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Yangtze Delta

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Yangtze River Delta
長江三角洲 / 长江三角洲
Cháng Jiāng Sānjiǎozhōu
Shanghai
Shanghai
Nanjing
Nanjing
Nantong
Nantong
Country CHN
Major CitiesShanghai
Nanjing
Hangzhou
Ningbo
Suzhou
Wuxi
Changzhou
Zhenjiang
Yangzhou
Taizhou
Nantong
Huzhou
Jiaxing
Shaoxing
Zhoushan
Population
 • Metro
~88,000,000
Yangtze Delta
Traditional Chinese長江三角洲
Simplified Chinese长江三角洲
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin>Cháng Jiāng Sānjiǎozhōu

The Yangtze River Delta, Yangtze Delta or YRD, also called Yangzi, or Chang Jiang Delta, Rive Chang Delta Tai Lake Region or the Golden Triangle of the Yangtze (simplified Chinese: 长江三角洲; traditional Chinese: 長江三角洲; Hanyu Pinyin: Cháng Jiāng Sānjiǎozhōuⓘ), generally comprises the triangular-shaped territory of Wu-speaking Shanghai, southern Jiangsu province and northern Zhejiang province of China. The area lies at the heart of the region traditionally called Jiangnan (literally, "south of the Yangtze River"). The Yangtze river drains into the East China Sea. In modern times the area is home to an economy the size of a medium-sized developed country, encompassing a GDP (when measured to purchasing power parity) of some $2 trillion US, which is 40% of the national economy (about the size of that of France, 2,046,899 MM$ in 2007 according to the International Monetary Fund). The urban build-up in the area has given rise what may be the largest concentration of adjacent metropolitan areas in the world. It covers an area of 99600 km2 and is home to over 80 million people as of 2007, of which an estimated 50 million are urban.

Early history

The area near the Southern Dynasties period, the Yangtze Delta has been a main cultural and economic center of China. Key cities of the region in pre-modern times include Suzhou (Wu), Nanjing, Hangzhou and Shaoxing.

Population

The delta is one of the most densely populated regions on earth, and includes one of the world's largest cities on its banks—Shanghai, with a density of 2,700 inhabitants/km². Because of the large population of the delta, and factories, farms, and other cities upriver, the World Wide Fund for Nature says the Yangtze Delta is the biggest cause of marine pollution in the Pacific Ocean.

Most of the people in this region speak Wu Chinese (sometimes called Shanghainese, although Shanghainese is actually one of the dialects within the Wu group of Chinese) as their mother tongue, in addition to Mandarin. Wu is mutually unintelligible with other varieties of Chinese, including Mandarin.

The area of the Yangtze Delta incorporates twenty relatively developed municipalities in three provinces. The term can be generally used to refer to the entire region extending as far north as Lianyungang, Jiangsu and as far south as Taizhou, Zhejiang. The region includes some of the fastest-growing economies in China in recent years, and as of 2004 has occupied over 21% of China's total gross GDP[1].

The Metropolitan Areas

Since the 9th century, the Yangtze Delta has been the most populous area in China, East Asia, and one of the most densely populated areas of the world. During the mid to late period of Tang Dynasty (618-907), the region emerged as an economic centre, and the Yangtze River Delta became the most important agricultural, handicraft industrial and economic center for the late Tang China.

Yangtze River Delta includes major cities Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Ningbo and Nanjing.

In Song Dynasty, especially during the South Song Dynasty period (1127–1279), with its capital situated in Lin'an (Now Hangzhou), Hangzhou became the biggest city in the East Asia (and some claim, in the world) with a population more than 1.5 million, and the economic status of the Yangtze Delta became more enhanced. Ningbo became one of the two biggest seaports in East Asia along with Quanzhou (in Fujian Province)

During the mid-late Ming Dynasty period (1368–1644), the first capitalism bud of the East Asia was born and developed in this area, although it was disrupted by the Manchurian invasion and controlled strictly and carefully by the Confucian central government in Beijing, it continued its development slowly throughout the rest of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the delta became the a large financial centre for the country. And also played the most important role in Agriculture and handicraft industry.

During the Qianlong Era (1735-1796), Shanghai began developing rapidly and became the largest port in the Far East. From late 19th century to early 20th century, Shanghai was the biggest commercial center in the Far East. And the Yangtze River Delta became the first industrialized area in China. After the Chinese economic reform program, which began in 1978, Shanghai again became the most important economic center in mainland China, and is emerging to become one of Asia's centres for commerce. In modern times, the Yangtze Delta metropolitan areas are centred at Shanghai, and also flanked by the major metropolitan areas of Hangzhou, Suzhou, Ningbo, and Nanjing, home to nearly 90 million people (of which an estimated 80 million are urban residents), is the center of Chinese economic development, and surpasses other concentrations of metropolitan regions (including the Pearl River Delta) in the People's Republic of China in terms of economic growth, productivity and per capita income.

Cities

Chinese Hanyu Pinyin City Population Image Information
上海 Shànghǎi Shanghai 19,210,000 the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, with over 20 million people.[5] Located on China's central eastern coast at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the city is administered as a municipality of the People's Republic of China with province-level status.
南京 Nánjīng Nanjing 7,413,000 File:Nanjing downtown night view.jpg capital of China's Jiangsu Province, and a city with a prominent place in Chinese history and culture. Nanjing (literally: 'Southern capital') served as the capital of China during several historical periods and is listed as one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. Nanjing was the capital of the Republic of China (ROC) before the Chinese Civil War. Nanjing is also one of the fifteen sub-provincial cities in the People's Republic of China's administrative structure, enjoying jurisdictional and economic autonomy only slightly less than that of a province.
杭州 Hángzhōu Hangzhou 6,776,400 File:Hangzhou West Lake Skyline 2009.jpg is a sub-provincial city located in the Yangtze River Delta in the People's Republic of China, and the capital of Zhejiang province. Located 180 kilometres (112 mi) southwest of Shanghai, as of 2004 the entire Hangzhou Region ("shì", 杭州市) or Prefecture-level city had a registered population of 6.4 million people.
苏州/
蘇州 		Sūzhōu Suzhou 6,073,000 is a city on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Lake Taihu in the province of Jiangsu, China. The city is renowned for its beautiful stone bridges, pagodas, and meticulously designed gardens which have contributed to its status as a great tourist attraction.
宁波/
寧波 		Níngbō Ningbo 5,681,000 is a seaport with sub-provincial administrative status. The city has a population of 2,182,000 and is situated in northeastern Zhejiang province, China. Lying south of the Hangzhou Bay, and facing the East China Sea to the east, Ningbo borders Shaoxing to the west and Taizhou to the south, and is separated from Zhoushan by a narrow body of water.
南通 Nántōng Nantong 7,737,900 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.
无锡/
無錫 		Wúxī Wuxi 4,471,900 File:Wuxinewtower.jpg an old city in Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. Split into halves by Lake Taihu, Wuxi borders Changzhou to the west and Suzhou to the east. The northern half looks across to Taizhou to the north over the Yangtze River, while the southern half also borders the province of Zhejiang to the south. Because of its recent development, Wuxi has been dubbed the "little Shanghai".
常州 Chángzhōu Changzhou 3,489,000 File:Changzhou Skyline 2009.jpg a prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It was also known as Yanling, Lanling, Jinling, and Wujin previously. Located on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, Changzhou borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the west, Zhenjiang to the northwest, Wuxi to the east, and the province of Zhejiang to the south. The city is situated in the affluent Yangtze Delta region of China.
舟山 Zhōushān Zhoushan 969,145 formerly transliterated as Chusan, is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. The only prefecture-level city consisting solely of islands, it lies across the mouth of the Hangzhou Bay, and is separated from the mainland by a narrow body of water.
嘉兴/
嘉興 		Jiāxīng Jiaxing 3,355,500 is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. Lying on the Grand Canal of China, Jiaxing borders Hangzhou to the southwest, Huzhou to the west, Shanghai to the northeast, and the province of Jiangsu to the north.
镇江/
鎮江 		Zhènjiāng Zhenjiang 2,672,100 Once known as Jingjiang (京江, Wade-Giles Chingkiang) or Jingkou (京口 Wade-Giles Chingk'ou), Zhenjiang is today an important transportation hub owing to its location near the intersection of the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal.
湖州 Húzhōu Huzhou 2,570,000 a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. Lying south of the Lake Tai, it borders Jiaxing to the east, Hangzhou to the south, and the provinces of Anhui and Jiangsu to the west and north respectively.
绍兴/
紹興 		Shàoxīng Shaoxing 4,347,200 a prefecture-level city in northeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. Lying on the south bank of the Qiantang River mouth, it borders Ningbo to the east, Taizhou to the southeast, Jinhua to the southwest, and Hangzhou to the west.

Transportation

The area is home to a very extensive transportation network that include railways and expressways. The area has one of the highest private vehicle ownership rates in the country, and traffic rules governing Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Zhejiang are relatively strict compared to the rest of the country.

The region is served by some of the country's largest seaports:

  • Port of Shanghai, sea & river, the world's largest cargo port in 2005
  • Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan, sea & river, the world's 4th largest cargo port in 2005
  • Port of Lianyungang, sea port
  • Port of Suzhou, river & lake
  • Port of Wenzhou, sea & river

The region has five major airports, whose area of coverage is generally around an-hour's drive's length from any point of the Delta. They include:

Main bridges:

Climate

Shanghai
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
51
 
 
8
1
 
 
57
 
 
9
2
 
 
99
 
 
13
6
 
 
89
 
 
19
11
 
 
102
 
 
24
16
 
 
170
 
 
28
21
 
 
156
 
 
32
25
 
 
158
 
 
31
25
 
 
137
 
 
27
21
 
 
63
 
 
23
15
 
 
46
 
 
17
9
 
 
37
 
 
11
3
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
█ Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
2
 
 
47
34
 
 
2.2
 
 
49
36
 
 
3.9
 
 
55
42
 
 
3.5
 
 
66
52
 
 
4
 
 
75
61
 
 
6.7
 
 
82
69
 
 
6.2
 
 
89
77
 
 
6.2
 
 
88
77
 
 
5.4
 
 
81
69
 
 
2.5
 
 
73
59
 
 
1.8
 
 
63
48
 
 
1.5
 
 
52
37
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
█ Precipitation totals in inches

The Yangtze Delta has a marine monsoon subtropical climate, with hot and humid summers, cool and dry winters, and warm spring and fall. Winter temperatures can drop as low as -10°C (a record), however, and even in springtime, large temperature fluctuations can occur.

Fishing and agriculture

The Yangtze River Delta contains the most fertile soils in all of China. Rice is the dominant crop of the delta, but further inland fishing rivals it. In Qing Pu, 50 ponds, containing five different species of fish, produce 29,000 tons of fish each year. One of the biggest fears of fish farmers in this region is that toxic water will seep into their man-made lagoons and threaten their livelihood.

See also

References

  1. ^ Shanghai Vice-Mayor Zhou Yupeng: 周禹鹏：加快推进长三角城市群的连带发展 People.cn retrieved 2010-01-09

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