Jiangsu

Yangzhou

Yangzhou, a famous city since ancient times, is situated in the eastern part of the plain of the Middle-Lower Yangtze Plain as well as the middle of Jiangsu Province. It looks across to the Yellow Sea in the east, with two cities Nantong and Yancheng in between; it neighbors two counties Liuhe and Tianchang to connect Nanjing in the west; it faces Zhenjiang and Wuxi in the south, with the Yangtze River cutting through; it borders the Huaishui River in the north, adjoining Huaiyin City; and it has the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal running through from the south to the north. It is a pivot of water and land transport since long time ago, the throat of south-north inner water shipping and the significant doorway to northern Jiangsu.

Yangzhou is the hometown of CPC General Secretary Jiang Zemin. With a history of over 2,480 years, it is one of the first batch 24 historical and cultural cities proclaimed by the State Council.

The west suburb of Yangzhou City is a landscape since the Period of the Six Dynasties. It was originally called Paoshan River or Baozhang River. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it adopted the name of Changchun Lake, for it surrounded the north Changchun Hill. A poet of the Qing Dynasty once wrote a poem to compare it to the West Lake in Hangzhou, spreading the fame of Thinner West Lake.

Not far from the Thinner West Lake is Shugang Hill, where a lot of temples are located. The hill is known as the most dedicate hill in South China.

Other famous scenic spots include the Heyuan Garden, known as "hills and forests in city"; the Geyuan Garden, which is known for rockeries in four seasons; the glaring Wenchang Pavilion; the world-famous Grand Canal; the Dahong Bridge across the Thinner West Lake; and the remains of palaces left by emperors of the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). With so many beautiful scenes, Yangzhou is claimed as the pearl in the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Nanjing

Nanjing, an ancient metropolis of six different dynasties, is a city of mountains, waters and green trees. Called “Ning” for short and “Jinling” in ancient times, Nanjing is the capital of Jiangsu Province, situated in the western part. It is a central city in western part of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River Delta and has beautiful sceneries. With a downtown area of 860 square kilometers and a population of more than 3 million people, Nanjing spans the southern and northern sides of the Yangtze River.

Nanjing took shape at the confluence of the Yangtze and Qinhuaihe rivers. Goujian, King of Yue State, had a city built by the Qinhuaihe and named it Yuecheng 2,500 years ago. Later the Chu State had a city called Jinling erected at the foot of Qingliangshan Hill. Yuecheng and Jinling were the embryonic forms of Nanjing. Later, it successively became the capital of the Eastern Wu State during the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280), the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420), and the states of Song, Qi, Liang and Chen during the Southern Dynasty (420-589). In addition, the Southern Tang and Ming dynasties, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and even the Kuomingdang kaiserdom all set their capitals here.

The Six Dynasties (from the beginning of the 3rd century to the end of the 6th century) were the prime period of Nanjing. After the downfall of Western Jin, North China was controlled by chieftains of some nomads. Many aristocrats, men of letters, craftsmen thronged to the south, promoting the development of culture, economy, and crafts and technology. And Nanjing, the biggest city of the time, became a new cultural center in ancient China.

The modern new Nanjing is not only the political, economic and cultural center in Jiangsu Province, but also the most important transportation and communications hub in East China. Besides, it is an international commercial center of the Yangtze River Delta, next to Shanghai.

Suzhou

In the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of the Taihu Lake lies the 2500-year-old city of Suzhou, the cradle of Wu culture. It takes up an area of 8,488 square kilometers with a population of 5.75 million people.

The name "Wu" is often applied to refer to Suzhou, derived from the local tribes who named themselves "Gou Wu" in the late Shang Dynasty about 11th century BC. Later, King Helu of Wu State in 514BC built his capital here known as the "Great City of Helu" and since then the city's site and scale have remained virtually unchanged, making Suzhou a rare city of historical and cultural renown in the world.

Bordering on Shanghai in the east, Zhejiang Province in the south, the Taihu Lake in the west and the Yangtze River in the north, Suzhou enjoys a mild and humid climate, with an annual temperature of 15 to 17℃ and an annual rainfall of 1076.2mm. It is easily accessible by water, land and air communications.

Talking about Suzhou, people would mention the old saying: "Paradise in Heaven, Suzhou and Hangzhou on earth." The style of Suzhou lies in "Softness", like the tone of Wu dialect, which also sums up the character in feminine beauty, tenderness, serenity, subtlety and elegance.

The natural scenery of hills and waters in Suzhou is as charming as a delicate beauty. Of the whole area, 10% is cultivated fields, 30% hills, and the rest covered with water. Streets and alleys in Suzhou extend side by side with canals. Small bridges and flowing waters, white walls and dark gray roof tiles match one another in tranquil elegance. As a poem describes, "On arriving in Suzhou you behold: Houses are all pillowed on water's edge." The gentle waters make the prominent urban scenery.

The poetic and picturesque Suzhou gardens are a typical demonstration of simple elegance, with intriguing scenes found in every season and in all weathers. The Humble Administrator's Garden and the Lingering Garden in the city are listed in China’s Four Most Famous Gardens and exert great influence on China’s and even the world’s garden architecture. Endowed with abundant native products, the rich and exquisite Suzhou cuisine sets a style of its own on this "land of plenty". The traditional performing arts of Suzhou are best represented by Kunqu Opera, Suzhou Opera and Pingtan (ballad singing), reputed both in China and overseas for their minute acting and harmonic melody. The folks here are honest, good-natured, friendly and hospitable.

A metropolis of industry and commerce along the southeastern coast of China since ancient times, Suzhou has always been a hub for merchants, which, as the Tang (618-907) poet Bai Juyi described over a thousand years ago, "...has a population greater than Yangzhou Prefecture and more than half of the shops in Chang'an, the capital". The Italian traveler Marco Polo praised Suzhou as a "noble and great city" 600 years ago.

Today's Suzhou is an open city with developed economy and frequent exchanges with the outside world. It has been officially declared as part of the coastal economic open zone of the Yangtze River Delta. Comprehensive industrial system has taken shape, and Suzhou has seen tremendous expansion in foreign trade and international economic co-operation, establishing friendship with cities in Italy, Canada, Japan and the United States.

Changshu

Lying in the Yangtze Delta, which is the most economically developed area of China, Changshu enjoys the advantage of being adjacent to Shanghai, the economic center of China, and other big cities such as Suzhou, Wuxi and Nantong. With a mild climate and fertile land, it has a good harvest every year, thus got its name as Changshu (good harvest all the time). It has been all along reputed as a land flowing with milk and honey south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Changshu is a national historical and cultural city with a history of more than 5,000 years. It has advanced culture and lots of celebrities. The representatives are Yan Yan, the founder of the Wuwenism in Xingdong and one of the top ten students of Confucius; Weng Tonghe, the imperial teacher and the prime minister of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). From the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to the Qing Dynasty, Changchu turned out altogether 9 prime ministers, 8 top scholars and 483 successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations. Changshu owns a lot of places of historical interest and scenic beauties, such as the Yushan National Forest Park in the Taihu Lake Scenic Area, the Shanghu Lake and Shajiabang Scenic Spot, gaining Changchu the international fame as a tourist city. The unique natural beauty also forms the unique culture of Changshu.

Lying in the temperate and subtropical zone, Changshu enjoys a mild climate and plenty of water. In winter, with wind from the north, it is cold and dry; in summer, with wind from the southeast of the sea, it is hot and rainy. In spring and autumn, it has a changeable climate between hot and cold, dry and wet. Being in the region of rivers and lakes, Changshu has a unique charm of its scenery in every season. It is pleasant to go to Changshu at anytime of the year.

Huai'an

Some 188 kilometers north of the capital city of Jiangsu Province -- Nanjing and 135 kilometers northeast of Lianyungang, Huai'an City lies in the hinterland of north Jiangsu. With Yancheng City to its south, Anhui Province to its west and its southwest, Lianyungang City, Xuzhou City and the newly established Suqian City to its north, Huai’an is reputed as the No.1 City of Southeast China.

Huai'an lies to the west of the ancient Huaihe River. The whole area of the city belongs to the conjunctive area of the Huanghuai Plain and the Jianghui Plain. With the Wandong Hills standing in its southwest and the Hongze Lake located within its territory, Huai'an sees the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal running through it.

Huai'an is the cradle of famous persons. It is the hometown of Premier Zhou Enlai, the militarist Han Xin, Han Dynasty poet Mei Cheng, the female hero Liang Hongyu, the author of the Pilgrim to the West Wu Cheng’en, the patriotic general Guan Tianpei, the author Travels of Lao Ts'an Liu E. There are many historic sites, such as the former residences, the memorial hall of Zhou Enlai, Laozi Mountain, the Mausoleums of Zhu Yuanzhang, his father and his grandfather in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Huai'an was proclaimed a national historical and cultural city by the State Council in 1986.

Xuzhou

With a 6,000-year-old history, Xuzhou was called Pengcheng in ancient times. It is the oldest city in Jiangsu Province, as 2,500 years ago Yao set up the Kingdom of Dapengshi at the site here. Xuzhou was one of the nine divisions of China in the period of the Great Yu in the Xia Dynasty (21st – 17th century BC).

Hometown of Liu Bang, founder of the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-8AD), Xuzhou is a national historical and cultural city with lots of historical cultural relics, especially of the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD). The tombs, pretrial paintings, and pottery figurine are listed as the three rare treasures of the Han Dynasty. The painted terracotta warriors and horses buried with the dead of the Han Dynasty are the third discovery after those unearthed in Xianyang and Xi’an. In order to explore and utilize its cultural resources, Xuzhou Research Institute of Han Culture was established, which conducted repairs to the Tomb of Beidongshan, the Tomb of Guishan, the Tomb of Baiji, the Mausoleum of King of the Chu Kingdom in the Lion Mountain, the Museum of Han Dynasty Terracotta Warriors and Horses and the museum of the stone carving portraits.

Xuzhou is also the hometown of Liu Yu, Emperor Wudi of the Song Kingdom in the Northern and Southern Dynasties Period (386-581). Bai Juyi in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Su Dongpo in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Fang Xiaoru and Fan Jixun in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Li Keran as the expert of the national painting and Ma Ke as the famous musician, all lived in or had been to Xuzhou.

Xuzhou is the connecting point of five provinces with relatively complete infrastructures and advanced transportation. It is the second important pivot of the railway of China. The Beijing-Shanghai Railway and the Longhai Railway cut through here. The road network in Xuzhou extends in every direction. The Grand Canal runs through it, providing convenient water transportation.

Zhenjiang

Located in the fertile Yangtze Delta on the south bank of the river's lower reaches in Jiangsu Province, Zhenjiang is a historical and cultural city that combines industries, harbors and tourism. Zhejiang borders Nanjing to its west, Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou to its east, and faces Yangzhou to its north on the other side of the river. It has jurisdiction over four counties, namely Danyang, Yangzhong, Dantu and Jurong.

The scenery of Zhenjiang is very beautiful. Zhenjiang got its fame as the top mountains in the southeast because of the three mountains, namely Jinshan Mountain, Jiaoshan Mountain and Beigu Mountain. It is also called the city of mountains and forests because of the Crane Forest, the Bamboo Forest and the Three Temples of Zhaoyin stretching even to the inner of the city. The Southern Mountain National Forest Park has a quiet environment and beautiful scenery.

Besides the scenic spots mentioned above, Zhenjiang is also famous for its historic sites. The most well-known ones are the Tianchan Temple of the Jinshan River, the Stele Forest of Jiaoshan Mountain, the Ancient Street of the Song and Yuan dynasties, the reading platform of the Zhaoming Prince, the Stone Tower across the street, the stone carving of the tombs of the six dynasties. All of these record the history of the city and attract tourists home and abroad. The Stele Forest of Jiaoshan Mountain and the Stone Carvings of the tombs of the six dynasties are cultural relics sites under the state protection. Maoshan Mountain and Baohua Mountain in Jurong City are the birthplaces of the Taoism and the Buddhism respectively. Zhenjiang was listed a key tourist city and a historical and cultural city.

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