Zibo, municipality in eastern China, in Shandong (Shantung) Province, a major industrial center in a rich coalfield. The municipality includes Zichuan, Boshan, Zhangdian, and adjacent areas. The name is also sometimes used as the official name of Zhangdian, the administrative center of the municipality. Coal mining, centered at Boshan and Zichuan, supports the production of thermoelectricity, chemicals, machinery, refractory materials, and electrical equipment. Lighter industries (food processing and textile production) are concentrated in and around Zhangdian.
Coal mining and modern industrialization, begun here in the early 20th century by German interests, continued under joint Chinese and Japanese control in the 1920s and 1930s. Already a major industrial region by 1937, the area was occupied and further developed industrially by Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). In 1949 Boshan and Zichuan were merged to form a single municipality with the name Zibo (an abbreviation of Zichuan and Boshan). This was enlarged in 1954 to include Zhangdian to the north; in 1961 the administrative center was moved from Boshan to Zhangdian. Population (1991) 2,955,575.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Zibo municipality Information info
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