Changzhou
Prefecture-level city in Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
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Changzhou is a prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu, China. It was previously known as Yanling, Lanling, and Jinling. Located on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, Changzhou borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the west, Zhenjiang to the northwest, Wuxi to the east, and the province of Zhejiang to the south. The population of the Changzhou Municipality was 5,278,121 at the 2020 census.[3][2] The city is the birthplace of Zhou Youguang who created the pinyin romanization system.
| Changzhou | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
"Changzhou" in Chinese | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 常州 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
213200, 213300 (Other areas)
Changzhou
常州市 Changchow | |
|---|---|
Qingfeng Park Changzhou skyline Liyang Museum Worker's Cultural Palace Diaoqiao Road | |
 Interactive map of Changzhou | |
  Changzhou Location of the city center in China  Changzhou Changzhou (Eastern China)  Changzhou Changzhou (China) | |
| Coordinates (Changzhou municipal government): 31°48′40″N 119°58′26″E | |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Province | Jiangsu |
| Municipal seat | Xinbei District |
| Divisions | 5 districts, 1 city |
| Government | |
| • Party Secretary | Chen Jinhu(陈金虎)[1] |
| • Mayor | Zhou Wei(周伟) Acting |
| Area | |
| 4,384.58 km2 (1,692.90 sq mi) | |
| • Urban | 1,872.1 km2 (722.8 sq mi) |
| Population (2020 census[2]) | |
| 5,278,121 | |
| • Density | 1,203.79/km2 (3,117.81/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 3,601,079 |
| • Urban density | 1,923.6/km2 (4,982.0/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 12,400,000 |
| GDP[4] | |
| • Prefecture-level city | CN¥ 705 billion US$ 106.7 billion |
| • Per capita | CN¥149,275 US$22,600 |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
| Postal code | 213000, 213100 (Urban center) 213200, 213300 (Other areas) |
| Area code | 0519 |
| ISO 3166 code | CN-JS-04 |
| License Plate Prefix | 苏D |
| Local dialect | Wu: Changzhou dialect |
| Website | changzhou |
History
As approved by State Council on June 8, 1995, Wujin County was promoted to Wujin City, with the government set in Hutang Town. In 1999, as approved by the provincial government, Taixiang Town of Jiaoqu District was revoked and incorporated into Xueyan Town of Wujin City.[5]
Geography
Changzhou is located in the Yangtze Delta region, in the northwestern part of the Taihu Lake Plain. It is bordered by the Yangtze River in the north, Taihu Lake in the south, Anhui province and Nanjing in the southwest, Wuxi in the east and Zhenjiang in the west. It is equidistant from Shanghai and Nanjing, and 144 kilometres from the provincial capital Nanjing. Southwest of the Yili mountains, mountain peaks have Maoshan.[6]
Changzhou has Tao Lake and Ge Lake. Rivers are Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal, Wuyi Canal, Tai Ge Canal, Jingxi, South Canal and so on. Changzhou has a dense network of waterways, and in the 1930s, when flooding broke out in the southern part of the Yangtze River, Zhou Chen went to the southern part of the Yangtze River to control the water, he greatly promoted the enclosure of lakes to create fields. The local government created 37,000 mu (2,500 hectares) of land in 20 years, making Furong Lake, Yang Lake and Linjin Lake gradually shrink to the point of disappearing.[7][8]
Climate
The climate is humid subtropical Cfa, with cool winters and hot and humid summers. Changzhou has a wide range of temperature differences throughout the year.
| Climate data for Changzhou, elevation 4 m (13 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1955–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 21.2 (70.2) |
26.7 (80.1) |
33.6 (92.5) |
33.6 (92.5) |
37.3 (99.1) |
37.8 (100.0) |
40.6 (105.1) |
40.3 (104.5) |
38.2 (100.8) |
37.7 (99.9) |
29.9 (85.8) |
22.8 (73.0) |
40.6 (105.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.5 (45.5) |
9.9 (49.8) |
14.7 (58.5) |
21.0 (69.8) |
26.3 (79.3) |
29.0 (84.2) |
32.6 (90.7) |
32.1 (89.8) |
28.1 (82.6) |
22.9 (73.2) |
16.8 (62.2) |
10.1 (50.2) |
20.9 (69.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.6 (38.5) |
5.7 (42.3) |
10.1 (50.2) |
16.0 (60.8) |
21.4 (70.5) |
24.9 (76.8) |
28.7 (83.7) |
28.2 (82.8) |
24.0 (75.2) |
18.5 (65.3) |
12.3 (54.1) |
6.0 (42.8) |
16.6 (61.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.7 (33.3) |
2.5 (36.5) |
6.4 (43.5) |
11.8 (53.2) |
17.3 (63.1) |
21.6 (70.9) |
25.6 (78.1) |
25.3 (77.5) |
20.8 (69.4) |
15.0 (59.0) |
8.8 (47.8) |
2.8 (37.0) |
13.2 (55.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −15.5 (4.1) |
−11.5 (11.3) |
−7.6 (18.3) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
5.7 (42.3) |
11.5 (52.7) |
17.0 (62.6) |
17.8 (64.0) |
10.4 (50.7) |
1.6 (34.9) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
−11.2 (11.8) |
−15.5 (4.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 59.7 (2.35) |
57.5 (2.26) |
80.6 (3.17) |
86.0 (3.39) |
95.8 (3.77) |
206.8 (8.14) |
217.4 (8.56) |
178.4 (7.02) |
84.0 (3.31) |
59.4 (2.34) |
54.1 (2.13) |
38.9 (1.53) |
1,218.6 (47.97) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 9.8 | 9.4 | 11.1 | 10.4 | 11.2 | 12.7 | 12.9 | 12.8 | 8.5 | 7.7 | 8.2 | 7.7 | 122.4 |
| Average snowy days | 3.3 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 8.1 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 75 | 73 | 71 | 69 | 70 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 77 | 74 | 75 | 72 | 74 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 125.5 | 128.1 | 152.3 | 180.9 | 189.4 | 150.8 | 199.8 | 202.2 | 176.3 | 174.8 | 147.6 | 139.7 | 1,967.4 |
| Percentage possible sunshine | 39 | 41 | 41 | 46 | 44 | 35 | 46 | 50 | 48 | 50 | 47 | 45 | 44 |
| Source 1: China Meteorological Administration[9][10] all-time extreme temperature[11][12] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Weather China[13] | |||||||||||||
Administration
The prefecture-level city of Changzhou administers seven county-level divisions, including five districts and one county-level city.
Demographics
Its total population was 5,278,121 inhabitants at the 2020 census, a 1.4% annual increase since the previous census.
| Subdivision | Simplified Chinese | Hanyu Pinyin | Population (2020)[14] | Area (km2) | Density (/km2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Proper | |||||
| Tianning District | 天宁区 | Tiānníng Qū | 668,906 | 154.84 | 3,317.50 |
| Zhonglou District | 钟楼区 | Zhōnglóu Qū | 658,537 | 132.93 | 3,806.03 |
| Suburban | |||||
| Xinbei District | 新北区 | Xīnběi Qū | 883,125 | 508.91 | 1,172.72 |
| Wujin District | 武进区 | Wǔjìn Qū | 1,277,487 | 1,065.26 | 1,571.56 |
| Jintan District | 金坛区 | Jīntán Qū | 585,081 | 975.68 | 565.81 |
| Satellite cities (County-level cities) | |||||
| Liyang City | 溧阳市 | Lìyáng Shì | 785,092 | 1,534.52 | 488.35 |
| Total | 5,278,121 | 4,372.15 | 1,050.28 | ||
| Dissolved district: Qishuyan District | |||||
Education
Local universities include Hohai University's Changzhou campus. Secondary schools include the Changzhou Senior High School of Jiangsu Province and the newly established Changzhou Songjianhu Senior High School.
Transportation
Metro
The city's metro system, Changzhou Metro, started the operation on 21 September 2019 with the opening of Line 1.[15] Line 2 opened on 28 June 2021.[citation needed]
Railway
Located just south of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze River), Changzhou station is situated on the original Beijing–Shanghai railway. Changzhou North station was completed in 2011 and is located in the north of Changzhou in the Xinbei district on the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway. Changzhou is also one of the main stops on the busy Shanghai–Nanjing intercity railway, with two stations located in Changzhou (Changzhou station and Qishuyan station).
Airport
Changzhou Benniu International Airport in Xinbei District is approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) from the city center.
Highways and expressways
- China National Highway 312
- Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway (part of G42 Shanghai-Chengdu Expressway)
- Yanjiang Expressway (part of G4221 Shanghai-Wuhan Expressway
- G4011 Yangzhou-Liyang Expressway
- G4012 Liyang-Ningde Expressway (Liyang only)
- G25 Changchun-Shenzhen Expressway
Bus rapid transport (BRT) system
Use of the BRT System costs two yuan and provides access throughout Changzhou. The BRT stations and road sections have separate bus lanes or bus-only roadways, enhanced station environments (not just simple bus shelters), pre-boarding fare collection and fare verification, centralized system controls, as well as station access for disabled persons.
Tourism
Amusement parks
Changzhou is the home of the China Dinosaurs Park located in the Xinbei District of the city. The 5A rated Dinosaur Park has a collection of dinosaur bones and fossils from all over China. The park has 50 various fossils and more than 30 amusement programs including the Brontosaurus Roller Coaster and the Whirling Dinosaur Carriage. The fossils are located in a museum housed in a single building and the amusement rides are spread throughout the park which is categorized into six themed areas. Besides fossils and family oriented rides, Dinosaur Park is home to a giant panda and sea lions.[16]
Tianning Temple and Hongmei Park
The city is also home to the Tianning Temple—one of the largest Zen Buddhist temple and monasteries in China. The city recently rebuilt the Tianning pagoda in the temple grounds, which is adjacent to Hongmei Park. The pagoda, called the Tianning Baota, was first built during the Tang dynasty (AD 618 – 907). Since that time it has been destroyed and rebuilt five times. The current reconstruction is built to the height specification of 153.79 m (504.6 ft). This makes it the tallest pagoda in China and perhaps also the world. Both the Hongmei Park and Tianning Temple are located just to the east of the city centre.[17]
Other attractions
Gallery
Changcheu Prefecture between the Yangtze and Lake Tai, from Martino Martini's 1655 Novus Atlas Sinensis.
The parks and pagodas of the old city of Changzhou.
The Grand Canal at Changzhou in 2006.
Sister cities
Beau Bassin-Rose Hill, Mauritius
Buffalo, New York, United States of America
Chuncheon, South Korea
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Eskişehir, Turkey
Essen, Germany
Jelenia Gora, Poland
Johor Bahru, Malaysia
La Serena, Chile
Lommel, Belgium- Minden, Germany
- Namyangju, South Korea
Netanya, Israel
Prato, Italy- Rockford, Illinois, United States of America
Satakunta, Finland
Solihull, England, United Kingdom
Stavropol, Russia
Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Tilburg, Netherlands- Tokorozawa, Japan
- Torrington, Connecticut, United States of America[18]
Wyndham, Australia[19]
Notable people
- Su Dongpo (Su Shi; 1036–1101), poet and essayist.
- Sheng Xuanhuai (1844–1916), late Qing dynasty bureaucrat and reformer.
- Lü Simian (1884–1957), historian and member of the Doubting Antiquity School
- Zhao Yuanren (1892–1982), linguist.
- Hong Shen (1894–1955), pioneering dramatist and filmmaker.
- Yun Daiying (1895–1931), revolutionary and pioneer of early Communist Youth activities.
- Liu Haisu (1896–1994), artist.
- Zhang Tailei (1898–1927), one of the founders of Chinese Communist Party (CCP), first Chinese ever working in Communist International.
- Qu Qiubai (1899–1935), former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and prominent Marxist thinker and writer. Named "Changzhou San Jie" together with Yun Daiying and Zhang Tailei.[20]
- Zhou Youguang (1906–2017), linguist often credited as the "father of Hanyu Pinyin"
- Hua Luogeng (1910–1985), mathematician.
- Xie Zhiliu (1910–1997), painter.
- Yuan-Cheng Fung (1919–2019), professor and author. A founder of biomechanics.
- Tang Jun, former President of Microsoft in China.
- Lu Lan (1987–), Olympic athlete and badminton player. Won the woman's championship at the 2009 BWF World Championships.
- Bai Lu (1994–), actress, model and singer.
- Yang Li, human rights activist.
Media
In the film Pacific Rim, Changzhou is credited as the city the jaeger Crimson Typhoon was assembled in.
