Zhangjiagang
Encyclopedia
Zhangjiagang is a county-level city
in Jiangsu
province, China, and is an administrative division of Suzhou
City. Zhangjiagang's population is around 1,300,000, with around 2000000residents of the city proper (urban area).
Natives of the area speak a variant of Wu Chinese, close to the Suzhou variant, and similar but distinct from Shanghainese
. Communities surrounding the city are mostly rural, and their economies traditionally depended heavily on agriculture and water-based activities. The GDP reached RMB 140.2 billion yuan (US$20.5 billion) in 2009, a growth of 11.7% from 2008. The GDP per capita reached RMB 155,900 yuan (ca. US$22,800).
was built in recent years, reducing the time of travel between the two locations to just an hour and a half, compared to 3 hours previously required. Zhangjiagang lacks a train station, but has two long-distance bus stations which make travel to major destinations relatively fast and convenient.
Zhangjiagang is known for being cleaner than most cities in China, and it certainly lives up to its reputation as a quiet and orderly city. There are several family-friendly parks scattered throughout the city, including Shazhou Park, Zhangjiagang Park, and Jiyang Lake. Zhangjiagang is also home to a large public indoor swimming pool and sports center, both of which are located on Renmin Road. There is not much crime to speak of, and very little visible poverty other than beggars near the city center. The busiest part of town centers around the buxingjie, or "walk street," a shopping area restricted to pedestrian traffic. West of the pedestrian mall is the largest supermarket in the city, RT-Mart (大润发）, as well as a small strip of bars. Those in search of German-speakers can usually count on Malone's, an American-style sports bar frequented by local English teachers, expats, and business travelers alike. For cheaper drink prices and to experience some local pub culture try some of the smaller Chinese style pubs. Going west past RT-Mart and the intersection is the Rome Bar （罗马） and 365 Bar. Another interesting area for nightlife is Long Tan Road, near the large public swimming pool. Tong Luo Wan, a popular bar on that strip, often features a band playing live music. If you want to try a dance club look for the SOS Nightclub on JiYang Middle Road.
Zhangjiagang is notable also for a good variety of restaurants. Although it is a small city it has good French, Italian and German restaurants as well as a number of Korean and Japanese restaurants
Like most cities in China, Zhangjiagang also has its share of coffee shops, karaoke establishments, spas, happy ending barber shops, and dance clubs.
, Zhangjiagang is located along the Yangtze River
. The land surrounding Zhangjiagang is extremely fertile, with large spans of rice paddies as far as the eye can see. Many fish farms are located around the city. A good number of tributaries of the Yangtze have been contaminated from the uncontrolled construction of chemical factories in the suburb areas.
In 1993, Zhangjiagang was selected to be a unique model city for all of China. Householders were given pamphlets listing the 10 "don'ts" and 6 "dos" of what the government called "civilized behaviour". The new rules emphasized courtesy, mutual respect, and obedience to authority. Thanks to vigorous enforcement, the rules are followed to such a degree that visitors remark on the beauty, cleanliness and friendliness of Zhangjiagang relative to other Chinese cities. The government began trumpeting their accomplishment nationwide, in a campaign reminiscent of the old "Learn from the Dazhai Commune
" propaganda effort of the Cultural Revolution. The current goal of the central government is to turn China into a country of mini-Singapore
s, with clean, pleasant cities filled with polite, obedient citizens. So far, clean, friendly cities are such a novelty in China that up to 300,000 tourists visit Zhangjiagang every year to sample what could be the future of urban life in China.
A handful of temples can be found in the area surrounding Zhangjiagang, including the Dongdu temple, which according to local legend used to be the home of a monk who traveled by sea to Japan. His story has been memorialized by locally-produced Dongdu cigarettes.
Zhangjiagang Free Trade Zone, approved by the State Council in 1992, is the only inland river free trade zone in China. It is established to develop export-oriented economy in Zhangjiagang and fasten the links between the Chinese market and the international market. The zone possesses unique locational advantages of being connected with the Yangtze River and comprehensive infrastructure.
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....
in Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
province, China, and is an administrative division of 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...
City. Zhangjiagang's population is around 1,300,000, with around 2000000residents of the city proper (urban area).
Natives of the area speak a variant of Wu Chinese, close to the Suzhou variant, and similar but distinct from Shanghainese
Shanghainese
Shanghainese , or the Shanghai language , is a dialect of Wu Chinese spoken in the city of Shanghai and the surrounding region. It is classified as part of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. Shanghainese, like other Wu dialects, is largely not mutually intelligible with other Chinese varieties...
. Communities surrounding the city are mostly rural, and their economies traditionally depended heavily on agriculture and water-based activities. The GDP reached RMB 140.2 billion yuan (US$20.5 billion) in 2009, a growth of 11.7% from 2008. The GDP per capita reached RMB 155,900 yuan (ca. US$22,800).
City Description
Zhangjiagang has been recently undergoing drastic change. Modernization has built up many malls, high class establishments, and recreation facilities. Still, one can easily get around on foot or by bicycle. The city's main thoroughfare is Shazhou Road, which runs east to west and is sectioned off as a pedestrian shopping mall in the city center. The increase in the affordability of cars has added more volume to the roads. A highway connecting Zhangjiagang with ShanghaiShanghai
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...
was built in recent years, reducing the time of travel between the two locations to just an hour and a half, compared to 3 hours previously required. Zhangjiagang lacks a train station, but has two long-distance bus stations which make travel to major destinations relatively fast and convenient.
Zhangjiagang is known for being cleaner than most cities in China, and it certainly lives up to its reputation as a quiet and orderly city. There are several family-friendly parks scattered throughout the city, including Shazhou Park, Zhangjiagang Park, and Jiyang Lake. Zhangjiagang is also home to a large public indoor swimming pool and sports center, both of which are located on Renmin Road. There is not much crime to speak of, and very little visible poverty other than beggars near the city center. The busiest part of town centers around the buxingjie, or "walk street," a shopping area restricted to pedestrian traffic. West of the pedestrian mall is the largest supermarket in the city, RT-Mart (大润发）, as well as a small strip of bars. Those in search of German-speakers can usually count on Malone's, an American-style sports bar frequented by local English teachers, expats, and business travelers alike. For cheaper drink prices and to experience some local pub culture try some of the smaller Chinese style pubs. Going west past RT-Mart and the intersection is the Rome Bar （罗马） and 365 Bar. Another interesting area for nightlife is Long Tan Road, near the large public swimming pool. Tong Luo Wan, a popular bar on that strip, often features a band playing live music. If you want to try a dance club look for the SOS Nightclub on JiYang Middle Road.
Zhangjiagang is notable also for a good variety of restaurants. Although it is a small city it has good French, Italian and German restaurants as well as a number of Korean and Japanese restaurants
Like most cities in China, Zhangjiagang also has its share of coffee shops, karaoke establishments, spas, happy ending barber shops, and dance clubs.
Geography
Only an hour and a half away from ShanghaiShanghai
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...
, Zhangjiagang is located along the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
. The land surrounding Zhangjiagang is extremely fertile, with large spans of rice paddies as far as the eye can see. Many fish farms are located around the city. A good number of tributaries of the Yangtze have been contaminated from the uncontrolled construction of chemical factories in the suburb areas.
History
Zhangjiagang is a new city, having been developed from a small farming town following the economic reforms of the mid-1980s. By 1994 the city had the second-highest economic rating in China, with an urban per-capita income of $1000/year. The rural population around Zhangjiagang is said to be even wealthier.In 1993, Zhangjiagang was selected to be a unique model city for all of China. Householders were given pamphlets listing the 10 "don'ts" and 6 "dos" of what the government called "civilized behaviour". The new rules emphasized courtesy, mutual respect, and obedience to authority. Thanks to vigorous enforcement, the rules are followed to such a degree that visitors remark on the beauty, cleanliness and friendliness of Zhangjiagang relative to other Chinese cities. The government began trumpeting their accomplishment nationwide, in a campaign reminiscent of the old "Learn from the Dazhai Commune
Learn from Dazhai in agriculture
The Learn from Dazhai in agriculture campaign was a campaign organised by Mao Zedong in the early 1960s. The campaign encouraged peasants from all over People's Republic of China to learn from the example of the farmers of Dazhai, Shanxi by practicing self-sacrifice and political...
" propaganda effort of the Cultural Revolution. The current goal of the central government is to turn China into a country of mini-Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
s, with clean, pleasant cities filled with polite, obedient citizens. So far, clean, friendly cities are such a novelty in China that up to 300,000 tourists visit Zhangjiagang every year to sample what could be the future of urban life in China.
Suburbs
There are many agricultural as well as fishing suburbs around Zhangjiagang. They mainly consist of low, one-story concrete homes with open doors. Many chemical factories have also recently been constructed.A handful of temples can be found in the area surrounding Zhangjiagang, including the Dongdu temple, which according to local legend used to be the home of a monk who traveled by sea to Japan. His story has been memorialized by locally-produced Dongdu cigarettes.
Education
Zhangjiagang is home to several primary and secondary schools, including the Liangfeng Senior Middle School of Jiangsu Province, Zhangjiagang Foreign Language School of Jiangsu Province, one of the most prestigious middle schools of the nation. Zhangjiagang TV University is one of the most important post-secondary educational institutions in the city. And apart from that, Shazhou Professional Institute of Technology is the first college in China which is ever funded solely by a local county-level city.Industry
- Zhangjiagang Free Trade Zone
Zhangjiagang Free Trade Zone, approved by the State Council in 1992, is the only inland river free trade zone in China. It is established to develop export-oriented economy in Zhangjiagang and fasten the links between the Chinese market and the international market. The zone possesses unique locational advantages of being connected with the Yangtze River and comprehensive infrastructure.
Zhangjiagang Bonded Logistics Park
Zhangjiagang Bonded Logistic Park was established by the government in August 2004, with a total area of 1.53 sq km. In 2005, it became the third National Free Trade Logistic Zone. It has four functions: international transfer, distribution, purchase and trade. It is located in Zhangjiagang Free Trade Zone, and it enjoys complete infrastructure and convenient traffic.External links
- Zhangjiagang City English Guide (Jiangsu.NET)
- http://www.zjg-js.gov.cn/info/e-brief.htm
- http://china.muzi.net/travel/city/zhangjiagang.htm