Huanzhou

Huanzhou City (Chinese: 環州市, pinyin: Huánzhōu shì), formerly called Bonaparte-Mériot (or just Bonaparte) until 1946, is the capital of Nankou state and second-largest city in Tseng. It is considered to be a major cultural centre for the Franco-Tsengian community in Tseng.

History
Huanzhou was first settled by the indigenous tribes. It was called Huanzhou because the city bordered the Huan River, which in turn was named after its path, like a ring. It wasn't until 1804 that Huanzhou became a village and incorporated. At that time, the area was under British control. The new town was called Arthur Point.

In 1884 the French arrived back at Arthur Point and renamed it Bonaparte, after Napoleon Bonaparte, and declared it capital of the French colony of Tseng. In 1923 it annexed the neigbouring town of Mériot to become Bonaparte-Mériot.

In 1946, when Tseng became independent, the city name was reverted back to Huanzhou. Many French Tsengians, primarily older ones, still refer to the city by its old name, and the Université Bonaparte-Mériot still makes use of the city's old name.

The city experienced rapid growth in the 1950s and was relatively not hit by the chaos of the 1960s in Tseng. Tourists and residents called it "the " as it sprang from a small government town to the second-largest city in Tseng in this period.

On February 28, 1987, the Detion, the then-tallest skyscraper in Tseng, collapsed, which was one of the catastrophic engineering failures in Tsengian history. Fortunately no one died, but 23 people were injured.

Today, Huanzhou is a center for science and technology. It, along with Arbre-Rose, are the capitals of French and Franco-Tsengian culture in Tseng.

Economy
Science and technology are main generators for the city. On the outskirts of the city, there are rice paddies and croplands, making agriculture important as well.

Politics
Due to Pierre Huang-li, the founder of Tseng being a native of Huanzhou, the city and its electoral districts are considered to be safe seats for the NPP, having representatives for the party in all but one election (2012). Huanzhou is considered to be one of the most conservative and NPP-leaning cities in Tseng.

Administrative divisions
There are 9 districts in the city. Originally, when the French established the city there was only two, Est and Ouest (modern Huanzhougang and Jiucheng, respectively). All other districts were annexed. The former town of Meriot is the modern French Quarter.

Heping District was a city in its own right until it was annexed into Huanzhou in 1981.


 * Donghuan District (東環區)
 * East District (東區)
 * French Quarter (法國區)
 * Heping District (和平區)
 * Huangli District (黃力區)
 * Huanzhougang District (環州港區)
 * Jiucheng District (舊城區)
 * North District (北區)
 * Xihuan District (西環區)

Geography
Huanzhou is located on the southern Tseng coast of the Pacific Ocean. Just to the east is the Callandres Coast, an Amafi Coast-like location, with towns situated on the side of mountains. To the north are forests. The west used to have forests, but most of it has been cleared away for farming and urbanization. The Huan River (Huanzhou's namesake) cuts through the west of the city.

Transportation
Huanzhou is served in air by Huanzhou Airport. Highway A1 bypasses the city in the north. A3 comes from the city to the north. The Huanzhou-Tianhehuo Expressway offers an alternate route of A3.

The Huanzhou Metro began operations in 2000 and currently is the second busiest metro in Tseng.

Huanzhou Harbour is the busiest port in southern Tseng.