He County (Chinese: 和县; pinyin: Hé Xiàn), also known as Hexian, is a county in the eastern part of Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. It is administered by the prefecture‑level city of Ma'anshan. The county seat is located in Liyang Town.
Geography
He County lies on the northern bank of the Yangtze River and borders Chuzhou to the northwest, Nanjing (Jiangsu Province) to the northeast, the urban districts of Ma'anshan to the east, Wuhu to the south, and Hanshan County to the west. The county covers a total area of approximately 1,319 km² (509 sq mi), of which about 48 % is arable land. The terrain is relatively flat in the southeast, forming part of the Yangtze Plain, while the northwest consists of gently rolling hills.
Population
According to the 2020 national census, He County had a resident population of 410,899, giving it a population density of roughly 312 persons per km².
History
From 1965 until 2011, He County was under the jurisdiction of Chaohu. On 22 August 2011, the Anhui provincial government reorganized the former Chaohu area, dividing it among neighboring prefecture‑level cities; He County was transferred to Ma'anshan.
Administrative divisions
He County administers nine towns: Liyang (历阳镇), Baiqiao (白桥镇), Laoqiao (姥桥镇), Gongqiao (功桥镇), Xibu (西埠镇), Xiangquan (香泉镇), Wujiang (乌江镇), Shanhou (善厚镇), and Shiyang (石杨镇). Several former towns and townships have been merged into these jurisdictions.
Climate
He County experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Monthly average daily maximum temperatures range from 7.4 °C (January) to 38.7 °C (July). Annual precipitation averages about 1,136 mm, with the wettest months in June and July. The area receives approximately 1,910 hours of sunshine per year.
Archaeology
The county is notable for the Hexian (He County) hominin site, discovered in Longtan Cave in 1980–1981. Fossils recovered—including a partial skull vault, cranial fragments, a mandible, and teeth—are catalogued as PA830–PA845 and have been attributed to Homo erectus (sometimes referred to as Homo erectus hexianensis). Radiometric dating places the remains at roughly 400 ka, providing important evidence of Middle Pleistocene hominin variation in East Asia.
Notable people
- Zhang Ji (張繼), Tang‑dynasty poet.
- Jackie Chan (成龍), internationally known actor and martial artist, whose family ancestry traces to He County.
- Xu Haifeng (徐海峰), the first Chinese athlete to win an Olympic gold medal (shooting, 1984).
- Shou‑Wu Zhang, mathematician noted for contributions to algebraic geometry.
Economy and infrastructure
He County’s economy is based on agriculture, light manufacturing, and emerging tourism linked to its historic sites and natural scenery. The county is served by provincial highways and is within the broader transportation network of the Yangtze River Delta region.
References
Information summarized from the English Wikipedia article “He County” (accessed April 2026) and associated governmental statistics.