Wenzhou
Encyclopedia
Wenzhou is a prefecture-level city
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...

 in southeastern Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...

 province, People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

. The area under its jurisdiction, which includes two satellite cities and six counties, had a population of 9,122,100 as of 2010.

About 1,915,548 residents lives in Wenzhou's city proper on the 2000 census and that increase to 3,039,500 on the 2010 census.

It borders Lishui to the west, Taizhou
Taizhou, Zhejiang
Taizhou is a prefecture-level city in middle eastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China...

 to the north, and looks out to the East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...

 on its eastern coast.

Wenzhou was a prosperous foreign treaty port, which remains well-preserved today. It is situated in a mountainous region and, as a result, has been isolated for most of its history from the rest of the country, making the local culture and language very different from those of neighbouring areas. It is also known for its emigrants who leave their native land for Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, with a reputation for being enterprising natives who start restaurants, retail and wholesale businesses in their adopted countries. To be noted, for example, that the biggest Chinese community in Europe, in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

, is mainly formed by families who emigrated from this district over the last 100 years.

History

Wenzhou, also known as Yongjia (or Yung-chia 永嘉) has a history which goes back to about 2000 BC, when it became known for its pottery production. In the 2nd century BC it was called the Kingdom of Dong'ou. Under the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...

, it was promoted to prefecture status and given its current name in 675 AD. The name Wenzhou was formed from the nearby Wenqiao Mountains and the addition of the -zhou "prefecture" suffix.

Throughout its history, Wenzhou's traditional economic role has been as a port giving access to the mountainous interior of southern Zhejiang Province. In 1876 Wenzhou was opened to the foreign tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...

 trade, but no foreign settlement was ever established there. Between 1937 and 1942, during the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...

, Wenzhou achieved importance as one of the few ports still under Chinese control. It declined in the later years of the war, but began to recover after coastal trade along the Zhejiang coast was re-established in 1955.

Geography

Wenzhou derives its present name from its mild climate. With jurisdiction over three districts, two county-level cities and six counties, Wenzhou covers a land area of 11,784 square kilometers and sea area of 11,000 square kilometers. The population of the prefectural level city is 9.12 million including 2.30 million urban residents, divided among 2 "county level" cities and 3 wards.

The coast of Wenzhou is rich in natural resources. The 339 kilometres (210.6 mi) long coastline gives the city abundant marine resources and many beautiful islands. Dongtou, one of the counties in Wenzhou, is also called the "County of one hundred islands". Wenzhou also boasts wonderful landscapes with rugged mountains and tranquil waters, including three state-level scenic spots, namely the Yandang Mountain, the Nanxi River and the Baizhangji Fall-Feiyun Lake, and two national nature reserves, namely the Wuyanling Ridge and the Nanji Islands, among which Yandang Mountain has been named as World Geopark, while Nanji Islands listed as UNESCO’s Marine Nature Reserve of World Biosphere Reserves. Scenic area accounts for 25% of the city’s land space, which is a perfect integration of exotic mountains, tender water and charming sea.

Climate

Wenzhou has a humid subtropical climate
Humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...

 (Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...

: Cfa) with short, mild, dry winters and long, hot, humid summers. Summers are similar to the remainder of the province, but winter is much milder, partly due to the southerly location and partly due to the sheltering effect of the surrounding mountains. Mean monthly temperatures range from 8 to 28 °C (46.4 to 82.4 °F) in January and July respectively. Heavy rainfalls occur in late spring and early summer due to the monsoon, while typhoons are common in late summer causing considerable damage and destruction.

Administration

The prefecture-level city of Wenzhou currently administers three districts, two county-level cities
County-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....

 and six counties. Its population at 2010 census:

{|
|-
{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto"
|-
! District (区) Name !! Population
(2000 Census) !! Population
(2010 Census) !! Area(km2)
|-
| Lucheng District
Lucheng District
Lucheng District is a ward of the Wenzhou urban area , in the prefecture-level city of Wenzhou . It is the central district and government seat of Wenzhou subregion and its urban area by the same name.The literal meaning of the name Lucheng is the city of deer...

 (鹿城区) || 875,006 || 1,293,300 || 294.38
|-
| Longwan District
Longwan District
Longwan District is an outlying district or ward of Wenzhou urban area , of prefectural-level city of Wenzhou , Zhejiang province, China. It has a population of some 300,000 people and an area of some 279 square kilometers...

 (龙湾区) || 204,935 || 749,300 || 279
|-
| Ouhai District
Ouhai District
Ouhai District is a ward of the Wenzhou urban area , in the prefecture-level city of Wenzhou . It is an outlying district of Wenzhou urban area .It has a population of 386,000 and occupies 614.5 km²....

 (瓯海区) || 835,607 || 996,900 || 614.5
|-
|Wenzhou urban area (市区) "city of Wenzhou" || 1,915,548 || 3,039,500 || 1187.88
|-|-
!County-Level City
|-
| Ruian
Ruian
Rui'an is a city on the eastern coast of China, in the south of Zhejiang province. It is a county-level city administrated by the nearby prefecture-level city of Wenzhou. It currently has a population of 1,125,000 people covering 1271 km2, 3037 km2 including sea...

 City (瑞安市) || 1,207,788 || 1,424,700 || 1271
|-
| Yueqing
Yueqing
Yueqing , sometimes mis-pronounced and mis-spelled as "Leqing", is a county-level city under the administration of Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, in eastern China...

 City (乐清市) || 1,162,765|| 1,389,300 || 1174
|-|-
!County Area
|-
|Yongjia County
Yongjia County
Yongjia County is a county in the southeast of Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China, located north of the city proper of Wenzhou, which administers the county. The Nanxi River Scenic Area is located within this county, and the river has been nominated on the tentative list of UNESCO...

 (永嘉县) || 722,390 || 789,200 || 2674 ||
|-
|Pingyang County
Pingyang County
Pingyang County is a county in the prefecture-level city of Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.In Pingyang, there are two main cities with many surrounding villages. The two main cities are called AoJiang and KunYang...

 (平阳县) || 740,448 || 761,700 || 1042 ||
|-
|Cangnan County
Cangnan County
Cangnan County is a county in the prefecture-level city of Wenzhou cangnanCangnan County is in the South of Zhejiang.Area code:330327Zip code:325800The county government is in Lingxi,which is a big town....

 (苍南县) || 1,167,589 || 1,184,600 || 1272 ||
|-
|Dongtou County
Dongtou County
Dongtou County is a county in the prefecture-level city of Wenzhou...

 (洞头县) || 96,744 || 87,700 || 100 ||
|-
|Wencheng County
Wencheng County
Wencheng County ) is one of the six counties in the prefecture-level city of Wenzhou, Zhejiang. It is located in the southwest of Wenzhou, near Ruian city, Taishun County and Pingyang County.The city is built on the Feiyun Jiang river....

 (文成县) || 264,878 || 212,100 || 1271 ||
|-
|Taishun County
Taishun County
Taishun County is a county in the prefecture-level city of Wenzhou , in the southern part of Zhejiang province, China, near the border with the Fujian province....

 (泰顺县) || 279,799 || 233,400 || 1762 ||
|}

Economy

Wenzhou exports food, tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...

, wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

, jute
Jute
Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fibre that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, which has been classified in the family Tiliaceae, or more recently in Malvaceae....

, timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...

, paper
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....

, Alunite
Alunite
Alunite is a sulfate mineral that was first observed in the 15th century in Monti della Tolfa, north of Rome, where it was mined for the manufacture of alum. First called aluminilite by J.C. Delamétherie in 1797, this name was contracted by François Beudant in 1824 to alunite.Distinct crystals of...

 (a non-metallic mineral used to make alum and fertilizer). Alunite
Alunite
Alunite is a sulfate mineral that was first observed in the 15th century in Monti della Tolfa, north of Rome, where it was mined for the manufacture of alum. First called aluminilite by J.C. Delamétherie in 1797, this name was contracted by François Beudant in 1824 to alunite.Distinct crystals of...

 is quite abundant here and sometimes Wenzhou claims to be the "Alunite Capital of the World". Its 10 main industries each exceeding 1.5 billion dollars are electrical machinery, leather products, general equipment, power supply, plastic manufacturing, textile and garment, transport equipment, chemical products, metal products and metal processing.

From the 1990s, low-voltage electric appliances manufacturing became one of the major industries in Wenzhou, with some of the large private enterprises setting up joint ventures with GE and Schneider.

IN 1994, exploration for oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...

 and natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...

 commenced in the East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...

 100 km off the coast of Wenzhou. Companies such as Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....

, Chevron
Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...

, Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...

 and JAPEX
JAPEX
is a hydrocarbon exploration, production and transportation company. JAPEX explores and produces crude oil, natural gas and liquefied natural gas reserves worldwide. JAPEX has proven reserves of 272 million barrels in Japan and the rest of the world. Aside from operations in Hokkaido, Akita,...

 have started to drill for oil but the operations have been largely unsuccessful.

Wenzhou is a city full of vibrant business activities. When China began economic reforms in 1978, Wenzhou was the first city to set up individual and private enterprises as well as a shareholding cooperative economy in China. It has also taken the lead in carrying out financial system reform and structural reform in townships. Being a pioneer in utilising marketing mechanism to develop urban constructions, Wenzhou has won a number of firsts in China and set many national records.

From 1978 through 2009, the GDP of the city has increased from 1.32 billion RMB to 252.8 billion RMB with the gross fiscal revenue increasing from 0.135 billion RMB to 36.1 billion RMB, and the net per capita income for rural residents increasing from 113.5 RMB to 10,100 RMB. The per capita disposable income for urban residents increased from 422.6 RMB in 1981 to 28,021 RMB in 2009, which is the third highest among Chinese cities, after Dongguan
Dongguan
Dongguan is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong province, People's Republic of China.An important industrial city located in the Pearl River Delta, Dongguan borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the north, Huizhou to the northeast, Shenzhen to the south, and the Pearl River to...

 and Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...

.

Birthplace of China's private economy

In the early days of economic reforms, the people of Wenzhou took the lead in developing a commodity economy, household industries and specialized markets. Many thousands of people and families were engaged in household manufacturing to develop individual and private economy. Up till now, Wenzhou has a total of 240,000 individually-owned commercial and industrial units and 130,000 private enterprises of which 180 are group companies, 4 among China’s top 500 enterprises and 36 among national 500 top private enterprises. The quantity, industrial output, tax, export and number of employees of the private enterprises account for 99%, 96%, 75%, 95% and 80% of the whole city respectively. There are 27 national production bases such as "China’s Shoes Capital" and "China’s Capital of Electrical Equipment", China’s 40 famous trademarks and China’s famous-brand products and 67 national inspection-exempt products in the city. The development of private economy in Wenzhou has created the "Wenzhou Economic Model", which inspires the modernization drive in China.

The city of Wenzhou is a world leader in lighter
Lighter
A lighter is a portable device used to generate a flame. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable fluid or pressurized liquid gas, a means of ignition, and some provision for extinguishing the flame.- History :...

 manufacturing with over 500 such companies in the city.

There are many area in which people of Wenzhou open the first example of private economy. For instance, Junyao Airlines is built on July, 1991, which is the first and still the only private airline company in China. Jinwen Rail Way is also the first rail way company which is built with private capital.

Industrial zones

  • Wenzhou Economic & Technological Development Zone

Wenzhou Economic & Technological Development Zone was established and approved by State Council in 1992. The main traffic system around the zone include No.104 National Highway, Ningbo-Wenzhou Expressway and Wenzhou Bridge. It is located near to Wenzhou International Airport and Wenzhou Port. Industries encouraged in the zone include electrical equipment, electronic information, chemical medicine, building materials, and textiles.

Air

The Wenzhou Yongqiang Airport
Wenzhou Yongqiang Airport
Wenzhou Yongqiang International Airport is the airport serving the city of Wenzhou in southern Zhejiang Province, China.The airport is located 24 km southeast of the city. In 2010, Wenzhou airport was the 28th busiest airport in the People's Republic of China with 5,326,802...

 serves the Wenzhou area, with scheduled flights to major cities in mainland China as well as Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 and Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...

. The Airport is situated on the southeast of Wenzhou city proper, 20 kilometers away from the city center. It’s been graded as nation’s Category B civil airport, serving a population of 20 million spanning areas of Wenzhou, Taizhou and Lishui of Zhejiang Province and Ningde of the neibouring Fujian Province. The correlated GDP of the area reaches 300 billion RMB.

The Airport started opening up in 1995 and direct flight to Macau was approved. Air route to Hong Kong was open in 1996. Linking 65 cities in the country with 34 permanently operating air routes, the Airport is among the fastest-growing and profitable among its peers in China.

The Airport ranks 1st in terms of passenger transit among cities of same level in China. In 2004, the Airport handled 29,700 landings, a passenger transit of 2.439 million, cargo throughput of 38,500 tons.

Railway

Because of Wenzhou's geographic location, it is difficult to build a railway to connect it with other cities. Wenzhou's first railway, the Jinhua-Wenzhou Line, opened on June 11, 1998. The railway runs northwest to Jinhua
Jinhua
Jinhua is a prefecture-level city in central Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It borders the provincial capital of Hangzhou to the northwest, Quzhou to the southwest, Lishui to the south, Taizhou to the east, and Shaoxing to the northeast....

 and is operated by the Jinwen Railway Company. The railway has a total length of 251 km, including 135 bridges of 14 km in length 96 tunnels of 35 km in length. The Jinwen Railway was the first in China to be built with local capital, and gave birth to China's first standardized joint-stock enterprise: Zhejiang Jinwen Rail Way Development Co., Ltd.

In September 2009, two high-speed railways opened in Wenzhou. The Ningbo–Taizhou–Wenzhou Railway
Ningbo–Taizhou–Wenzhou Railway
The Ningbo–Taizhou–Wenzhou Railway is a dual-track, electrified, high-speed rail line in Zhejiang Province on the eastern coast of China. The line, also known as the Yongtaiwen Railway, is named after the three primary cities along route: Ningbo, whose abbreviated Chinese name is Yong, Taizhou...

 runs north to Ningbo, and the Wenzhou–Fuzhou Railway
Wenzhou–Fuzhou Railway
The Wenzhou–Fuzhou Railway is a dual-track, electrified, high-speed rail line on the eastern coast of China. The line, also known as the Wenfu Railway, is named after its two terminal cities Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province and Fuzhou in Fujian Province. The line has a total length of 298.4...

, runs south to Fuzhou
Fuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute the Mindong linguistic and cultural area....

. Both lines accommodate high-speed CRH
China Railway High-speed
China Railway High-speed ; ) is the high-speed rail system operated by China Railways.Hexie Hao is the designation for high-speed trains running on this rail system. At the middle of the run, all trains were marked "CRH" on the centre of the head vehicle and the side of the walls of each vehicle...

 (China Railway High-speed) trains running at speeds of up to 250 km/h and have dramatically shortened rail travel time to neighboring cities.

Language

Wenzhou natives speak Wu Chinese, which is the spoken language of the people of neighbouring Hangzhou
Hangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...

, Suzhou
Suzhou
Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...

, and Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

. However, geographic isolation and the immigration of Southern Min Chinese speakers from nearby Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...

 Province, have caused Wenzhou's spoken language to evolve into a dialect that has been described as "notoriously eccentric." As a result, people from all over China, including those from other regions of Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...

 and Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...

 have trouble understanding the dialect in Wenzhou, which is known as Wenzhouhua ("Wenzhou Dialect" , or "Wenzhounese").

Religion

As in most parts of PRC, most residents are non-religious or atheists. Some claim that around 80% of Wenzhou residents who are religious are Buddhist, with numerous Buddhist temples scattered over the landscape. But recently there has been a rapid growth of Christian community, one source claims that between 15 and 20% of the city's population is Christian. These numbers are further incompatible due to local family churches now saying 30% of the population is Christian. Before the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, there were 70,000 Christians in Wenzhou, representing 1/10 of the Christian population of China. There is no question that there are a number of religious families in the cities. Due to the ambitious Wenzhou business people, English is in high demand and some house churches are now offering English services and Bible studies.

Between late 2000 and early 2002 the government began destroying or closing churches and temples. This affected Christians, Buddhists and Taoists.

Art and literature

Wenzhou is 1682 years old with a profound and brilliant cultural background. It has given birth to many outstanding people and great scholars. Among them were Wang Shipeng
Wang Shipeng
Wang Shipeng, is a professional basketball player from the People's Republic of China. Wang currently plays for the Guangdong Southern Tigers, a Chinese Basketball Association team based in Guangzhou. He is mainly a shooting guard but can play small forward...

, Chen Fuliang, Ye Shi
Ye Shi
Ye Shi , courtesy name Zhengze , pseudonym Mr. Shuixin , was a Chinese neo-Confucian of the Song dynasty.A native of Wenzhou, Zhejiang, he was the most famous figure of the Yongjia School, a neo-Confucianism School composed mostly of philosophers from Wenzhou Prefecture in Zhejiang province...

, Huang Gongwang
Huang Gongwang
Huáng Gōngwàng was a painter born during the late Song Dynasty in Changshu, Jiangsu. He is the oldest of the "four great masters of the Yuan." After serving as an official he acted as a Taoist priest. He spent his last years in the Fu-ch'un mountains near Hangzhou devoting himself to Taoism. It...

 and Liu Ji during the South Song Dynasty, as well as Sun Yirang
Sun Yirang
Sun Yirang was a Chinese philologist. A native of Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, he retired from official employment early in his life to devote himself to scholarship. His most important works are Mozi Jiangu , a corrected, definitive edition of Mozi, and Zhouli Zhengyi , an important commentary on...

, Xia Nai
Xia Nai
Xia Nai was a Chinese archaeologist. He majored in economic history at the elite Tsinghua University in Beijing , winning a scholarship to study abroad. He went to University College London and studied Egyptology earning a doctorate that was finally awarded to him in 1946...

, Xia Chengtao and Su Buqing
Su Buqing
Su Buqing was a Chinese mathematician and educator.He was born in Pingyang in Zhejiang Province in 1902. He graduated from Tohoku Imperial University in Japan in 1927 and received his Ph.D. from the University in 1931...

 and others of the modern era. All of them have exerted significant influence in the history of Chinese philosophy, literature and science. Wenzhou is also the origin of China’s landscape poetry, the founder of which, Xie Lingyun
Xie Lingyun
Xie Lingyun , also known as the Duke of Kangle , was one of the foremost Chinese poets of the Southern and Northern Dynasties.-Biography:...

, was the chief of Wenzhou’s Yongjia Prefecture in the Nan Dynasty. In Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...

, there were 4 distinguished poets from Yongjia representing the River and Lake Poetry. In addition, Wenzhou is home to Nan Drama of China. For instance, "Tale of Lute", a play by Gao Zecheng of Ming Dynasty, is renowned abroad as one of the most outstanding works of Chinese drama along with Kun Opera of Yongjia which is recognized as the verbal and non-material human heritage. Wenzhou is also the birthplace of China’s Mercantilism. From the Southern Song Dynasty, in contrasted to the Confucianism
Confucianism
Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...

 represented by Zhu Xi
Zhu Xi
Zhū​ Xī​ or Chu Hsi was a Song Dynasty Confucian scholar who became the leading figure of the School of Principle and the most influential rationalist Neo-Confucian in China...

 and Lu Jiuyuan
Lu Jiuyuan
thumb|200px|Lu JiuyuanLu Jiuyuan was a Chinese scholar and philosopher who founded the school of the universal mind, the second most influential Neo-Confucian school...

 in China urging people to study to be officials in the future, the theory of Wenzhou’s Yongjia School represented by Ye Shi
Ye Shi
Ye Shi , courtesy name Zhengze , pseudonym Mr. Shuixin , was a Chinese neo-Confucian of the Song dynasty.A native of Wenzhou, Zhejiang, he was the most famous figure of the Yongjia School, a neo-Confucianism School composed mostly of philosophers from Wenzhou Prefecture in Zhejiang province...

, emphasized the importance of business. The theory has an enduring impact on the mindset of Wenzhou natives and has become the "cultural gene" in the economic development of Wenzhou ever since.

Renowned as the cradle of mathematicians in China, the city has teemed with over 200 mathematic professors in the recent 100 years, among whom Su Buqing, Gu Chaohao
Gu Chaohao
Gu Chaohao is a Chinese mathematician. He graduated from National Chekiang University in 1948, and received a doctorate degree in physics and mathematical science from Moscow University in 1959. He is primarily engaged in the research on partial differential equation, differential geometry, and...

, Jiang Lifu and other mathematicians have enjoyed great fame both at home and abroad. Furthermore, Wenzhou is also reputed as the "Home of Swimming in China", "City of Chess" and "City of Poetry in China".

Business culture

Due to both Wenzhou's cultural and geographical remoteness and its lack of natural resources (land, minerals, etc.), the Chinese central government has left the people of Wenzhou relatively autonomous. Away from the center of the political and economic stage, its people are more independent, self-reliant, and generally more business-oriented. Numerous books have been published about the business sense of people from Wenzhou. Hence, when China switched from its planned economy
Planned economy
A planned economy is an economic system in which decisions regarding production and investment are embodied in a plan formulated by a central authority, usually by a government agency...

 to its so-called capitalist economy with Chinese (socialist) characteristics in the late 1980s, its people adjusted well to the new system and took advantage of it. A popular saying calls Wenzhounese the "Jews of the Orient" (东方的犹太人). Wenzhounese have been stereotyped by other Chinese as real estate speculators. China Daily
China Daily
The China Daily is an English language daily newspaper published in the People's Republic of China.- Overview :China Daily was established in June 1981 and has the widest print circulation of any English-language newspaper in the country...

 notes that investments from Wenzhounese buyers play a disproportionately large role in the increase in Chinese property prices.

The people of Wenzhou are equipped with business sense and a commercial culture more dominant than anywhere else in China. Wenzhou has two economic characteristics: it was the first to launch a market economy
Market economy
A market economy is an economy in which the prices of goods and services are determined in a free price system. This is often contrasted with a state-directed or planned economy. Market economies can range from hypothetically pure laissez-faire variants to an assortment of real-world mixed...

, and it has the most active and developed private economy in China. In the process of developing its economy, its people have survived adversity, with little positive help from the government.

Education

There are two major universities in Wenzhou: Wenzhou University
Wenzhou University
Wenzhou University Wenzhou University Wenzhou University (WZU; is a comprehensive public university based in Wenzhou city, Zhejiang province, China.- History :Wenzhou University (WZU) was founded through the amalgamation of Wenzhou Normal College established in 1956 and the Former Wenzhou...

 and Wenzhou Medical College
Wenzhou Medical College
Wenzhou Medical College , designated as a key university in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, is an institution of higher learning under the leadership of Zhejiang Provincial Government.- History :...

.
Wenzhou University resulted from the merger of the former University of Wenzhou, Wenzhou Normal College and other various normal colleges in the rural towns of Wenzhou. Its main campus is situated in the University Town, Cha Shan (茶山). The former campus of Wenzhou Normal College on Xueyuan Road (学院路) is still in use, while the former main campus of the University of Wenzhou now serves as the campus of the Wenzhou Foreign Language School and the Second Experimental Middle School of Wenzhou (No.13 Middle School).

Wenzhou Medical College is a well-known college specializing in ophthalmology (national level key discipline), as well as the provision of other medical courses. Several of Wenzhou's major hospitals are affiliated to this college.

There are also a few vocational colleges, including:

Friendship cities

Union County, New Jersey
Union County, New Jersey
Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 536,499. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Elizabeth. Union County ranks 93rd among the highest-income counties in the United States. It also ranks 74th in...

, United States Prato Province, Italy Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...

 , Valencia Province, Spain Ishinomaki, Miyagi
Miyagi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku Region on Honshu island. The capital is Sendai.- History :Miyagi Prefecture was formerly part of the province of Mutsu. Mutsu Province, on northern Honshu, was one of the last provinces to be formed as land was taken from the indigenous Emishi, and became the...

, Japan Port-Gentil
Port-Gentil
Port-Gentil or Mandji is the second-largest city of Gabon and a leading seaport. It is the center of Gabon's petroleum and timber industries. Although it lies inshore, the nearby mainland is a remote forest area and it is not connected by road to the rest of the nation...

, Gabon Gießen
Gießen
Gießen, also spelt Giessen is a town in the German federal state of Hesse, capital of both the district of Gießen and the administrative region of Gießen...

 Town, Hessen, Germany Ipoh
Ipoh
Ipoh is the capital city of Perak state, Malaysia. It is approximately 200 km north of Kuala Lumpur on the North-South Expressway....

, Malaysia Pittsburg, California
Pittsburg, California
Pittsburg is a city located in eastern Contra Costa County, California, the outer portion of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 63,264 at the 2010 census....

, United States

Notable people

  • Wang Xizhi
    Wang Xizhi
    Wang Xizhi was a Chinese calligrapher, traditionally referred to as the Sage of Calligraphy , who lived during the Jin Dynasty...

     王羲之 (303–361), sage of Chinese calligraphy
  • Xie Lingyun
    Xie Lingyun
    Xie Lingyun , also known as the Duke of Kangle , was one of the foremost Chinese poets of the Southern and Northern Dynasties.-Biography:...

     謝靈運 (385–433), poet
  • Wang Shipeng
    Wang Shipeng
    Wang Shipeng, is a professional basketball player from the People's Republic of China. Wang currently plays for the Guangdong Southern Tigers, a Chinese Basketball Association team based in Guangzhou. He is mainly a shooting guard but can play small forward...

     王十朋 (1112–1171), statesman and writer
  • Ye Shi
    Ye Shi
    Ye Shi , courtesy name Zhengze , pseudonym Mr. Shuixin , was a Chinese neo-Confucian of the Song dynasty.A native of Wenzhou, Zhejiang, he was the most famous figure of the Yongjia School, a neo-Confucianism School composed mostly of philosophers from Wenzhou Prefecture in Zhejiang province...

     葉適 (1150–1223), philosopher, most important figure of the neo-Confucianism
    Neo-Confucianism
    Neo-Confucianism is an ethical and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, that was primarily developed during the Song Dynasty and Ming Dynasty, but which can be traced back to Han Yu and Li Ao in the Tang Dynasty....

     Yongjia School
  • Liu Ji 劉基 (1311–1375), great strategist and statesman of the Ming Dynasty
    Ming Dynasty
    The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...

  • Zhang Cong 張璁 (1475–1539), Ming Dynasty prime minister
  • Sun Yirang
    Sun Yirang
    Sun Yirang was a Chinese philologist. A native of Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, he retired from official employment early in his life to devote himself to scholarship. His most important works are Mozi Jiangu , a corrected, definitive edition of Mozi, and Zhouli Zhengyi , an important commentary on...

     孫詒讓 (1848–1908), scholar and educator, early dicipher of the Oracle Bone Script
  • Zheng Zhenduo
    Zheng Zhenduo
    Zheng Zhenduo , Chinese courtesy name Xidì , was a journalist, a modern writer, an archeologist and a literature scholar. His pen names were Baofun , Guo Yuanxin and CT....

     鄭振鐸 (1898–1958), writer and scholar
  • Zheng Manqing (Cheng Man-ch'ing
    Cheng Man-ch'ing
    Cheng Man-ch'ing was born in Yongjia , Zhejiang Province . He died March 26, 1975; his grave is near the city of Taipei. Cheng was trained in Chinese medicine, t'ai chi ch'uan, calligraphy, painting and poetry...

    ) 郑曼青 (1902–1975), painter, calligrapher, poet, doctor, taijiquan master
  • Su Buqing
    Su Buqing
    Su Buqing was a Chinese mathematician and educator.He was born in Pingyang in Zhejiang Province in 1902. He graduated from Tohoku Imperial University in Japan in 1927 and received his Ph.D. from the University in 1931...

     苏步青 (1902–2003), mathematician and educator, president of Fudan University
    Fudan University
    Fudan University , located in Shanghai, is one of the oldest and most selective universities in China, and is a member of the C9 League. Its institutional predecessor was founded in 1905, shortly before the end of China's imperial Qing dynasty...

  • Xia Nai
    Xia Nai
    Xia Nai was a Chinese archaeologist. He majored in economic history at the elite Tsinghua University in Beijing , winning a scholarship to study abroad. He went to University College London and studied Egyptology earning a doctorate that was finally awarded to him in 1946...

     夏鼐 (1910–1985), archaeologist
  • Gu Chaohao
    Gu Chaohao
    Gu Chaohao is a Chinese mathematician. He graduated from National Chekiang University in 1948, and received a doctorate degree in physics and mathematical science from Moscow University in 1959. He is primarily engaged in the research on partial differential equation, differential geometry, and...

     谷超豪 (1926–), mathematician, president of University of Science and Technology of China
    University of Science and Technology of China
    The University of Science and Technology of China is a national research university in Hefei, People's Republic of China. It is a member of the C9 League formed by nine top universities in China...

  • Yang Huanming
    Yang Huanming
    Dr. Yang Huanming, also known as Dr. Henry Yang, is one of China's leading genetics researchers. Yang directs the Beijing Genomics Institute, at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China...

     (1952–), geneticist
  • Feng Zhenghu
    Feng Zhenghu
    Feng Zhenghu is a Chinese economist and scholar based in Shanghai. Citing Amnesty International, The Guardian said that Feng was "a prominent human rights defender" in China. In 2001 he was sent to prison for three years ostensibly for "illegal business activity"...

     (1954–), economist
  • Zhu Chen
    Zhu Chen
    Zhu Chen is a chess Grandmaster. In 2001, she became China's second women's world chess champion after Xie Jun, and China's 13th Grandmaster.She today plays for Qatar.-Biography:...

     诸宸 (1976–), female chess international grandmaster and a world champion
  • Zhu Qinan
    Zhu Qinan
    Zhu Qinan is a male Chinese sport shooter. He won the gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics in the Men's 10 m Air Rifle event and a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the Men's 10 m Air Rifle event. Zhu currently is studying at Zhejiang University.Zhu began shooting training at Wenzhou...

    朱启南 (1984–), 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist in sport shooting

External links

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