It has an area of 1,420 km² (550 sq mi) and a population of 795,900 in 2021.[2] Pengzhou is one of the three national bases of peony plantation and one of the five national bases of vegetable plantation and merchandise. Pengzhou's industry varies from pharmaceutical to petrochemical. The oil refinery attracts a total investment of 38 billion yuan, considered to be the biggest single investment of Sichuan Province since 1949.[3] Like other regions around the area, Pengzhou was affected by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.
History
The Pengzhou area is believed to have been inhabited since the Western Zhou period. Empress dowager Wu Zetian first set up Pengzhou in 686 AD (Tang dynasty). In 1337 AD, Hongwu Emperor (Ming dynasty) reduced Pengzhou to Pengxian, or Peng County (彭县; Péngxiàn). Peng County later became Pengzhou City in 1993.[4]
As of late, Pengzhou is still occasionally referred to as Pengxian, or Peng County, even in official publications.[5]