Linquan County

Linquan County (simplified Chinese: 临泉县; traditional Chinese: 臨泉縣; pinyin: Línquán Xiàn; lit. 'near spring') is a county in the northwest of Anhui Province, China, bordering Henan province to the northwest, west, and southwest. It is the westernmost county-level division of Fuyang city. The Quan River 泉河 a tributary of the Ying River flows from its source in Henan province, through the county seat in Chengguan (城关镇; 城關鎮; Chéngguān Zhèn) and then along the county's northern border with Jieshou. According to the 2010 census, the population was 1,543,218, the area is 702 sq mi (1,820 km). Linquan is the most populous rural county in China. Linquan, called Shendi (沈地) in ancient times, has a history of three thousand years. The capital of Shen State (Early Zhou dynasty–c.500 BCE) was located in Linquan. The region was part of Pingyu County established in the 26th year of Qin Shihuang (221 BCE). Later it formed part of the fief held by the Marquis of Fuyang (富陽侯) established in the first year of Yongjian in the Eastern Han dynasty (126 CE). After the Sui dynasty unified China, Emperor Kaihuang established Shen Prefecture (瀋州; Shěn Zhōu) in third year of his reign (583 CE).