suffered economically when Indian tea plantations cratered demand for Fujianese tea in the late 19th century. The old city of Zhangzhou (now Xiangcheng District) was occupied in April and May 1932 by a column of Communist guerrillas under Mao Zedong. Due to the presence of Western gunboats in Xiamen Bay, arms shipments from the Soviet Union were unable to get up the Jiulong River to Mao's forces and the main Communist bases. Discovering this, Mao retreated from the city, according to some accounts with a substantial amount of loot taken from its residents. Administrative divisions Zhangzhou comprises 4 urban districts, and 7 counties. Xiangcheng District () Longwen District () Longhai District () Changtai District () Dongshan County () Hua'an County () Nanjing County () Pinghe County () Yunxiao County () Zhangpu County () Zhao'an County () Demographics During the 2020 Chinese census, the entire area of Zhangzhou was home to 5,054,328 inhabitants. Along with the 2,120,178 people of central Xiamen, its urban districts of Xiangcheng, Longwen, Longhai and Changtai, form a single metropolitan area of about 7,284,148 people. The main language of the Zhangzhou Hokkiens is the local dialect of Min Nan, part of the Southern Min branch of Min Chinese. Hakka is also spoken in the rural peasant area of Zhangzhou in the west and south. Economy Babao seal paste was invented by the druggist Wei Changan as a traditional medicine in 1673. It was repurposed for artistic use a few years later and gained imperial favor under the Qianlong Emperor. It remains prized for its bright color and pleasant smell. A major petrochemical plant, producing paraxylene, owned by Taiwan-based Xianglu Group is located in Zhangzhou's Gulei Peninsula. The plant suffered major fires in 2013 and 2015. Transportation Two passenger stations serve Zhangzhou: Zhangzhou East Railway Station on the older Yingtan–Xiamen Railway, northeast of the city; Zhangzhou Railway Station, the junction of the high-speed Xiamen–Shenzhen Railway and Longyan–Xiamen Railway, opened in 2012, south of the city. Education Minnan Normal University Tenfu Tea College Notable residents Chen Yuanguang (657–711), a leader of the movement to sinicize Fujian and northern Guangdong. Khaw Soo Cheang (1786–1882), merchant and governor of a Thai province. Lim Gu Tong (1895–1976), international author, cultural ambassador and inventor. Fang Zhouzi (1967), science writer. Sister city Zhangzhou is twinned with the following regions, cities and towns: Palembang, South Sumatra (since 2002) Isahaya, Nagasaki Date, Iburi Subprefecture Gödöllő, Pest