Friday, October 17, 2008

Yuyao

Yuyao is a city in Zhejiang province, China, capital of Yuyao County, Ningbo. Administratively Yuyao is under the direct jurisdiction of Ningbo.

It is located 40 km west of Ningbo, 120 km east of Hangzhou, bordering Hangzhou Bay at the north. Yuyao covers an area of 1,527 km?.

Yuyao has a local population of 120,000 in downtown, within the total 850,000 in the county. However, recently the migrated workers and their families have almost doubled the total population to about 1.6 million, but they do not show up in the official census and other related statistics data.

Yuyao lies in a subtropical monsoon zone, rich in sunshine and rain fall, warm and humid, distinct in the four seasons. The mean annual sunshine is 2,061 hours and the annual rate of sunshine is 47%. The mean annual temperature is 16 degree Celsius and the coldest months perennial are January and February, the hottest are July and August. The mean annual precipitation is around 1,300 millimeters and changes greatly from year to year. The hyetal distribution is also uneven during a year, and the rainfall centers on East Asian rainy season from April to June and typhoon period from July to December.

Yuyao offers a wide variety of landscape from wide open ocean in Hangzhou Bay, rice fields in fertile plains to high spires in Siming Mountains. Yaojiang River originates in Siming Mountains in the south where the Ninth Fantasy World of Taoism is located. Yaojiang River goes through the county and extends eastward into East China Sea as well as Pacific Ocean.

Yuyao is well known for its rich heritage of civilization. The Neolithic Hemudu culture formed in Yuyao about 5,000 B.C. is one of the earliest sites of human civilization on earth. The material and ethical relics revealed large-scale rice plantation and other agricultural activities, hurdle style architecture, paddling and boating and respecting birds and sun.

Yuyao also produced many famous scholars in the history, for example, Yan Zi-Ling in Han Dynasty, Yu Fan in Three Kingdoms Period, Yu Xi in , Yu Shinan in Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty, Wang Yangming, Zhu Shunshui and Huang Zongxi in Ming Dynasty. Wang Yangming and Huang Zongxi were ranked among China’s top 10 ideologists. Yuyao was then named as “the Most Famous County”and “the Famous State on Literature”. During the Anti-Japanese War, Yuyao was one of China’s 19 bases against Japanese invaders, and was the center of anti-Japanese bases of eastern Zhejiang province.

Yuyao is known as a place for rice and fish. Its economy has been booming as private enterprises dominate after the economic reform began in late 1970s. In 2007, GDP will reach RMB 34 billions, with double digit annual growth rates over the past 20 years. It ranked as one of the top-20 counties in terms of comprehensive economic strength out of all the 2100 counties in China. The industry products are mainly electric appliances, plastic moulding, machinery and textiles. High-tech industries such as materials, optical, electro-mechanical integration and fine chemical industry are developing rapidly. The main agriculture, forestry and animal husbandry products of Yuyao are tea, fruits like waxberry and mandarain orange, bamboo, silkworm, fowl, livestock and fish. Fresh produce is available in all seasons.

The Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway and China National Highway 329 and Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo Railway go through Yuyao. The world's longest trans-oceanic bridge - the 36 km Hangzhou Bay Bridge - is under construction near the northern border of Yuyao; it will reduce the cross bay traffic to only 80 km from the current 420 km section of Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway around Hangzhou Bay.

Yuhuan County

Yuhuan County is located in , at the midsection along the coast of southeastern Zhejiang .

Yuhuan, with total area of 2279 square kilometers including land area of 378 square kilometers, has a total population of 392,800 containing a permanent population of 93,000 from other provinces and regions.

The county is one of the most prosperous in the province. It is especially known for its production of valves, automobile parts, and furniture.

The county has an especially divisive contrast between the local elite and migrants from other regions of China. Most physical labourers and low-wage jobs are held by migrants while most local businesses are controlled in the hands of natives of the county.

The county is very diverse linguistically. The majority speak a form of the Taizhou dialect, while the villages of Chenyu and Kanmen are home to a Minnan-speaking population, whose ancestors migrated to this region from Fujian about a century ago. Wenzhou dialect is also spoken in the region. The three languages are noticeably different and are not mutually intelligible amongst each other or with Mandarin, the official language of China.

Yuhuan administers 6 towns and 3 villages, referring to Zhugang Town , Chumen Town, Qinggang Town, Lupu Town, Ganjiang Town, Shamen Town, Longxi Village, Jishan Village and Haishan Village.

Yiwu

Yiwu is a city of about 1,000,000 people in central Zhejiang Province near the central eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. The city is famous for its small commodity trade and vibrant flea markets and is a regional tourist destination. Although administratively Yiwu is a county-level city, its fame nationally surpasses that of Jinhua, the prefecture-level city of which it is technically under jurisdiction.

History


Yiwu was founded in the Qin dynasty, at or about 222 BC. Yiwu's long history flourished as early as the Neolithic Age. Yiwu first became a county in 222BC and was renamed Yiwu County in the year 624 AD. In May 1988, the former Yiwu County was upgraded to a county-level city. In 1995, Yiwu ranked the 47th among China's 100 most powerful counties/cities regarding comprehensive economic strength and in the same year listed as Zhejiang's sole city among the nation's experimental counties/cities of comprehensive reform. In 2001, the Yiwu overall economy ranked 19th of all counties of China.

Yiwu's early culture has given birth to many great figures in the fields of literature, art military, education, and engineering. Among these were Chen Wangdao, China's first translator of the Communist Manifesto; , historian and former deputy mayor of Beijing; Zhu Zhixi, the meritorious engineer in harnessing the Yellow River, and Zongze, a well-known general from the Song Dynasty who resisted aggression by the .

Geography


Yiwu is located 100 km south of the city of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province. The nearest city to Yiwu is Dongyang. The area, as in most of the Province of Zhejiang, is in a mountainous region.

Administration


Yiwu is technically part of the greater Municipal region of Jinhua, although it has a distinct urban core. On China's administrative strata it is a sub-prefecture level city. It has under its jurisdiction 15 towns and 8 villages, which covers 1102.8 square kilometers, 15 square kilometers of which are urban area of 650,000 people . There has been talk of merging the Yiwu and Jinhua areas into a single municipal zone or economic entity, but this plan has yet to make its way into any formal discussion.

Economy


Yiwu is famous in China as a center. People from all over the world come to Yiwu City to buy commodities for resale in other parts of China or abroad. Yiwu's China Small-Commodity Market has for 6 consecutive years topped China's 100 top open markets and was for successive years listed as China's civilized open market. It has been named as the banner of China's market economy and with a large variety of quality but cheaper commodities, the market has become a shopping paradise for tourists. The Yiwu wholesale market concept habe provided the basis for the controversial in Kalmar, Sweden.

The GDP reached 42.1 billion yuan in 2007, an increase of 15.7% from 2006, and the per capita GDP reached 59,144 yuan . The per capita urban disposable income reached 25,007 yuan and rural pure income 10,255 yuan, increasing 15.9% and 16.4% respectively.

Its 4C-grade airport has opened over a dozen of air routes to such cities as Beijing, Guangzhou, Shantou, Weifang and Shenzhen. The Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway and Hangzhou-Jinhua Expressway pass through the city, making Yiwu an important local transportation hub. Express trains from Shanghai South Railway Station take less than three hours.

Miscellaneous


Yiwu boasts an quality stadium and a large Christian . Many events associated with trade take place in Yiwu City. Yiwu also has a sizable and Muslim population, mostly working in the import and export businesses. Yiwu is also known as the "sock town" as it produces over three billion pairs of socks for Wal-Mart, Pringle and Disney annually. Yiwu is also known as China's number one producer of fashion jewelry.

Yinzhou District, Ningbo

Yinzhou is a district of Ningbo in Zhejiang province, China.

History



In 220 B.C, Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of Qin Dynasty established three counties called Yin, Mao and Juzhang . Later they merged into Juzhang county during the Sui Dynasty. It was renamed as Mao county in the Tang Dynasty. It had assumed its' current name Yin by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. The city of Ningbo was administrated by Yin county until after
the establishment of the People's Republic of China. At the same time Yin county became a county of Ningbo city. On Apr. 19, 2002, it was renamed as Yinzhou District. It is one of the few counties that still keep the same name since their establishment more than 2000 years ago.

Tourism




Liangzhu Cultural Park , built to commemorate the beautiful love story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. The story is based on the Chinese legend of the Butterfly Lovers.
Tiantong Scenic Spot mainly consists of Tiantong Temple and Tiangtong National Forest Park. Tiantong Temple is one of the most important Zen Buddhist temples. Originally built during the West Jin Dynasty around 300 AD . It ranks second among the five sacred Chinese Zen Buddhist mountains. A very large complex of buildings, its one time total of 999 rooms has now shrunk to a "mere" 730 today arranged in twenty groups of buildings rising up the mountain slope
Eyuwang Temple built in A.D. 232, it is the only existing temple named after Ashoka the Great in China.
Dongqian Lake lying in the southeast of Yinzhou District, is the largest natural freshwater lake in Zhejiang province with a water surface area of 20 square kilometers. Since ancient times the Lake has been a famous scenic spot in Eastern Zhejiang.

Industry


Yinzhou District is home to more than 15,000 industrial organizations. The economy mainly consists of six sectors including light textile, garment, machinery, electronics, automobile parts and food. In 2004, its GDP reached RMB 27.79 billion yuan.
Its imports and exports totalled as USD 3.34 billion, 2.55 billion from exports. By the end of 2004, the district is home to 1018 foreign businesses with a contractually used foreign capital of USD 1.704 billion and actually used foreign capital of USD 947 million.

Xiacheng District

Xiacheng District is an administrative district in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province of China.

It has an area of 31 square kilometers, and a population of 330,000. Its postal code is 310006.

The district government is located on 200 Qingchun Rd.

Tongxiang

Tongxiang City is a county-level city, part of Jiaxing , in northern Zhejiang Province, China. Population : 109,976.

The scenic town of Wuzhen is part of Tongxiang.

Hángbáijú , a variety of , originates from Tongxiang. There are also annual Chrysanthemum festivals.

Tongxiang is also one of biggest woolen sweater manufacturing base. In 2006, Tongxiang sold over 600 million woolen sweaters.

it's also the hometown of famous writer, Mao Dun .

Shangcheng District

Shangcheng District is an administrative district in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province of China. There lies the ruins of Empire City of Song Dynasty. Some prominent schools are located there, including , Hangzhou Second High School, and Hangzhou Fourth High School.

Hangzhou's four academies of classical learning in ancient time are located here. They are Wansong Academy , Ziyang Academy , Qiushi Academy , and Zongwen Academy .

It also hosts the headquarter of military region in the province.

It has an area of 18 square kilometers, and a population of 310,000. The postal codes include 310001, 310002, 310003, 310006, 310008, 310009, 310016.

The district government is located on 3 Huimin Rd.

Rui'an

Rui'an is a city on the eastern coast of China, towards the southern area of Zhejiang province right in the centre of South Wenzhou. It is a county-level city administrated by the nearby prefecture-level city of Wenzhou. It currently has a population of 1,125,000 people covering 1271 km?, 3037 km? including sea. Natives of the city speak the Wu dialect.

Rui'an was passed to be the fourteenth development zone by the state department in 1987.Rui'an is in the top 100 cities for economic growth in china, and the people in Ruian are well-to-do. In all, there 32 towns and villages under the administration of Rui'an city, with a population of about 1.12 million, land area of 1,271 square kilometers and sea area of 3,060 square kilometers. In 1988, Ruian was listed by the State Council as one of the first counties and cities opening to the outside world, as well as one of the trial counties and cities for comprehensive reforms. In 2001 it won the title of “Star County” and “Advanced County in Sports”.

History



Rui'an, also known as MeiTou has a history which goes back to about 2000 BC, when it became known for its machine production. The historic city began its trade and commerce in ancient times and saw busy streets and flourishing businesses. In the 2nd century BC it was called the Kingdom of Dong'ou. Under the Tang Dynasty, it was promoted to prefecture status and given its current name in 675 AD.

In 1937–1942 during the war with Japan, Rui'an played a key place to winning the war.

Economy



Rui'an has been a rich and prosperous city since ancient times. However, it was not until the practice of economic reform and opening up to the outside world that Rui'an regained its momentum. The intelligent and industrious people of Rui'an have been pioneers in many fields, especially in the development of market economy in the form of joint-stock system.

They setup the household contract responsibility system which would encourage the citizens to take lead in the household industries and they tried their best to sell their products. Consequently, Rui'an experienced a fast economical development. The government induced the rural entrepreneurs and shareholders to co-operate to the economy effectively. Many kinds of economical systems have been introduced in Rui'an making the regional development speedier. One such system is the famous “Wenzhou Pattern“, which became well known both home and abroad.

In 2005, it occupied the 39th place in comprehensive economic strength among the first 100 counties and cities of china. In the 20 square kilometers of economic development zone at the provincial level, there is an enthusiasm of capital investment to build the place into a new urban area with comprehensive development of industry, trade, science and technology .At Present Rui'an is also titled as ‘‘China Plastic Film Production Base and China for Auto and Motor Accessories and Plastic Films”, because of its rising fame in these categories. These will become a new sector in the industrial development of Rui'an.

Health and Medical Facilities



There are 5 main public hospitals in Rui'an city.

1. The Peoples Hospital – All purpose Hospital . The Peoples Hospital is the third attached hospital of the Wenzhou Medical College. There are some English speakers in it.

2. Women and Children’s Healthcare Hospital – Mainly for women and children focusing on gynecology, topology, pedology. There are some English speakers in it.

3. Red Cross Hospital – All purpose Hospital, including a large physical examination centre.

4. Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital.

5. The Fifth Peoples Hospital – Psychiatric hospital.

There are also a number of private hospitals focusing mainly on treatments.

Although some of the doctors at some of the hospitals speak some English, it is advisable to bring along with you someone you trust to translate for you.

Transportation and Communication



The infrastructure of Rui'an has become better and better, with an ever-quickening pace of urbanization. Now, it has modernized traffic controlling systems, transportation and communication. The Wenzhou Yongqiang Airport, the 10,000-ton seaport and the railway station each only 30 kilometers to the city proper, the coastal super highway and the No.104 state highway which runs across the city, and the Rui'an section of Wenzhou–Fuzhou railway which will be completed and put into operation during the tenth five year plan are a few demonstrations of the development in transportation. In communication, the program-controlled telephones have reached 39690 sets. It can be said without exaggeration that the city has reached the goal of program-controlled exchange a digitalized transmission.

Natural Beauty and Resources



As a coastal city, Rui'an is rich in natural resources. The 339-kilometer long coastline gives the city abundant marine resources and many beautiful islands. Dongtou, one of the counties in Wenzhou, is also called the "County of one hundred islands". Wenzhou also boasts of wonderful landscapes with rugged mountains and tranquil waters, including three state-level scenic spots, namely the Yandang Mountain, the Nanxi River and the Baizhangji Fall-Feiyun Lake, and two national nature reserves, namely the Wuyanling Ridge and the Nanji Islands, among which Yandang Mountain has been named as World Geopark, while Nanji islands are listed as UNESCO's Marine Nature Reserve of World Biosphere Reserves. About 100 nautical away miles from the estuary of Feiyunjiang, there lay under the seabed rich crude oil and natural gas, which are now being prospected and developed. Scenic area accounts for 25% of the city's land space, which is a perfect integration of exotic mountains, tender water and charming sea. Rui'an enjoys favorable weather throughout the year, fertile soil, and this gives the city the name “the land of rice and fish”

Ruianese ex-pats



Rui'an is famous for its ex-pats in China during the Song Dynasty. In spite of all difficulties and perils, Rui'an people left their native place to cross oceans to foreign countries to create their businesses. In the present, more than 80000 ex-pats cover 60 countries and areas, and nearly 120000 ex-pats’ families. There is almost 1 Rui'anian among 5 ex-pats in France and Italy.

In the new century, the Ruianese by millions are carrying forward the spirit of “being united, being practical, going all out to make achievement, and struggling to be the first”. They dare to innovate and practice; they carry out the five strategies of city development: “adjustment of economic structure, reform and opening up, urbanization, sustainable development, and science and education”; they are marching forward with firm steps towards a new and modernized Rui'an and making it a fine place for anyone to live-in.

Lin'an City

Lin'an City is a county-level city in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province of China. It's located in northwest of Zhejiang.

It has an area of 3124 square kilometers, and a population of 520,000 in 2002. Postal code is 311300, and phone code 0571.

The government is located on 398 Yijing Street.

Fuyang, Zhejiang

Fuyang a county-level city under jurisdiction of Hangzhou, the provincial capital of Zhejiang province.

As of 2002, it has a population of approximately 680,000. It has 1,808 square kilometers of land. It is in the northwest section of Zhejiang.

Fenghua

Fenghua is a county-level city in the north of Zhejiang province, China. It is under the jurisdiction of Ningbo prefecture-level city. The city and its administrative hinterlands has a population of over 480,000.

Fenghua is most famous for being the hometown of former Chiang Kai-shek. Geographically, it is dominated by the Tiantai and Siming mountain ranges.

Geography


History



Fenghua was established as a county in the Tang dynasty, in the territory of Mingzhou. Its name means "received teaching" and was a tribute to imperial rule. During the Song dynasty, immigration from the north , peaking during the loss of north China to the Jurchen invasions. In 1129, Fenghua was raided by Jurchen cavalry in pursuit of . Local milita at Xiaowangmiao fought off the invaders.

In late imperial times, Fenghua established itself as a meeting point for trade between the agrarian communities to the north, in Yinxian , and the mountain-based communities in the south. In exchange for grain and cereals, the hill peoples would trade bamboo, timber and other cash crops such as tea and tobacco. In the east of Fenghua, around Xiangshan , there existed also a number of fishing communities.

As with the rest of China, the 19th century brought about tumultuous changes. The Opium Wars with Britain devastated the economies of the coast. Around this time, many Fenghua men sought opportunity in the rising cities of Harbin, Weihaiwei and Shanghai. They later became famous in the 1920s for their dominance of the tailoring profession in downtown Shanghai, known as the "Feng Bang" . But by far Fenghua's most famous export was Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the and former President of the Republic of China. Chiang's family were originally salt merchants in the township of Xikou , a town in the west of Fenghua county.

Industry



Today, Fenghua is a centre for light manufacturing and small scale farming. It boasts a number of premier garment and textiles factories, including the Romon brand widely recognised in China. It is also home to the vast industrial facilities of Ningbo Bird, a leading Chinese mobile phone manufacturer. As the port city of Ningbo is further integrated into the burgeoning economic region of Shanghai, Fenghua will attract increased foreign investment and continue to grow.

In 2007, the city's gross domestic product was 16.95 billion , an increase of 13% from the previous year.

Tourism



Largely as a result of Chiang's fame, Fenghua attracts a large number of tourists. Aside from Chiang's former residence and related nostalgia, Fenghua has relatively few relics from the past. The great Xuedou Temple , once one of the ten great monasteries of Chan Buddhism, was all but destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Other sites, along with numerous local shrines, clan halls and , also perished in those chaotic years.

To encourage the growing tourist trade, Fenghua municipality has made efforts to preserve remaining items of cultural interest. In 1988, for example, it rebuilt Xuedou Temple and also restored the Temple of King Xiao at Xiaowangmiao.

Dongyang

Dongyang Traditional Chinese: 東陽, simplified Chinese: 东阳; pinyin: Dōngyáng) is a city of about 800,000 people in the middle of Zhejiang Province, about 200 kilometers south of Hangzhou. Dongyang lies in the central area of Zhejiang Province, covering an area of 1739 square kilometers. It administrates 11 towns, 1 county, 6 subdistrict offices, and it belongs to the Delta Economic Region of the Yangtze River. It has been ratified by the State Council as an open-up city and a famous cultural city with a long history in the central area of Zhejiang.



History



Dongyang county was first set up in 2nd year of XinPing Reign of East Han Dynasty around the late 2nd Century AD and known as Wuning .In 688 AD, the name was changed to Dongyang . The name Dongyang means "Eastern Sun".

Economy



Dongyang is famous for its numerous construction companies, the primary one being Zhongtian.
Dongyang is also famous for beautiful wood carvings and wooden statues. Dongyang is also famous for magnets,chemicals, plastics, garments and agriculture. The people of Dongyang are known for their knowledge and intellect and many people work as teachers in this city.

The reform and opening policy has accelerated development of economy, growth of comprehensive strength, enlargement of opening, change of city and country appearance, promotion of standard of people’s living. The city ranks among the top 100 counties in china, and the first well-off counties in Zhejiang Province .It is listed as one of the 17 cities with strong economic development, and of the first 13 highly civilized cities in zhejiang. In the year 2005, the city's GDP reached 15.984 billion RMB yuan , and its revenue added up to 1.379 billion RMB yan. The per capita disposable income for urban households totaled 13,349 RMB yuan , and the per capita net income for farmers amounted to 6,903 RMB yuan.

Industry is an important pillar for the economy of Dongyang. The city boasts a wide range of industrial sectors, led by electronic, machine building, magnetic material producing, and medical and chemical industries. At present, Dongyang has become the largest magnetic material production and exportation base in China. It is also the third largest medical and pharmaceutical city in Zhejiang, and boasts a group of leading companies in this sphere, such as Hengdian Kangyu Pharmaceutical Co.Ltd, Zhejiang Garden Biological High-tech Co.,Ltd, and Zhejiang Hansheng Pharmaceutical Co.Ltd.

Dongyang is experiencing a period of great growth, comparable to other regions and cities in Eastern China. Many new high rise apartments have been built, along with many new coffee bars, KTVs and other entertainments. In the city square , many couples on pleasant evenings dance to taped traditional and Chinese pop songs.

In the nearby sister city of Hengdian, there is a famous , where many films and TV shows about ancient China are made. Considered the Hollywood of the East, this vast movie set is a great day trip that is usually very quiet and empty. The movie set is home to a recreation of the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, an ancient Chinese Village and several small European Villages as well as a Pirate ship in a manmade lake. The movie Hero, starring Jet Li was filmed there, as well as the recent video game adaptation,



.

Miscellaneous



The people of Dongyang also pride themselves in having an excellent educational system. Many Dongyang people have excelled in academia and the sciences. Many professors from elite universities in the United States grew up in this city.

One of the famous names is professor Jianwei Pan, who graduated from Dongyang Number 1 High School, is now doing cutting edge research work on quantum physics.

Dongyang also has Baiyun Cultural Park, a place for relaxation with several representations of Daoism and Buddhism including a 50 foot statue. A beautiful place to relax and enjoy this interesting city.

Travel


Dongyang is approximately 5 hours by train from Shanghai, where it is also possible to catch a long-distance bus. Close to Dongyang is Yiwu, which is a 25 minute bus ride away. Hangzhou is approximately 2 hours travel from Dongyang.