About changzhou

Situated in the south to the Yangtze River and at the shore of Tai Lake, Changzhou is halfway between Shanghai and Nanjing, and borders Suzhou and Wuxi to form the Su-Xi-Chang Metropolis Area. Changzhou is an ancient historical and cultural city with the recorded history of 3,200 years. In the late Spring and Autumn Period (547 BC), Ji Zha, the fourth son of King of Wu, Shoumeng, had Yanling as his principality, which was the beginning of the 2,500-year history with exact calendar and place name of ancient Changzhou. In the fifth year of Gaozu’s reign of West Han Dynasty (202 BC), the place name was changed into Piling. In the second year of Emperor Wu of West Jin Dynasty (281 AD), it was reset as Piling Jun (County). From that time, governing as Jun, Zhou, Lu or Fu during the following dynasties, Changzhou had the names like Yanling, Piling, Pitan, Jinling, Changchun, Changzhou and Wujin, etc. In the ninth year of Emperor Wen’s reign in Sui Dynasty (589 AD), Changzhou had its present name. In 1949, the municipal government was founded. Currently, Changzhou is administratively Pided into two county-level cities of Jintan and Liyang, and five administrative districts of Wujin, Xinbei, Tianning, Zhonglou and Qishuyan, including 37 towns, 21 sub-districts, 807 administrative villages and 323 neighborhood committees, covering a total area of 4,385 square kilometers. It has a permanent population of 4,591,972 with the male/female ratio of 99.9:100, the birth rate of 7.76‰, the death rate of 8.47‰ and the natural population growth of -0.71‰. Changzhou is famous for its places of historical interests and eminent cultural celebrities. The places of interests and historical sites include Neolithic archaeological ruins of Weidun Village, Spring and Autumn Yancheng Ruins, Tianning Temple, Hongmei Pavilion, Wenbi Pagoda, Old Wisteria Flower House, Yizhou Pavilion, Ruins of Prince of Wu (Ji Zha)’s House, Qu Qiubai Memorial Hall, China Dinosaur Park, Liyang Tianmu Lake Tourist Resort and Jintan Maoshan Beauty Spot, etc. The eminent cultural celebrities include Ji Zha, Prince of Wu; Xiao Tong, Writer of Zhaoming Selections; Tang Jingchuan, Hero of anti Japanese pirates’ invasion; Yun Ge (with the name of Nantian), one of Three Celebrities of Nantian; Qu Qiubai, Zhang Tailei and Yun Daiying, who are called “Three Changzhou Heroes”; Hua Luogeng, Mathematician; Liu Guojun, Industrialist; and Liu Haisu, expert of calligraphy and painting, etc. The most famous specialties of Changzhou include salted radish, sesame cake, sesame candy, Liyang dry-cured goose, wild bamboo shoot, Liyang cress, Nanshan chestnut, Changdang Lake Crabs, Changzhou combs, brick-carving screen, cloisonné painting, random switch embroidery, China colored velvet painting, green retaining bamboo carving and Jintan paper carving, etc.