Nantong
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| Administration Type | Prefecture-level city |
| City Seat | Chongchuan District () |
| Area - Total - Urban centre |
8,001 km² km² |
| Coastline | 210 km |
| Population - Total - Urban centre |
7,737,900 |
| GDP - Total - Per Capita |
¥178 billion (2006) ¥22,997 (2006) |
| Major Nationalities | Han |
| County-level divisions | 8 |
| Township-level divisions | 146 |
| CPC Committee Secretary | Luo Yimin (罗一民) |
| Mayor | Ding Dawei (丁大卫) |
| Area code | 513 |
| Postal Code | 226000 (Urban centre) 226100-226600 (Other areas) |
| License Plate Prefix | 苏F |
Nantong (Chinese: 南通; pinyin: Nántōng; former names: Nan-t'ung, Nantung, Tungzhou, or Tungchow) is a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. Located on the northern bank of the Yangtze River near the river mouth, Nantong is a vital river port bordering Yancheng to the north, Taizhou to the west, Suzhou to the south across the river, and the East China Sea to the east.
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[edit] Administration
The prefecture-level city of Nantong administers 8 county-level divisions, including 2 districts and 4 county-level cities and 2 counties.
- Chongchuan District (崇川区)
- Gangzha District (港闸区)
- Rugao City (如皋市)
- Tongzhou City (通州市)
- Haimen City (海门市)
- Qidong City (启东市)
- Hai'an County (海安县)
- Rudong County (如东县)
These are further divided into 146 township-level divisions.
[edit] History
Because the coast of the East China Sea is constantly moving eastward as the Yangtze River adds silt to its delta, Nantong was much closer to the seashore in ancient times. From the time of the Han dynasty through to the Tang dynasty, what is now called Nantong was a minor county subordinate to Yangzhou. By 958 AD a city of sufficient importance had developed for a new, independent prefecture called Tongzhou ("Opening Prefecture", possibly from its position near the mouth of the Yangtse) to be created. The increasing wealth of Yangzhou caused Tongzhou to be once again eclipsed as an administrative centre in 1368. When Tongzhou finally regained prefecture status in 1724, it was renamed Nantong ("Southern Tong") to avoid confusion with another Tongzhou, located near Beijing. The naming of this city and many other Chinese cities have a link with the visit of the founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak Dev in his third of the four journeys to different parts of the world, Udasis, undertaken during 1513 to 1518 to East and South East Asia.
The prosperity of Nantong has traditionally depended on salt production on the nearby seacoast, rice and cotton agriculture, and especially the production of cotton textiles. A local statesman and industrialist named Zhang Jian (Chang Chien) founded Nantong's first modern cotton mills in 1899, then developed an industrial complex that included flour, oil, and silk reeling mills, a distillery, and a machine shop. He also founded a shipping line and reclaimed saline agricultural land to the east of Nantong for cotton production. By 1911, Nantong was commonly called "Zhang Jian's Kingdom".
Although suffering from the economic depression of the 1930s and the Japanese occupation of the 1930s and 40s, Nantong has remained an important centre for the textile industry. Because of its deep-water harbour and connections to inland navigational canals, it was one of 14 port cities opened to foreign investment in the recent economic reforms.
[edit] Culture
[edit] Education
The "King of Nantong", Zhang Jian, founded the first teacher-training schools in China at Nantong. These eventually merged with his agricultural, industrial, and medical schools to become Nantong University. Zhang also founded museums, libraries, and theatres, making Nantong into an important cultural centre.
[edit] Local dialect
Nantong natives speak a Northern Wu Chinese dialect; some natives in southern parts speak similarly to that of nearby Shanghai.
Nantong city and its 6 counties (or county-level cities) are rich in its diversity of languages. People in the city of Nantong speak a unique dialect which sounds nothing like Mandarin or any other dialects, and it is also distinctively different from any surrounding dialects. About 2 million people in southern parts of Tongzhou, Haimen and Qidong speak the Wu dialect, which is often referred to as "Qi-hai Hua" (启海话), meaning Qidong-Haimen speech. It is about the same as the dialect spoken on the island of Chongming, which is a part of Shanghai city. People in northern parts of these counties speak "Tongdong Hua" (tōngdōnghuà 通东话), meaning Eastern Tong Talk. People in Rugao, Hai'an speak other dialects.
Some people believe criminals who were living in Mongolia or Tibet moved to Nantong when the land was first formed hundreds years ago. Hence it is said that a small group in Mongolia or Tibet speak the same dialect as people in the city of Nantong do.
[edit] Tourism
The Haohe River, known as the Emerald Necklace of Nantong, surrounds the old city with a total length of 15km. Most scenery lines this river. [1]
Popular tourist sites include Langshan ("Wolf hill"). This hill of about 110 metres elevation right next to the Yangtze River is worth a visit. On top of the hill is a Buddhist temple dedicated to a Song dynasty monk. Because of the monk's legendary powers over water demons, sailors pray to him for protection on their voyages.
The Cao Gong Zhu Memorial Temple commemorates a local hero who defended the city against Japanese pirates in 1557.
[edit] Economy
Nantong has developed rapidly in the last 25 years, as has most of the cities in the Yangtze River Delta. Usually, Nantong's rapid economic growth is attributed to its advantageous location just north of Shanghai. Nantong's Sutong bridge is expected to further Nantong's integration with Shanghai, cutting transportation time between the cities down to one hour from three hours.[2]
The shipping corporation Cosco has a large port and ship repair yards on the river. Cosco (Nantong) Shipyard Co., Ltd, the first shipyard of the Cosco group, is adjacent to the busy port of Nantong. The yard has 1120 m of coastline and is equipped with one Cape-size and one Panamax size floating dock. Cosco (Nantong) Shipyard handles approximately 150 vessels per year and has kept first position among Chinese shipyards in turnover and customer feedback. (Source [1])
Nantong has five KFC stores and one McDonald's.
Some companies in Nantong: (source: [2])
- Empire Clothing Co. Ltd. - [3] Manufacturer of garments for men, women and children. Products gallery.
- Nantong No.2 Yarn-dyed Weaving Mill - [4] Cloth and garment manufacturer.
- Nantong Taierte Clothing Co. Ltd. - [5] Textile production and processing.
- Nantong Freezing Equipment Factory - [6] Refrigeration and quick freezing equipment for the food industry.
- Nantong Printing and Dyeing Co. Ltd. - [7] Textile processor. Product specifications.
- Nantong Suzhong Textile Co. Ltd. - [8] Yarn and thread manufacturer. Product specifications.
- Nantong General Pharmaceutical Factory - [9] Manufacturer of pharmaceutical materials such as tablets, capsules and injections. Product specifications.
- Nantong Xiaoxing Transformer Co., Ltd. -[10] Various range of electric transformers
- Nantong Fujitsu Microelectronics Co Ltd [3]
[edit] Education
- Secondary schools (incomplete list):
- Universities and colleges:
[edit] Social Welfare Institute
Established in 1906, Nantong Social Welfare Institute was originally created by Zhang Jian as a house for orphans, the aged, and the disabled.
Located on the banks of the Haohe, the institute has an area of 13.2 mu (8,800 m²), with beautiful scenery and relaxing surroundings. At present, the staff has 79 staff members who care for 170 orphans, widows and handicapped children, plus 70 retirees. The current director's name is Jia Gui Lin.
Address: Nantong Social Welfare Institute No. 5 Yang Lao Yuan Lane Nantong, Jiangsu Province China 226006
[edit] Sister cities
[edit] References
Qin Shao, Culturing Modernity: The Nantong Model, 1890-1930 (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2004).
- ^ "A paradise on the water", China Daily, January 08, 2007. Retrieved on 08-04-18.
- ^ Jiao, Xiaoyang. "New milestone for record-breaking bridge", China Daily, June 19, 2007. Retrieved on 08-04-18.
- ^ Liu, Baijia. "High stakes chips", China Daily, April 09, 2007. Retrieved on 08-04-18.
[edit] External links
- Government website of Nantong (available in Chinese, Japanese and English)
- Nantong comprehensive guide with open directory (Jiangsu.NET)
- The Columbia Encyclopedia: Nantong - Brief facts about the city
- Nantong Science and Technology Commission - Brief description of the city and a list of cooperative projects available
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