Changshu

Changshu first became an independent county in 540 AD, but in 581 was made subordinate to Suzhou. It was promoted to seat of a full prefecture in 1295, was rebuilt and fortified in the 14th century, but in 1370 was reduced again to the level of a county. In the 15th and 16th centuries Changshu was several times attacked by Japanese pirates (wokou).

Changshu has traditionally been a market town for locally produced rice, corn, wheat, tea, and mulberry leaves, and since the 13th century has been a major cotton-producing district. Although administratively still a subordinate city to Suzhou, it is a provincial base of foreign trade. Currently a harbour is being developed on the Yangtze River near Changshu to service Suzhou and Wuxi.

The city's major industries include textiles, paper-making, fine chemicals, machinery, steel and forestry products. The city has more than 4,000 textile and apparel companies with combined annual sales of RMB50 billion. The paper-making industry has attracted more the US$15 billion of FDI. By the end of 2007, this industry exceeded 2.4 million tons.^[4]

More than 2,000 foreign enterprises have invested in Changshu including big names such as Sharp and Dunlop. Of the contracted investment at least one-third has come from Taiwan – more than 500 Taiwan enterprises have invested more than US$100 million in the city.^{[citation needed]} UPM-Kymmene from Finland has been running a paper mill in the city since 1999 and now has an annual capacity of 200,000 tons of coated and 600,000 tons of uncoated fine paper.^{[citation needed]}

Changshu is further divided into 2 subdistricts and 9 towns.^[5]

The China National Highway 204 Yantai-Nantong-Changshu-Shanghai, Sujiahang Expressway and Suzhou-Jiaxing-Hangzhou all pass through Changshu. Changshu has one Yangtze River crossing, the Sutong Yangtze River Bridge, one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the world.^[8]

Local people generally believe in Buddhism, Taoism, Protestantism and Catholicism. Changshu Christian Church is a Protestant church in the city.

• Railroad: the Yangtze Riverine Railway
• Highways: the Yangtze Riverine Expressway, the Suzhou-Jiaxing-Hangzhou Expressway

• Huang Gongwang (1269–1354), one of the Four Masters of the Yüan dynasty
• Pu Xuefeng (1900–1997), academic and administrator
• Shiwu (1272–1352), a Chan poet and hermit who lived during the Yuan Dynasty
• Wang Hui (1632–1717), one of the "Four Wangs" representing the orthodox school of painting during the Ming and early Qing dynasties
• Wu Li (1632–1718), one of the orthodox school of "literati painting" (wenrenhua) in the early Qing dynasty
• Jiang Tingxi (1669–1732), official painter and grand secretary to the Imperial Court
• Weng Tonghe (1830–1904), Confucian scholar and imperial tutor of two emperors during the Qing dynasty
• Wang Ganchang (1907–1998), nuclear physics scientist
• Zhang Guangdou (1911–2013), hydrologist

• List of twin towns and sister cities in China