Bozhou () is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Anhui province, China. It borders Huaibei to the northeast, Bengbu to the southeast, Huainan to the south, Fuyang to the southwest, and Henan to the north. Its population was 4,996,844 at the 2020 census, of whom 1,537,231 lived in the built-up area made of Qiaocheng urban district, even though the county remains largely rural. Administration The prefecture-level city of Bozhou currently administers 4 county-level divisions, including 1 district and 3 counties. Qiaocheng District () Guoyang County () Lixin County () Mengcheng County () Geography Bozhou features a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) with four distinct seasons. With an annual mean temperature of , the monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in August. Winters are damp and cold (yet the precipitation is low) while summers are hot and humid. Rainfall is heavily concentrated in the warmer months, as more than half of the annual total occurs from June to August. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 46% in January and March to 54% in May, the city receives 2,242 hours of bright sunshine annually. History Bozhou was, in addition to being a prefecture during the Tang dynasty, once the Qiao Commandery () at the time of the Sui dynasty. In 1355, during the Yuan dynasty, Han Lin'er () was proclaimed by Liu Futong () to be the Emperor of Great Song (, a reference to the extinct Song dynasty) with the regnal year Longfeng (). Chao was nicknamed "The Little Ming King" (). In 1368, Bo Prefecture was downgraded in status and became a county. In 1496, it was again upgraded to a prefecture/Fu then later lowered to a county in 1912 (after 1911 Revolution) when it became Bo County. In May 1986, it was upgraded to a county-level city administered by Fuyang Prefecture (). In 1996, Bozhou was upgraded to a provincially directly administered city (), under the control of Fuyang City on behalf of the province. The province has directly administered Bozhou since February 1998. In June 2000, Bozhou was made a prefecture-level city. The city is located on two main Chinese train routes running from capital Beijing to the south and from the east to Shanghai which facilitate the easy transportation of goods and people. Bozhou's population currently stands at around the three million mark which makes it small by Chinese standards. Whilst Bozhou is