Yancheng

Yancheng (zh-stp|s=盐城|t=鹽城|p=Yánchéng; literated "Salt City") is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. The city with the largest jurisdiction area in Jiangsu, Yancheng borders Lianyungang to the north, Huai'an to the west, Yangzhou and Taizhou to the southwest, Nantong to the south, and looks out to the Yellow Sea to the east.

Yancheng, literally "Salt City", is named after the many sea salt harvest fields around the city. According to historical records, collection and production of sea salt in the region began as early as 119 BC during the Western Han Dynasty, when the settlement on the current location of Yancheng was named Yandu County (盐都县).

Administration

The prefecture-level city of Yancheng administers 9 county-level divisions, including 2 districts, 2 county-level cities and 5 counties.

*Yandu District (盐都区)
*Tinghu District (亭湖区)
*Dongtai City (东台市)
*Dafeng City (大丰市)
*Xiangshui County (响水县)
*Binhai County (滨海县)
*Funing County (阜宁县)
*Jianhu County (建湖县)
*Sheyang County (射阳县)

History

Yancheng has a history of 2,100 years since the first canton was founded here in Han Dynasty at year 119 BC. It was named for the salt reserves in rivers around the area, its name literally meaning "Salt City". Yancheng was in the limelight during the Chinese Civil War from the 1930s to 1940s. The New Fourth Army (N4A) led by the Communist Party of China was reestablished in Yancheng after being ambushed and battered by the enemy. After the revival, the N4A played a very important role in the war and finally the foundation of the People's Republic of China. Many monuments in honor of N4A heroes can still be found around Yancheng.

Geography and climate

Yancheng is a preferred habitat of several endangered species, including the Red-crowned Crane. It inhabits the Yancheng Coastal Wetlands.

Transportation

With the development of transportation infrastructure in Northern Jiangsu in recent years, transportation has become a lot more convenient. Yancheng train station opened in 2006, connecting Yancheng with Beijing by overnight train T156. Yancheng is also the endpoint of the Ningjingyan Expressway as well as a major stop on the Coastal Expressway, connecting it with Shanghai.

Transportation by bus is available on a flowing basis to Lianyungang as well as neighboring counties Funing, Sheyang, Binhai, and Xiangshui.

Economy

Yancheng's financial income used to rely heavily on agricultural industry. Recently, Yancheng's economy has been boosted by the automobile industry. The joint venture between local Yueda Corporation and the multinational company Kia has set up car factories in Yancheng. Up to today three models including two saloons and one MPV have been released and the production is going to reach 50,000 units/year soon.

Moreover, the Yueda group is constructing a new production facility in the Western development district of Yancheng. When this facility is complete in late 2007, it will produce an additional 200,000 units per year.

Tourism

Yancheng Wetlands and Salt Marshes:located in the north of Jiangsu Province, China, are a vast tract of undisturbed and protected wilderness. It is also home to two of Asia's most beautiful wild animals, the Dafeng Deer and the Red Crowned Crane. The beautiful cranes are beloved throughout the continent as a symbol of longevity and natural beauty, but are unfortunately high endangered, with only 1,100 left in the world. Every year 600 of them winter at Yancheng's salt marshes, drawing animal lovers to catch a glimpse of this rare bird. The best season to see the cranes is from late October to early April. In addition to the cranes, the reserve is teeming with hundreds of thousands of other waterfowl, which migrate here from all over the continent. There are over 260 different species of birds, including several other varieties of cranes, storks, and a plethora of wild ducks and geese.

A nearby section of wetlands and forest is set aside for the world's largest herd of Dafeng deers, a highly endangered deer unique to China. Although they have antlers like most deer, their face and tail are quite distinctive - ancient Chinese commentators claimed they had the "antlers of deer, head and neck of a camel, and the tail of a donkey." Although common in ancient times, the deer became increasingly rare until the 19th century, when the only surviving ones were in an imperial zoo in Beijing. At the turn of the century, the last deer were taken away as spoils of war and were raised on the estate of an English aristocrat. In the 1980's, Britain and China decided to establish a reserve where the deer could live in a natural environment, and a small herd was brought to the wetlands and forests near Yancheng. Since then their population has grown steadily, and they now live completely wild on the reserve. They travel in herds and run swiftly, leaping in and out of the many small streams and ponds that lace the park. Elegant and wild, seeing the deer trotting through the tall grasses and reeds of the reserve is a unique and memorable experience for nature lovers. [http://www.tourochina.com]

Notable people

A number of notable people were born in Yancheng. Qiao Guanhua (1913-1983) was the Chinese Foreign Minister during the 1970s and he was the first top Chinese diplomat at the UN after the legitimate position of China was restored during the Cold War. Hu Qiaomu (1912-1992) served as a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, Director of the Party Literature Research Centre of the Central Committee, Director of the Party History Research Centre of the Central Committee and President of the Chinese Academy of Social Science in the 1980s. Two of them are always referred to "Two Qiao" of Yancheng.

ister cities

Yancheng is twinned with the following domestic and foreign cities.

Domestic

*Turpan, Xinjiang
*Taiyuan, Shanxi
*Yanbei Prefecture, Shanxi
*Qinzhou, Guangxi
*Wuxi, Jiangsu
*Xicheng District, Beijing
*Zhuhai, Guangdong
*Qinhuangdao, Hebei
*Xianyang, Shaanxi
*Jilin, Jilin
*Yan'an, Shaanxi
*Yangjia, Shanxi
*Huaibei, Anhui
*Haikou, Hainan
*Dachuan, Sichuan
*Panjin, Liaoning
*Changning District, Shanghai
*Lhasa, Tibet
*Dandong, Liaoning
*Xuhui District, Shanghai

International

*flagicon|ITA Chieti, Italy (since October 1, 1992)
*flagicon|KOR Namwon, South Korea (June 13, 1998)
*flagicon|ROM Deva, Romania (November 12, 1998)
*flagicon|JPN Kashima, Japan (November 8, 2002)
*flagicon|USA San Diego, U.S. (October 20, 2003)

Formal paper to be signed

*Hagen, Italy
*Petrograd, Russia
*Brescia, Italy

In addition, the county-level city of Dafeng, administered by Yancheng, is also twinned with Ascoli Piceno, Italy (September 2001) and Guri, South Korea (February 20, 2003) respectively.

References

External links

* [http://www.tourochina.com/sightarea/281/Yancheng-Wetlands-and-Salt-Marshes Introduction of Yancheng Wetlands and Salt Marshes]
* [http://www.yancheng.gov.cn Government website of Yancheng] (available in Chinese and English)
* [http://yancheng.jiangsu.net Yancheng comprehensive guide with open directory] (Jiangsu.NET)
* [http://www.cnycta.com Yancheng Tourism Board] (in Simplified Chinese)