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.