Country China Province Jiangsu Population 515,063 (2000) Area 642 km2 | ||
Taicang (Chinese: ??, ??, Taicang, "Great Storehouse") is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, bordering Shanghai to the northeast and east and the Jiangsu prefecture-level city of Nantong to the north across the Yangtze River. In 2008, the registered population was at 466,300, and total GDP reached RMB 52.8 billion (US$7.6 billion). The GDP per capita reached RMB 79,449 (US$11,439). Taicang has been consistently ranked in top 10 of the National Bureau of Statistics 100 Most Competitive County Level Cities in China.
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Map of Taicang
Taicang administers seven towns:
- Chengxiang (???), Shaxi (???), Ludu (???), Liuhe (???), Fuqiao (???), Huangjing (???), Shuangfeng (???)
The city traces its roots back to the 3rd-century Three Kingdoms era, when Eastern Wu build storage facilities for agriculture products in this area.
Taicang is a natural port. Under the Yuan, the city reached its peak between 1271 and 1368. Under the Ming, Taicangs Liuhe Harbor was the departure point for Zheng Hes treasure fleets. It was also during this period that the shoals in the Yangtze estuary which later became Chongming Island were placed under the supervision of Taicang Prefecture.
Taicang is centered at 31°30 North and 120°40 East. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the city has a total area of 318.0 square miles (823.0 km²), of which, 208.0 square miles (537.0 km²) of it is land and 110 square miles (285 km²) of it is water. Yangtze River has 61% of the water area. Taicang is in the Yangtze River Delta Depositional Plain. The whole region is flat, leaning slightly toward southwest. Altitude: 3.5~5.8 meters in east; 2.4~3.8 meters in west.
Taicang port is in the east of the city, and south of the Yangtze exit into the East China sea. The center of Taicang port is in 31°37?00" North, 121°14?00" East. Port line stretches 24.3 miles (38.8 km), of which 15.6 miles can park 50 thousand ton vessels. Taicang is in humid subtropical climate zone with distinctive seasons. Average year round temperate is 15.5 Celsius. Precipitation is around 1078.1 mm.
- National Ecological City
- National Hygienic City
- National Garden City
- National Longevity City
- National Excellent Tourism City
- National Model City for Environment Protection
- National Advanced City for Public Security
- Service Outsourcing Base City of Jiangsu Province
- Top10 Best Cities for Manufacturing Investors
- Sino-German Business Cooperation City
- The 5th County Level City in Terms of Comprehensive Strength
In 2007, the registered population is at 463,800 and the gender ratio is 95. Urban residents compose 62.4% of total population. The racial makeup of the city has 29 ethnic races. Han Chinese is the majority. Among 28 minorities, Hui Chinese and Manchu are the two largest groups.
Taicang is 60 miles away from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, and even closer to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport.
There is no railway in Taicang: the closest train stations being in the nearby Kunshan (Kunshan South Railway Station on the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway and the Shanghai-Nanjing Intercity Railway, and Kunshan Railway Station on the Beijing–Shanghai Railway) or in Shanghais Jiading District (Anting North Railway Station). However, plans exist for a cross-river railway from Nantong to the Shanghai metropolitan area (the Shanghai–Nantong Railway), which will directly serve Taicang. Construction work was expected to start in 2013 and to take five and a half years.