Jiangsu

Jiangsuis aneasterncoastalprovinceof thePeople's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital inNanjing. Jiangsu is thethird smallest, but thefifth most populous, with a population of 84.75 million, and themost densely populatedof the 22 provinces of the People's Republic of China. Jiangsu has the highest GDP per capita and second-highest GDP of Chinese provinces, afterGuangdong.Jiangsu bordersShandongin the north,Anhuito the west, andZhejiangandShanghaito the south. Jiangsu has a coastline of over 1,000 kilometers (620 mi) along theYellow Sea, and theYangtze Riverpasses through the southern part of the province.
Since theSuiandTangdynasties, Jiangsu has been a national economic and commercial center, partly due to the construction of theGrand Canal. Cities such asNanjing,Suzhou,Wuxi,Changzhou, andShanghai(separated from Jiangsu in 1927) are all major Chinese economic hubs. Since the initiation of economic reforms in 1990, Jiangsu has become a focal point for economic development. It is widely regarded as one of China's most developed provinces, when measured by itsHuman Development Index(HDI).Its 2021nominal GDPper capita reached RMB 137,300 (US$21,287), becoming the first province in China to reach the $20,000 mark.
Jiangsu is home to many of the world's leading exporters of electronic equipment, chemicals and textiles.It has also been China's largest recipient of foreign direct investment since 2006. In 2022, its GDP was more thanCNY¥12.29 trillion (US$1.83 trillion in nominal), which is thesixth-highestof alladministrative divisions.If it were a country, it would be thetwelfth-largest economyas of 2022 as well as the19th most populous.
Jiangsu is also one of the leading provinces in research and education in China. As of 2022, Jiangsu hosts 168institutions of higher education, ranking first of all Chinese provinces.Jiangsu has many highly ranked educational institutions,with 16 number of universities listed in theDouble First-Class Construction, ranking second afterBeijing.  As of 2023, four major cities in Jiangsu ranked in the world's top 200 (Nanjing 6th, Suzhou 40th, Zhenjiang 166th and Wuxi 188th)cities by scientific research output, as tracked by theNature Index.
Jiangsu's name is a compound of the first elements of the names of the two cities of Jiangning (nowNanjing) andSuzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" (Sū), the second character of its name.
During the earliest Chinese dynasties, the area that is now Jiangsu was far away from the center of Chinese civilization, which was in the northwestHenan; it was home of the Huai barbarians (淮夷), an ancient ethnic group. During theZhou dynastymore contact was made, and eventually thestate of Wuappeared in southern Jiangsu, one of the many hundreds of states that existed across northern and central China at that time. Near the end of theSpring and Autumn period, Wu became a great power underKing Helu of Wu, and defeated in 484 BC thestate of Qi, a major power in the north in modern-dayShandongprovince, and contest for the position of overlord over all states of China. The state of Wu was subjugated in 473 BC by thestate of Yue, another state that had emerged to the south in modern-dayZhejiangprovince. Yue was in turn subjugated by the powerfulstate of Chufrom the west in 333 BC. Eventually thestate of Qinswept away all the other states, and unified China in 221 BC.
Under the reign of theHan dynasty(206 BC to 220 AD), Jiangsu was removed from the centers of civilization in theNorth China Plain, and was administered under twozhou(provinces):XuProvince in the north, andYangProvince in the south. During theThree Kingdomsperiod, southern Jiangsu became the base of theEastern Wu(222 to 280), whose capital,Jianye(later renamed to Jiankang), is modernNanjing. When nomadic invasions overran northern China in the 4th century, the imperial court of theJin dynastymoved to Jiankang. Cities in southern and central Jiangsu swelled with the influx of migrants from the north. Jiankang remained as the capital for four successiveSouthern dynastiesand became the largest commercial and cultural center in China.
After the Sui dynasty united the country in 581, the political center of the country shifted back to the north, but the Grand Canal was built through Jiangsu to link the Central Plains with the prosperous Yangtze Delta. TheTang dynasty(618–907) relied on southern Jiangsu for annual deliveries of grain. It was during theSong dynasty(960–1279), which saw the development of a wealthy mercantile class and emergentmarket economyin China, thatJiangnan(southern Jiangsu,Shanghai, and adjacent areas) emerged as a center oftrade. From then onwards, major cities likeSuzhouorYangzhou, would be synonymous with opulence and luxury in China. Today the region remains one of the richest parts of China.
The JurchenJin dynastygained controlofNorth Chinain 1127 during theJin-Song wars, andHuai River, which used to cut through north Jiangsu to reach theYellow Sea, was the border between the north, under the Jin, and the south, under theSouthern Song dynasty. The Mongols took control of China in the thirteenth century. TheMing dynasty, which was established in 1368 after driving out theMongolswho had occupied China, initially put its capital inNanjing. Regions surrounding Nanjing, corresponding to Jiangsu and Anhui today, were designated as the Nanzhili province (literally "southern directly governed"). Following a coup by Zhu Di (later, theYongle Emperor), however, the capital was moved toBeijing, far to the north, although Nanjing kept its status as the southern capital. In late Ming, Jiangnan continued to be an important center of trade in China; some historians see in the flourishingtextilesindustry at the time incipientindustrializationandcapitalism, a trend that was however aborted.
TheQing dynastyconverted Nanzhili to "Jiangnan province"; in 1666 Jiangsu and Anhui were split apart as separate provinces. Jiangsu's borders have been for the most part stable since then.
With the start of Western incursion into China in the 1840s, the rich and mercantileYangtze river deltawas increasingly exposed to Western influence;Shanghai, originally an unremarkable little town of Jiangsu, quickly developed into a metropolis of trade, banking, and cosmopolitanism, and was split out later as an independent municipality. Jiangnan also figures strongly in theTaiping Rebellion(1851 – 1864), a massive and deadly rebellion that attempted to set up aChristiantheocracyin China; it started far to the south, inGuangdongprovince, swept through much of South China, and by 1853, had established Nanjing as its capital, renamed as Tianjing (天京"Heavenly Capital").
TheRepublic of Chinawas established in 1912,and China was soon torn apart by warlords. Jiangsu changed hands several times, but in April 1927,Chiang Kai-shekestablished a government atNanjing; he was soon able to bring most of China under his control. This was however interrupted by thesecond Sino-Japanese War, which began full-scale in 1937; on December 13, 1937, Nanjing fell, and the combined atrocities of the occupying Japanese for the next three months would come to be known as theRape of Nanjing, after which it became the seat of thecollaborationist government of East ChinaunderWang Jingwei, and most of Jiangsu remained under Japanese occupation until the end of the war in 1945.
After the war, Nanjing was once again the capital of the Republic of China, though now theChinese Civil Warhad broken out between theKuomintanggovernment andCommunist forces, based further north, mostly inNortheast China. The decisiveHuaihai Campaignwas fought in northern Jiangsu; it resulted in Kuomintang defeat, and the communists were soon able to cross theYangtze Riverand take Nanjing. The Kuomintang fled southward and eventually ended up inTaipei, from which the Republic of China government continues to administerTaiwan,Pescadores, and its neighboring islands, though it also continues to claim (technically, at least) Nanjing as its rightfulde jurecapital.
After the communist takeover,Beijing(formerly Peiping) was made capital of the People's Republic, and Nanjing was demoted to be the provincial capital of Jiangsu. Theeconomic reformsofDeng Xiaopinginitially focused on the south coast of China, inGuangdongprovince, which soon left Jiangsu behind; starting from the 1990s they were applied more evenly to the rest of China.SuzhouandWuxi, two southern cities of Jiangsu in close proximity to neighboringShanghai, have since become particularly prosperous, being among the top 10 cities in China in terms ofgross domestic productand outstripping the provincial capital of Nanjing. The income disparity between northern and southern Jiangsu however remains large.
Jiangsu is flat, with plains covering 68 percent of its total area (water covers another 18 percent). Most of the province stands not more than 50 meters (160 ft)above sea level. Jiangsu also has a well-developed irrigation system, which earned it (especially the southern half) the moniker oftraditional Chinese:水鄕;simplified Chinese:水乡(shuǐxiāng"land of water"). The southern city ofSuzhouhas so many canals that it has been dubbed "Venice of the East" or the "Venice of the Orient".TheGrand Canal of Chinacuts through Jiangsu from north to south, crossing all the east–west river systems. Jiangsu also borders theYellow Sea. TheYangtze River, the longest river of China, cuts through the province in the south and reaches theEast China Sea, which divides the region into two parts: more urban, prosperous south and more poorer, rural north, and these two parts has a tense division.Mount Huaguo, near the city ofLianyungang, is the highest point in Jiangsu, at an altitude of 625 meters (2,051 ft)above sea level. Large lakes in Jiangsu includeLake Tai(the largest),Lake Hongze,Lake Gaoyou,Lake Luoma, andLake Yangcheng.
Before 1194 A.D., theHuai Rivercut through north Jiangsu to reach theYellow Sea. The Huai River is a major river in central China, and it was the traditional border betweenNorth China and South China. Since 1194 A.D., theYellow Riverfurther to the north changed its course several times, running into theHuai Riverin north Jiangsu each time instead of its other usual path northwards intoBohai Bay. The silting caused by theYellow Riverwas so heavy that after its last episode of "hijacking" the Huai River ended in 1855: the Huai River was no longer able to go through its usual path into the sea. Instead it flooded, pooled up (thereby forming and enlargingLake HongzeandLake Gaoyou), and flowed southwards through theGrand Canalinto theYangtze. The old path of theHuai Riveris now marked by a series ofirrigationchannels, the most significant of which is theNorth Jiangsu Main Irrigation Canal(traditional Chinese:蘇北灌溉總渠;simplified Chinese:苏北灌溉总渠), which channels a small amount of the water of theHuai Riveralongside south of its old path into the sea.
Most of Jiangsu has ahumid subtropical climate(CfaorCwain theKöppen climate classification), beginning to transition into ahumid continental climate(KöppenDwa) in the far north. Seasonal changes are clear-cut, with temperatures at an average of −1 to 4 °C (30 to 39 °F) in January and 26 to 29 °C (79 to 84 °F) in July. Rain falls frequently between spring and summer (meiyu),typhoonswithrainstormsoccur in late summer and early autumn. As with the rest of the coast, tornados are possible. The annual average rainfall is 800 to 1,200 millimeters (31 to 47 in), concentrated mostly in summer during the southeastmonsoon.
Due to its flat terrain, low altitude, and dense population, Jiangsu is one of the most vulnerable regions in China toclimate changeand its ensuingsea level rise.According to the data collected by the Center of Climate Change in Jiangsu from 1961 to 2007, on average, the province experiences an temperature increase between 0.16 and 0.45 Celsius per 10 years and total precipitation change between -28.7 and 37.09 mm per 10 years.Extreme weatherhave become stronger and more common. Jiangsu'sagriculture,ecosystem,water resource, transportation, andcoastlineare all negatively impacted. The speed of sea level rise exceeds the world's average by a large margin.
Specifically, a ranking on climate change risk of global regions released in early 2023 byThe Cross Dependency Initiative(XDI) puts Jiangsu as the most vulnerable of the entire world.Jiangsu is at more risk due to its extensiveindustrial, trade, residential, and commercial development.
In response to climate disturbance across the country, the fourteenthfive-year plan, endorsed by the National People's Congress in 2021, indicates the general direction and various steps towards a low-carbon transition.On a provincial level, the Jiangsu government aims to achieve an 18% carbon dioxide decrease per unit GDP and accelerate the development of a green, low-carbon economy, as indicated in the 14th five-year development. The province also plans to recover the damaged coastal regions such asLianyugangandYancheng, and improve resilience against rising sea level by implementingseawallsand riverfloodgates.
Major cities:
Jiangsu is divided into thirteenprefecture-level divisions, allprefecture-level cities(including asub-provincial city):
These prefecture-level cities are in turn subdivided into 95county-level divisions(55districts, 21county-level cities, and 19counties). Those are in turn divided into 1,237township-level divisions(699towns, 19townships, and 519subdistricts). At the end of the year 2021, the total population was 85.05 million.
The politics of Jiangsu is structured in a one party (Communist) government system like all other governing institutions in mainland China.
TheGovernor of Jiangsuis the highest-ranking official in the People's Government of Jiangsu. However, in the province's dual party-government governing system, the Governor has less power than the JiangsuChinese Communist PartyProvincial Committee Secretary, colloquially termed the "JiangsuCCP Party Chief".
In July 2021, the Jiangsu Intermediate Court established a labor tribunal to handlelabordisputes arising from theplatform economy.
As of 2022, Jiangsu had a gross domestic product (GDP) ofCNY¥12.29 trillion (US$1.83 trillion),thesecond-highestin China after Guangdong. Its GDP is greater than those of Australia and South Korea, which are the world's 12th- and 13th-largest economies respectively.In 2022, Jiangsu's GDP adjusted bypurchasing power paritywas $3.04 trillion, making it the3rd-largestof any country subdivision globally, behind California and Guangdong.Jiangsu's economy in PPP also was just behind that of Italy with a GDP PPP of $ $3.05 trillion, the12th largest in the world.
Jiangsu is very wealthy among the provinces of China. Its 2022nominal GDPper capita reached ¥144,390 (US$21,467), becoming the first province in China to reach the $20,000 mark.Cities like Nanjing,Suzhou, andWuxihave GDPs per capita around twice the provincial average, making south Jiangsu one of the most prosperous regions in China.
The province has an extensive irrigation system supporting its agriculture, which is based primarily onriceandwheat, followed bymaizeandsorghum. Maincash cropsincludecotton,soybeans,peanuts,rapeseed,sesame,ambary hemp, andtea. Other products includepeppermint,spearmint,bamboo,medicinal herbs,apples,pears,peaches,loquats,ginkgo.Silkwormsform an important part of Jiangsu's agriculture, with theLake Tairegion to the south a major base ofsilkproduction in China. Jiangsu is an important producer of freshwater fish and other aquatic products.
Jiangsu hascoal,petroleum, andnatural gasdeposits, but its most significant mineral products are non-metal minerals such ashalite(rock salt),sulfur,phosphorus, andmarble. The city of Xuzhou is a coal hub of China. The salt mines ofHuaiyinhave more than 0.4 trilliontonnesof deposits, one of the greatest collections of deposits in China.
Jiangsu is historically oriented toward light industries such astextilesandfood industry. Since 1949, Jiangsu has developed heavy industries such aschemical industryandconstruction materials. Jiangsu's important industries include machinery, electronic, chemicals, and automobile.The government has worked hard to promote the solar industry and hoped by 2012 the solar industry would be worth 100 billion RMB.Jiangsu's economy growth has directly benefited from the reform Chinese's policies, and its growth trajectory reflects that of many other coastal provinces, such as Zhejiang and Shandong.Theeconomic reformsofDeng Xiaopinghave greatly benefited southern cities, especiallySuzhouandWuxi, which outstrip the provincial capital,Nanjing, in total output. In the eastern outskirts of Suzhou,Singaporehas built theSuzhou Industrial Park, a flagship of Sino-Singaporeancooperation and the only industrial park in China that is in its entirety the investment of a single foreign country.
Jiangsu contains over 100 different economic and technological development zones devoted to different types of investments.
The majority of Jiangsu residents are ethnicHan Chinese. Other minorities include theHuiand theManchus. In 2021, 73.94 percent of the province lived in urban areas, while 26.06 lived in rural areas.
Population: 85.05 million (urban: 62.89 million; rural: 39.421 million)Birth rate: 5.65 per 1000Death rate: 6.77 per 1000Sex ratio: 103.05 males per 100 femalesLiteracy rate: 96.94%
The predominant religions in Jiangsu areChinese folk religions,Taoist traditionsandChinese Buddhism. According to surveys conducted in 2007 and 2009, 16.67% of the population believes and is involved incults of ancestors, while 2.64% of the population identifies as Christian.The reports didn't give figures for other types of religion; 80.69% of the population may be either irreligious or involved inworship of nature deities, Buddhism,Confucianism, Taoism,folk religious sects, and small minorities ofMuslims.
In 2010, there were 130,757 Muslims in Jiangsu.
Nanjing Lukou International Airport(IATA:NKG) serves as the major airport in the province, with flights to Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, Seoul-Incheon, Frankfurt, Bangkok, Milan, Vancouver and Los Angeles. Other passenger airports includeSunan Shuofang International Airport,Changzhou Benniu Airport,Yangzhou Taizhou International Airport, andNantong Xingdong Airport. Air traffic in the populatedSuzhouarea is often diverted toShanghai Hongqiao International Airport, to which Suzhou is conveniently connected to via bus services and by expressway.
Xuzhou Guanyin International Airport,Yancheng Nanyang International Airport, andLianyungang Baitabu Airportserve as hubs in northern Jiangsu.
The southern part of the province, namely the Shanghai-Nanjing corridor, has very high-frequency rail services. Jiangsu is on theJinghu railwayfromBeijingtoShanghai, as well as the high speed line between the two cities:Shanghai–Nanjing intercity railwayandBeijing-Shanghai high-speed railway, completed in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Since the completion of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed line, travel time between Beijing and Nanjing has been reduced to approximately four hours (from eleven hours previously); travel time between Nanjing and Shanghai on the fastest high-speed trains takes just over an hour.
As of 2022, all major cities in Jiangsu have been connected by high-speed lines, including:Shanghai-Nanjing intercity railwaysince 2010,Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railwaysince 2011,Nanjing–Hangzhou high-speed railwaysince 2013,Nanjing–Anqing intercity railwaysince 2015,Lianyungang–Zhenjiang high-speed railwaysince 2020,Xuzhou–Yancheng high-speed railwaysince 2019,Yancheng–Nantong high-speed railwaysince 2020,Shanghai–Suzhou–Nantong railwaysince 2020, andLianyungang–Xuzhou high-speed railwaysince 2021.
Jiangsu's road network is one of the most developed in the country.TheBeijing–Shanghai Expressway (G2)enters the province from the north and passes through Huai'an, Yangzhou, Taizhou, and Wuxi on the way to Shanghai; travelling from Shanghai westbound, the G2 forks atWuxiand continues onto Nanjing separately as G42, theShanghai–Nanjing Expressway, which serves the widely travelled southern corridor of the province. TheNingchang Expresswaylinks Nanjing withChangzhou. TheSuzhouarea is extensively networked with expressways, going in all directions. TheYanhai Expresswaylinks the coastal regions of the province, passing throughNantong,Yancheng, andLianyungang.
Historically, the province was divided by the Yangtze River into northern and southern regions. The first bridge across the river in Jiangsu, theNanjing Yangtze River Bridge, was completed in 1968 during theCultural Revolution. The second bridge crossing,Jiangyin Bridge, opened 30 years later atJiangyin. As of October 2014, there were 11cross-Yangtze bridgesin the province, including the five in Nanjing, which also has two cross-river tunnels. The Jiangyin Bridge (1,385 m (4,544 ft)),Runyang Bridge(opened in 2005, connecting Yangzhou and Zhenjiang, 1,490 m (4,890 ft)), andFourth Nanjing Bridge(opened in 2012; 1,418 m (4,652 ft)) all rank among the tenlongest suspension bridgesin the world. TheSutong Bridge, opened in 2008, connecting Nantong and Changshu, has one of thelongestcable-stayed bridgespans in the world, at 1,088 m (3,570 ft).
As of December 2022, Jiangsu has six cities that have operational subway systems, together with an extra city (Huai'an) currently under construction. These six cities areNanjing,Suzhou,Wuxi,Changzhou,XuzhouandNantong.
TheNanjing Metrowas opened in September 2005. It was the sixth city in mainland China that opened up a metro system. As of December 2019 the city currently has 11 metro lines (Line 1,Line 2,Line 3,Line 4,Line 10,Line S1,Line S3,Line S6,Line S7,Line S8andLine S9), with several extra ones (i.e.Line 5) under construction.
TheSuzhou Rail Transit, also known as the Suzhou Metro, was opened in April 2012. As of October, 2022, it currently has five operational lines:Line 1,Line 2,Line 3,Line 4andLine 5. It also has four other lines under construction (Line 6,Line 7,Line 8,Line S1) and 11 lines under planning (Lines9,10, 11 through 16, Line 18, Line 20,Line S4,Line S5). Currently under construction lines are expected to be operational by 2024 and planned lines are expected to be operational by 2035.
TheWuxi Metrowas opened in July 2014. The system is currently composed of four operational lines by 2022:Line 1,Line 2,Line 3andLine 4. It also has two other lines under construction:Line S1and an extension ofLine 4.
TheChangzhou Metrowas opened in September 2019. The system currently only has two lines operational,Line 1andLine 2.
TheXuzhou Metrowas opened in September 2019, a few days after theChangzhou Metrostarted operations. The system currently only has three lines operational,Line 1,Line 2andLine 3.
TheNantong Metrowas opened in November 2022. It has one operating line:Line 1and another line under construction:Line 2.
TheHuai'an Metro, also known as the Huai'an Rail System, began construction in November 2018. There are seven lines planned: Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Line 4, Line 5, Line S1, and Line S2. It is expected to start operations before 2025.
The four mass migrations in the 4th, 8th, 12th and 14th centuries had been influential in shaping the regional culture of Jiangsu. According to dialects and the other factors, the province can be roughly segmented four major cultural subdivisions:Wu(吴), Jinling (金陵),Huaiyang(淮扬) andXuhuai(徐淮), from southeast to northwest.The belts of transition blurred the boundaries.
Jiangsu is rich in cultural traditions.Kunqu, originating inKunshan, is one of the most renowned and prestigious forms ofChinese opera.Pingtan, a form of storytelling accompanied by music, is also popular: it can be subdivided into types by origin:Suzhou Pingtan(ofSuzhou),Yangzhou Pingtan(ofYangzhou), andNanjing Pingtan(ofNanjing).Wuxi opera, a form of traditionalChinese opera, is popular inWuxi, whileHuaijuis popular further north, aroundYancheng.Jiangsu cuisineis one of the eight great traditions of thecuisine of China.
Suzhouis also well known for its silk,Chinese embroidery,jasmine tea, stone bridges,pagodas, and classical gardens. NearbyYixingis noted for itsteawarewhile Yangzhou is known for itslacquerwareandjadeware.Nanjing'syunjinis a noted type of woven silk.
Since ancient times, south Jiangsu has been famed for its prosperity and opulence, and simply inserting south Jiangsu place names (Suzhou, Yangzhou, etc.) into poetry gave an effect of dreaminess,as was indeed done by many famous poets. In particular, the fame of Suzhou (as well asHangzhouin neighbouringZhejiang) has led to the popular saying:上有天堂，下有蘇杭("above there is heaven; below there are Suzhou andHangzhou"), a saying that continues to be a source of pride for the people of these two still prosperous cities. Similarly, the prosperity of Yangzhou has led poets to dream of:腰纏十萬貫，騎鶴下揚州("with a hundred thousandstrings of coinswrapped around its waist, acranelanded in Yangzhou").
As of 2022, Jiangsu hosts 168 institutions of higher education, ranking first of all Chinese provinces.There are twoProject 985, 11Project 211, and 16Double First-Class Constructionuniversities in the province. A combination of 93 members ofChinese Academy of SciencesandChinese Academy of Engineeringwork in Jiangsu.As of 2023, four major cities in Jiangsu ranked in the world's top 200 (Nanjing 6th, Suzhou 40th, Zhenjiang 166th and Wuxi 188th) cities by scientific research output, as tracked by theNature Index.
Other Major Research Universities in Jiangsu
Nanjingwas the capital of several Chinese dynasties and contains a variety of historic sites, such as thePurple Mountain,Purple Mountain Observatory, theSun Yat-sen Mausoleum,Ming dynasty city wall and gates,Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum(the mausoleum of the first Ming Emperor,Hongwu Emperor),Xuanwu Lake,Jiming Temple, theNanjing MassacreMemorial,Nanjing Confucius Temple,Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, and theNanjing Zoo, along with its circus.Suzhouis renowned for its classical gardens (designated as aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site), as well as theHanshan Temple, andHuqiu Tower. Nearby is the water-town ofZhouzhuang, an international tourist destination with Venice-like waterways, bridges and dwellings, which have been preserved over centuries.Yangzhouis known forSlender West Lake.Wuxiis known for being the home of the world's tallest Buddha statue. In the north,Xuzhouis designated as one of China's "eminent historical cities". The official travel and tourism website for Jiangsuwas set up in 2008.
Professional sports teams in Jiangsu include:
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