Changshu

Jiangsu Province Changshu City

Area	1264km?
Population	1,047,700
Administrative Rank	County-level city
Postal code	215500
Phone Area Code	0512
CPC Changshu Committee Secretary	Yang Shenghua

Changshu is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Suzhou, and is located in the south-eastern part of eastern-China’s Jiangsu Province as well as the Yangtze River Delta. Due to the mild climate and terrain there, it has enjoyed a high level of agriculture civilization since ancient times, and is named after this, for in Chinese Chang means “always, often” and Shu has the meaning of “crop harvest”. Not surprisingly, there is a town nearby called Taicang which means “Greatest Granary”.

Changshu comprises 12 towns and two provincial economy and technology development districts. As a famous city of history and culture, it is known for its long history of humanity, beautiful scenery and prosperity. Changshu is one of the most well developed counties in China: its reached 97.2 billion yuan in 2007, and GDP per capita reached 91,846 yuan , ranking among the top-10 counties within China.

History

Changshu first became an independent county in 540 AD, but in 581 was made subordinate to Suzhou. It was promoted to seat of a full prefecture in 1295, was rebuilt and fortified in the 1300s, but in 1370 was reduced again to the level of a county. In the 15th and 16th centuries Changshu was several times attacked by Japanese pirates.

Changshu has traditionally been a market town for locally-produced rice, corn, wheat, tea, and mulberry leaves, and since the 13th century has been a major cotton-producing district. Although administratively still a subordinate city to Suzhou, it is a provincial base of foreign trade. Currently a harbour is being developed on the Yangtze River near Changshu to service Suzhou and Wuxi.

Administrative divisions

Changshu is divided into 12 towns, one forest farm, two provincial development districts and a clothing and fabric market.

12 Towns

*Meili
*Bixi
*Xushi
*Heshi
*Dongbang
*Renyang
*Zhitang
*Baimao
*Guli
*Tangshi
*Shajiabang
*Yushanzhen
*Haiyu
*Xieqiao
*Dayi
*Mochen
*Xinzhuang
*Wangzhuang
*Yetang
*Liantang
*Yangyuan
*Zhangqiao

Forest Farm

*Yushan Forest Farm

Clothing and Fabric Market

*Zhaoshangcheng

Education facilities

College and universities

*Changshu Institute of Technology
*Changshu Radio & TV University

High schools

*Changshu High School of Jiangsu Province
*High School of Changshu City
*Changshu High School of Foreign Languages
*Meili High School of Changshu City Jiangsu Province

Vocation schools

*Changshu Farm & Side-line Vocation School
*Changshu Industrial Vocation School

Social Welfare Institute

Changshu Social Welfare Institute

Address:
No. 39, Bei Men Da Jie, Changshu City,
Jiangsu Province, China 215500

Tourism

Gardens and parks

*Fangta Tower Park
*Yushan Hill Park
*Shanghu Lake Park
*The Zengs' Garden
*The Zhaos' Garden
*The Yan Garden (燕园）

Hills

*Yushan Hill
*Fushan Hills
*Tongguan Hill
*Dianshan Hill
*Xishan Hill

Humanity remains

*Xingfu Temple
*Zhongyong's Tomb
*Yanzi's Tomb

Transportation

*Railroad: the Yangtse Riverine Railway
*Highways: the Yangtse Riverine Expressway, the Suzhou-Jiaxing-Hangzhou Expressway

Famous people

*Weng Tonghe , Confucian scholar and imperial tutor of two emperors during the Qing dynasty

At least four famous painters came from Changshu:
*Huang Gongwang , one of the Four Masters of the Yüan dynasty
* , one of the "Four Wangs" representing the orthodox school of painting during the and early dynasties
*Wu Li , one of the orthodox school of "literati painting" in the early Qing dynasty
*Jiang Tingxi , official painter and grand secretary to the Imperial Court in Kyoto.
*Wang Gangchang, an outstanding nuclear physical scientist

Zhangjiagang

Zhangjiagang is a county-level city in Jiangsu , China, and is an administrative division of Suzhou City. Zhangjiagang's population is around 1,200,000, with around 100,000 residents of the city proper .
Natives of the area speak a variant of Wu Chinese, close to the Suzhou variant, and similar but distinct from Shanghainese. Communities surrounding the city are mostly rural, and their economies traditionally depended heavily on agriculture and water-based activities. The GDP reached RMB 105 billion yuan in 2007, a growth of 19.1% from 2006. The GDP per capita reached RMB 118,000 yuan .

City Description

A sprawling metropolis, Zhangjiagang has been recently undergoing drastic change. Modernization has built up many malls, high class establishments, and recreation facilities. Still, one can easily get around on foot or by bicycle. The city's main thoroughfare is Shazhou Road, which runs east to west and is sectioned off as a pedestrian shopping mall in the city center. You can see relatively few luxury vehicles on the roads, but the alarming rate of increase in the affordability of cars has indeed added more volume to the roads. A highway connecting Zhangjiagang with Shanghai was built in recent years, reducing the time of travel between the two locations to just an hour and a half, compared to 3 hours previously required. Zhangjiagang lacks a train station, but has two long-distance bus stations which make travel to major destinations relatively fast and convenient.

Zhangjiagang is known for being cleaner than most cities in China, and it certainly lives up to its reputation as a quiet and orderly city. There are several family-friendly parks scattered throughout the city, including Shazhou Park, Zhangjiagang Park, and Jiyang Lake. Zhangjiagang is also home to a large public indoor swimming pool and sports center, both of which are located on Renmin Road.There is not much crime to speak of, and very little visible poverty. The busiest part of town centers around the ''buxingjie,'' or "walk street," a shopping area restricted to pedestrian traffic. West of the pedestrian mall is the largest supermarket in the city, as well as a small strip of bars. Those in search of English-speakers can usually count on Malone's, an American-style sports bar frequented by local English teachers, expats, and business travelers alike. Another interesting area for nightlife is Long Tong Road, near the large public swimming pool. Tong Luo Wan, a popular bar on that strip, often features a band playing live music. Like most cities in China, Zhangjiagang also has its share of coffee shops, karaoke establishments, and dance clubs.

Geography

Only an hour and a half away from Shanghai, Zhangjiagang is located along the Yangtze River. The land surrounding Zhangjiagang is extremely fertile, with large spans of rice paddies as far as the eye can see. Many fish farms are located around the city. A good number of tributaries of the Yangtze have been contaminated from the uncontrolled construction of chemical factories in the suburb areas.

History

Zhangjiagang is a relatively new city, having been developed from a small farming town following the economic reforms of the mid-1980s. By 1994 the city had the second-highest economic rating in China, with an urban per-capita income of $1000/year. The rural population around Zhangjiagang is said to be even wealthier.

In 1993, Zhangjiagang was selected to be a unique model city for all of China. Householders were given pamphlets listing the 10 "don'ts" and 6 "dos" of what the government called "civilized behaviour". The new rules emphasized courtesy, mutual respect, and obedience to authority. Thanks to vigorous enforcement, the rules are followed to such a degree that visitors remark on the beauty, cleanliness and friendliness of Zhangjiagang relative to other Chinese cities. The government began trumpeting their accomplishment nationwide, in a campaign reminiscent of the old "Learn from the " propaganda effort of the Cultural Revolution. The current goal of the central government is to turn China into a country of mini-Singapores, with clean, pleasant cities filled with polite, obedient citizens. So far, clean, friendly cities are such a novelty in China that up to 300,000 tourists visit Zhangjiagang every year to sample what could be the future of urban life in China.

Suburbs

There are many agricultural as well as fishing suburbs around Zhangjiagang. They mainly consist of low, one-story concrete homes with open doors. Many chemical factories have also recently been constructed.

A handful of temples can be found in the area surrounding Zhangjiagang, including the Dongdu temple, which according to local legend used to be the home of a monk who traveled by sea to Japan. His story has been memorialized by locally-produced Dongdu cigarettes.

Education

Zhangjiagang is home to several primary and secondary schools, including the , one of the most prestigious middle schools of the nation. is one of the most important post-secondary educational institutions in the city. Many schools in the city hire natives of the United States, Canada, Australia, the UK, and other countries to teach spoken English. There are also a few private language training centers, among them , located in Zhangjiagang.

Yizheng

Yizheng is a city in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China with a population of 600000 .

Yangzhong

Yangzhong is a county-level city administered by Zhenjiang in Jiangsu Province.

It is located in the middle south of Jiangsu Province and in the cradle of Yantze River. It is closer to metropolis as Nanjing, Wuhan, Chongqing. It is the second biggest island in the Yangtze River and it is known locally as Yangzhong Island. It's area is about 332 square kilometres. The island was formed about 300 years ago during a major flood event. It is flat and has an elevation two to three metres above the water level in Yangtze River. It has a population of about 280,000 people. Bridge, ferry and expressway such as Yangzhong Yangtze River bridge, Yangzhong-Gaogang ferry, Shipping-port ferry and Shanghai-Nanjing expressway and Beijing-Shanghai expressway get Yangzhong into touch with the outside World.

Xuyi County

Xuyi County is a county which falls under the jurisdiction of Huai'an, Jiangsu Province. The most renowned specialty in Xuyi County is the special flavoured crayfish（盱眙十三香手抓龙虾）. In every summer the international crayfish festival of China（中国国际龙虾节） is held, in which many pop stars perform the open ceremony show.

Xinghua

Xinghua City is a county-level city in , People's Republic of China. It is located in the central part of Jiangsu Province.

It has a long history and is the hometown of several famous characters, including Zheng Banqiao, Shi Nai'an, etc.

Notable people

*Hou Yifan, chess prodigy, born in Xinghua
*Lu Xixing, Ming dynasty author

Wujiang, Jiangsu

Wujiang is a county-level city in , China. It currently ranks as one of the most economically successful cities in China. The GDP in 2007 reached 61.8 billion yuan, an increase of 23.4% from 2006. The GDP per capita reached 78,149 yuan , increase of 22.6% from 2006.

The population of Wujiang is over 750,000 with more than 25 minorities living there. Songling is the central town and seat of the municipal government. Wujiang is located just south of Suzhou.