Prefecture-level city Taizhou Postal code 2255XX Local time Saturday 10:11 PM Province Jiangsu | Time zone China Standard (UTC+8) Area 927.5 km² Population 728,645 (2010) | |
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Country People's Republic of China Weather 11°C, Wind SE at 13 km/h, 63% Humidity Points of interest Qinhu National Wetland, Qintong Ancient Town Tou, Jiangyan Guluotang Tourism, Qujianglou | ||
Jiangyan District (simplified Chinese: 姜堰区; traditional Chinese: 姜堰區; pinyin: Jiāngyàn Qū) is one of three urban districts of the city of Taizhou, Jiangsu province, China, having been, until December 2012, a county-level city. Jiangyan is noted for being the birthplace of the former General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Hu Jintao.
Contents
- Map of Jiangyan Taizhou Jiangsu China
- History
- Administrative divisions
- Geography
- Transportation
- Qintong Boat Festival
- Xique Lake
- Museums
- Schools
- Notable people
- References
Map of Jiangyan, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China
History
Formerly called Taixian or Taihsien (Traditional Chinese: 泰縣, Simplified Chinese: 泰县, pinyin: tāixīan), Jiangyan was a county by the end of the Western Han Dynasty. It has relics from the Zhou Dynasty and a Buddha statue from the Tang Dynasty. It was a town in the Qing Dynasty
Jiangyan has previously also been called Hailu (Chinese: 海陆), Wuling (Chinese: 吴陵), and Taizhou (Chinese: 泰州). In July 1994, the name was changed to Jiangyan and city status obtained.
The Qintong Boat Festival (Chinese: 溱潼会船) has a long history going back to the Ming Dynasty, and is growing in importance as a tourist destination in eastern China.
The Baima Temple (Chinese: 白马庙, meaning white horse temple) in Jiangyan (now in Taizhou) is the birthplace of the Navy of the People's Liberation Army.
The first Soviet base in northern Jiangsu was founded in Jiangyan by the No. 14 Red Army.
Jiangyan has been working to modernize the district through enhanced education and technology opportunities. Many technologies have been developed in Jiangyan, and more than 70 patents have been registered. Jiangyan has been among the "Top 100 most economically competitive counties in China" since 1995.
In 1990, Jiangyan was awarded the Global 500 Roll of Honor by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for its success in protecting the environment and increasing grain yield through wide use of marsh biogas ponds.
Administrative divisions
Jiangyan District is divided into 15 towns:
Geography
Located in the center of Jiangsu province, Jiangyan is bordered on the east by Hai'an and Dongtai. To the west lie the districts of Hailing and Gaogang. Taixing is to the south and Xinghua to the north.
Transportation
The Nanjing-Jinjiang-Yancheng Highway passes runs north-south through the district, and National Highway 328 runs east-west. Water transportation is by the Yangzhou Canal, and the Zhonggan, Jiangyan-Qintong, and Jiangyan-Huangqiao rivers.
There is bus service to Jiangyan from Shanghai or Nanjing via National Highway 328 and the Nanjing-Jinjiang-Yancheng Highway.
Shanghai can be reached from Jiangyan in under three hours.
Qintong Boat Festival
The Qintong Boat Festival is held every year in Qingming, around April 4–6. During the festival, boats from nearby villages and towns converge on Xique lake for a few days of celebration. Theatrical performances, dragon and lion dances, and other folk dances are held on the boats.
A highlight of the festival is the racing of boats using long poles instead of paddles.
The boat festival is an important tourist attraction and attracts foreign investment to the area.
Xique Lake
Xique Lake is located in Qintong, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Jiangyan, and makes up part of the Qintong Swamp.
Museums
Gao Ershi Museum is in Jiangyan.
Schools
There are 233 kindergartens, 280 primary schools, 50 middle schools, and 2 provincial special high schools. Jiangyan High School was named a model high school and promoted to be a provincial high school.
Notable people
Jiangyan is known for a number of notable people: