, and cotton textile manufacture. It also has an engineering industry dating back to the late 19th century. Rich in coal deposits and close to the Shengli oil field, Dezhou is a major supplier of electric power in the province. Additionally, it has become an important expressway hub.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What cultural or historical sites can be found in Dezhou?
Dezhou, located in northwestern Shandong province, China, has been a strategic and transportation center since early times. Under the Ming dynasty, it was fortified in 1511, with walls almost 7 miles in circumference.
As a major railway junction and expressway hub, Dezhou is close to the Shengli oil field and rich in coal deposits. The city connects to Jinan, giving access to the port of Qingdao.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Dezhou, city, northwestern Shandong sheng (province), northeast-central China. It is located on the Southern (Yongji) Canal, just east of the Wei River and the border with Hebei province.
The Dezhou area was part of a county named Ge during the Qin dynasty (221–207 bce). Changhe county was then established there in 601 ce by the Sui dynasty (581–618) and moved its seat to the current city site in 815 under Tang (618–907) rule. In 1374 the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) transferred the seat of Dezhou to its present location; the former county seat of Lingxian was moved out in 1409. Under the Chinese republic in 1913, Dezhou was made a county, known as De. However, its county seat was separated in 1948 and set up as the city of Dezhou; it was raised to the status of a prefecture-level city in 1995.
Dezhou has always been a strategic and transportation centre. Its position on the northeast-southwest route across the North China Plain has been important since early times. From the early 7th century onward, Dezhou was a supply depot and canal port on the Yongji Canal, which roughly followed the course of the Wei River. Under the Yuan dynasty (1206–1368), the modern Grand Canal, which again followed the line of the Wei River, was constructed, and Dezhou again became a vital supply centre, especially after the Yuan capital was moved to Beijing. In Ming times the city became the main collecting point for the tax grain of northern Shandong and southern Hebei provinces and a transshipment point for grain from Xuzhou in Jiangsu province and the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) region. Two enormous granaries were constructed, and in 1511 the city was strongly fortified, with walls almost 7 miles (11 km) in circumference.
In the 20th century, after the Grand Canal had fallen into neglect, Dezhou’s importance was revived following the construction of the railway from Tianjin to Pukou, opposite Nanjing, which was completed in 1912. The line, passing through Dezhou, connected at Jinan with the railway east to Qingdao, giving Dezhou access to this major port. During their occupation of the area, the Japanese in 1940 built another railway connecting Dezhou with Shijiazhuang in Hebei province and with the industrial centres of Shanxi province to the west. Dezhou was thus at the junction of the main north-south rail route and a new east-west rail link. The city became a major collecting point for the agricultural produce of the southern part of the Hebei Plain, including beans, grain, cotton, peanuts (groundnuts), tobacco, and, above all, fruit. The surrounding area is well known for its watermelons, Chinese dates, and pears.
The contemporary city is a centre for small-scale industry as well as for such medium-scale operations as grain milling, oil pressing, tobacco curing, and the manufacture of cotton textiles. Dezhou is also the centre of an engineering industry dating to the end of the 19th century, when the city was the site of a minor arsenal producing arms and ammunition for the Beiyang (“North Ocean”) Army. Rich in coal deposit and close to the Shengli oil field, Dezhou is now a major supplier of electric power in the province. In addition to its continuing role as a major railway junction, Dezhou has become an important expressway hub in northwestern Shandong. The north-south Beijing-Fuzhou expressway passes through the city, and a provincial expressway links the city east to Qingdao. Pop. (2002 est.) 360,981.