Meaning of the name

Population
279,000 (1988 est.)

Location
On the south bank of the Yangtze River, 50 km upstream from Nanjing

History
The south bank of the Yangtze River, from Ma'anshan upstream for 240 km, has long been a mining area. The coming of a railroad and the opening of the Huai-nan coalfield in the 1930s made it possible for the Japanese to open an iron and steel works in 1938. Although destroyed at the end of World War II, the industries were restored to production in 1953, and Ma'anshan grew rapidly under the Communists' first and second Five-Year Plans. Ma'anshan also has sulfur and limestone mines, and chemical and cement factories.

Culture
There is a memorial to the famous Chinese poet, Li Bai (a.k.a. Li Po c.700-762), just west of Ma'anshan. Li Bai is reputed to have drowned at Ma'anshan after attempting to embrace a reflection of the moon.

A place of scenic beauty at Ma'anshan is the Caishiji, or Rock of Varied Colours, a sheer precipice on the river bank surrounded by green bamboo, sturdy pines, and towering hills.

Folklore
A defeated general is said to have killed himself rather than be captured at Ma'anshan, after ensuring that his beloved horse would be ferried across the river to safety. Upon seeing his master die, the grief-stricken horse leapt into the river and drowned. As a tribute, the boatman buried the horse's saddle on a nearby hill, thus giving Ma'anshan its name.