Nantong


Nantong is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Jiangsu province, China. Located on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, near the river mouth. Nantong is a vital river port bordering Yancheng to the north; Taizhou to the west; Suzhou, Wuxi and Shanghai to the south across the river; and the East China Sea to the east. Its population was 7,726,635 as of the 2020 census, 3,766,534 of whom lived in the built-up area made up of three urban districts.
On September 26, 2004, the first World Metropolitan Development Forum was held in Nantong. In 2005, Nantong had a GDP growth of 15.4%, the highest growth rate in Jiangsu province, and in 2016 Nantong's GDP had a total of about 675 billion yuan, ranking 21st in the whole country.
Although the city took a blow from the economic depression of the 1930s, as well as the Japanese occupation of the 1930s and 40s, Nantong has remained an important center for the textile industry. Because of its deepwater harbor and connections to inland navigational canals, it was one of 14 port cities opened to foreign investment in recent Chinese economic reforms.

Toponymy

In 958 CE, the area was organized as a prefecture, named Tong Prefecture. The name was possibly derived from its position near the mouth of the Yangtze. In 1151, another Tong Prefecture with an identical name was established in present-day Tongzhou, Beijing. During the Qing dynasty, to avoid confusion, the Tong Prefecture in present-day Nantong was changed to Nantong Prefecture, to indicate its location to the south of the other Tong Prefecture.

History

The area of present-day Nantong is part of the Yangtze river's alluvial plain, with the land being form from sediment carried down the river. The area was first inhabited over 5,000 years ago. Most of the area of present-day Nantong was formed within the past 2,000 years, as local sandbars grew and connected with one another.

Ancient era

The area that is now Nantong was originally part of the state of Wu during the Spring and Autumn period, which was later conquered by the state of Yue in 473 BCE. After yet again being subjected to a new foreign rule by the state of Chu in 334 BCE, the inhabitants of present-day Nantong would again experience another regime change during the first unification of China by the state of Qin.

Imperial era

In 411 CE, during the Eastern Jin dynasty, four counties were established in the area: Ninghai County, Rugao County, Linjiang County, and Putao County. All four counties were subordinate to, which could later be incorporated as Yangzhou. Under the Southern dynasties, a fifth county, Hai'an County, was also established.
In the early Sui dynasty, all of the counties in present-day Nantong were abolished. Hai'an County was briefly re-established in 708 CE, during the Tang dynasty, when it was carved out of the eastern portion of nearby. In 722 CE, it Hai'an County was merged back into Hailing County. Rugao County was re-established in 952 CE.
In 958 CE, the area was organized as a prefecture, named Tong Prefecture. It administered two counties: Jinghai County and Haimen County. Its administrative seat was located in Jinghai County. In 1023, Tong Prefecture was briefly renamed to Chong Prefecture, although its name was reverted to Tong Prefecture within the year.
In 1278, during the Yuan dynasty, Tong Prefecture was reorganized as a circuit. This change was reverted six years later.
In 1368, the first year of the Ming dynasty, Jinghai County was abolished, and the area was put under the direct administration of Tong Prefecture. At this time, Tong Prefecture also held jurisdiction over Haimen County and Chongming County. Eight years later, Chongming County was transferred from Tong Prefecture to.
During the Qing dynasty, Tong Prefecture was renamed to Nantong Prefecture to avoid confusion with another Tong Prefecture located in present-day Beijing. In 1672, Haimen County was abolished and placed under the direct administration of Tong Prefecture. In 1724, Nantong was reorganized as a.

Modern era

Nantong was the first place in China to be developed into a modern city after the collapse of the Qing dynasty, and was also the birthplace of China's modern industry.
The prosperity of Nantong has traditionally depended on salt production on the nearby seacoast, rice and cotton agriculture, and manufacture of cotton and silk textiles, especially Nantong blue calico. A local statesman and industrialist named Zhang Jian founded Nantong's first modern cotton mills in 1899. He then developed an industrial complex that included flour, oil, and silk reeling mills, a distillery, and a machinery shop. He also founded a shipping line and reclaimed saline agricultural land to the east of Nantong for cotton production. Thanks to these efforts, by 1911 Nantong was commonly called "Zhang Jian's Kingdom". In the early Republican period, the Nantong Special Administrative District included Chongming County, now part of Shanghai.
The Republic of China reorganized the area's administrative units in 1912, to be three counties: Nantong, Rugao, and Haimen. All three were directly administered by Jiangsu province.
Following the Shanghai massacre of 1927, the Chinese Communist Party became active in the Tonghairutai area, spanning present-day Nantong, Haimen, Rugao, and Taizhou. In April 1928, the of the Chinese Red Army commenced guerilla operations throughout the area. In February 1929, the CCP established a local soviet in Nantong. The following year, led by the 14th Army, numerous local soviets were established.
Invading Japanese forces conquered Nantong on March 17, 1938. Local CCP forces began covertly resisting Japanese occupation in August 1938. Forces belonging to the New Fourth Army crossed from south of the Yangtze river near the end of 1939, entering nearby Jiangdu in present-day Yangzhou. Following an attack from Kuomintang general Han Deqin on New Fourth Army forces south of the Yangtze in early October, CCP forces shifted their focus north of the river, including in present-day Nantong. Japanese occupation came to an end in Rugao on September 21, 1945.
The Chinese Civil War in Nantong resumed in July 1946, when the New Fourth Army's Central China Field Army and Kuomintang forces engaged in the, which CCP forces won in August. Despite the CCP victory, Kuomintang forces went into the winter of 1946 occupying a larger portion of Nantong, both in terms of population and area. Large-scale fighting resumed in the area during the autumn of 1948 with the Huaihai campaign. Towards the end of the campaign, the CCP forces moved south towards the Yangtze, conquering a number of towns in Nantong's periphery throughout January 1949 into February 1949, before ultimately taking Nantong's urban core on February 2, 1949.
In January 1950, Hai'an and Rugao were transferred to the jurisdiction of Nantong.
In May 2021, a violent storm hit the city, leaving 11 people dead, and a further 102 people injured. According to authorities, many homes were badly damaged during the storm, and more than 3,000 people were evacuated. They were among many other cities on China's east coast that were affected.

Geography

Nantong belongs to the alluvial plain of the Yangtze river, formed by the deposit of sediment that flowed through the river. Most of the city's current land was formed within the past 2,000 years.

Climate

Nantong has a humid subtropical climate, with four distinct seasons. Winters are chilly and damp, and cold northwesterly winds caused by the Siberian high can force temperatures to fall below freezing at night although snowfall is relatively uncommon. Summers are hot and humid, and downpours or freak thunderstorms often occur. Monthly daily average temperatures range from in January to in July, and the annual mean is. With the plum rains in June and early July comes the rainiest part of the year.

Culture

Nantong city and its six counties are rich in linguistic diversity, featuring both important Northern Wu varieties and highly divergent dialects of Mandarin. People in the city of Nantong speak a unique dialect which sounds nothing like standard Mandarin or any other dialect, and it also holds distinctive differences from surrounding dialects.
About 2 million people in the southern parts of Tongzhou, Haimen, and Qidong speak the Wu language, the specific local variety of which is often referred to as "Qi-hai Hua", meaning Qidong-Haimen speech. It is about the same as the dialect spoken on the neighbouring island of Chongming, Shanghai. People in northern parts of these counties speak the "Tongdong dialect" (. People in Rugao, Hai'an speak other dialects.

Tourism

The Hao River, known as the Emerald Necklace of Nantong, surrounds the city with a total length of. Most city scenery lines this river.
Popular tourist sites include Langshan, which is around 110 meters high. On top of the hill is a Buddhist temple dedicated to a Song dynasty monk. Because of the monk's legendary powers over water demons, sailors pray to him for protection on their voyages.
The Cao Gong Zhu Memorial Temple commemorates a local hero who defended the city against Japanese pirates in 1557.
Shuihuiyuan Garden, meaning Water Garden, is unique of all Chinese classical gardens due its creation in the Hui style. It includes the tombs of several people, such as Luo Binwang, a poet of the Tang dynasty; Wen Tianxiang, the national hero of the Nansong dynasty; and Zhang Jian, the scholar of the late Qing dynasty, who was a modern industrialist and supporter of education.

Economy

Nantong was historically known as an agricultural area and a traditional site for salt-making. Its principal agricultural products include cotton, silk, rice, wheat, fishing, fruits, rice wine, and more. Currently, the city is making efforts to upgrade its farming sectors and increase production of organic foods.
Nantong is one of the 14 port cities opened to foreign investment projects under China's current policies of modernization. Nantong was traditionally an industrial city, especially around the turn of the 20th century, specializing in salt and cotton textile production. Today's industrial corporations have made Nantong into an industrial hub since it opened its door to the outside world in the 1990s. With its excellent geographic location and the completion of two Yangtze River bridges, the prefecture is attracting more investment funding nationwide. Many of these investments come from international corporations. In October 2007, Singapore RGM International signed an agreement with Rudong, a county under Nantong's jurisdiction, to invest in a port project, costing 9 billion Yuan or US$1.33 billion, at Rudong Yangkou Port.
Image:Buddhist temple on Wolf Hill.JPG|thumb|200px|right|View of Guangxiao Temple and Wolf Hill, Chongchuan District
Today, Nantong is one of many fast-growing coastal cities in China. With the opening of Sutong Bridge in April 2008 and Chonghai Bridge in 2009, the city has been listed as the number one city in the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone for foreign investment, surpassing its rivals Suzhou, Hangzhou and Nanjing.
As a sprawling metropolis, Nantong has experienced environment damage from its industrialization as well. The municipal government has been putting stiffer environmental policies into practice over the years and has spent tremendous amounts of money to curb pollution and plant more trees along its roads. The city is active in shutting down factories that do not meet its environment laws.
Nantong has developed rapidly in the last 25 years, as have most of the cities in the Yangtze River Delta. Nantong's rapid economic growth is generally attributed to its advantageous location just north of Shanghai. Nantong's Sutong Bridge is expected to further Nantong's integration with Shanghai, cutting transportation time between the cities down from three hours to one hour.
The shipping corporation Cosco has a large port and ship repair yard on the river. Cosco Shipyard Co., Ltd, the first shipyard of the Cosco group, has placed itself adjacent to the busy port of Nantong. The yard has 1120 m of coastline and is equipped with one cape-size and one panamax size floating dock. Cosco Shipyard handles approximately 150 vessels per year. Nantong Mingde Heavy Industries originally operated a shipyard in Nantong, but declared bankruptcy in 2014. Minde's parent company, Jiangsu Sainty Marine Corporation, would cease operations in 2017.
Some companies in Nantong:
  • Empire Clothing Co. Ltd. – Manufacturer of garments for men, women and children. Products gallery.
  • Nantong No.2 Yarn-dyed Weaving Mill – Cloth and garment manufacturer.
  • Nantong Taierte Clothing Co. Ltd. – Textile production and processing.
  • Nantong Freezing Equipment Factory – Refrigeration and quick freezing equipment for the food industry.
  • Nantong Printing and Dyeing Co. Ltd. – Textile processor. Product specifications.
  • Nantong Suzhong Textile Co. Ltd. – Yarn and thread manufacturer. Product specifications.
  • Nantong General Pharmaceutical Factory – Manufacturer of pharmaceutical materials such as tablets, capsules and injections. Product specifications.
  • Nantong Xiaoxing Transformer Co., Ltd. -Various range of electric transformers
  • Nantong Fujitsu Microelectronics Co Ltd