Hepu (Chinese: 合浦; pinyin: Hépǔ), alternately romanized as Hoppo, Hopu or Hop'u, is a county under the administration of Beihai City in southeastern Guangxi, China. It borders Lianjiang (Guangdong) to the southeast, Bobai County to the northeast, the Gulf of Tonkin to the south, Qinzhou to the west, and Pubei County to the north. Then-Premier Li Peng called this place "the Southern Pearl County" (南珠之乡) in November 1992. The county was once known as Lianzhou (Postal: Limchow). It has an area of 2,380 km2 (920 sq mi) and a population of 930,914 as of 2003[update].
In antiquity, Hepu county was originally part of a larger county which encompassed part of Guangxi, Guangdong and even parts of Hainan. It was established in 111 BCE by Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty, during the first Chinese domination of Vietnam. During the brief interruption of the Han dynasty by Wang Mang, many of his opponents were exiled and banished to Hepu.
1949–1950: Hepu administered Beihai as a town
June 1965: administered by Qinzhou Region of Guangxi, prior
July 1, 1987: administered by Beihai City
Administrative divisions
The county administers 14 towns and 1 township:[1]
