Weifang

Weifang, city, east-central Shandong sheng (province), eastern China. It is situated on the main route along the northern slopes of the Shandong Hills at the northern end of the central plain. The locality is watered by the Wei and Jiaolai rivers, which divide the Mount Tai complex to the west from the mountains of the Shandong Peninsula itself to the east. From Weifang, highways fan out northeastward and eastward to Longkou, Penglai, and Yantai (Chefoo) on the northern coast of the Shandong Peninsula and southeastward to Qingdao on the southern coast. The city is on the main railway line from Qingdao to Jinan (the provincial capital), completed by the Germans in 1904. After the railway was built, Weifang became a market centre for the agricultural produce of the plain to the south, especially tobacco.

The settlement of Weifang was founded before the unification of China in the 3rd century bce, when it formed part of the state of Qi; it is still surrounded by many ancient remains. It was named Weizhou under the Sui (581–618 ce) and Tang dynasties (618–907). In Song times (960–1279) it was the seat of a military prefecture, Beihai, but it later again became a civil unit. Under the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911/12) dynasties, it was demoted to county seat status as Weixian—a name it retained until Republican times (1911–49).

Fangzi, to the south, has coal mines that were opened up early in the 20th century by a German firm that operated under concessions gained in 1898. These concessions were retained by the German company after the Chinese repurchased most other mining rights in Shandong in 1911, but they were seized by the Japanese in 1915. Eventually, in 1923, they were transferred to the Luda Colliery Company (a Sino-Japanese concern).

Present-day Weifang was created in 1948 by merging Weicheng (the seat of Weixian county) and Fangzi. Its area continued to grow as it expanded into more of the surrounding area under its administration. It is now an industrial centre manufacturing machinery, chemicals, electronics, and pharmaceuticals and also mining coal and salt. Weifang’s handicraft, such as silver-inlaid lacquerware, is flourishing and is known at home and abroad. It is also known as the “city of kites,” and the Weifang International Kite Festival each April attracts many kite lovers worldwide. There is also a kite museum in the city. Pop. (2002 est.) city, 718,772; (2007 est.) urban agglom., 1,553,000.