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Changzhou, nicknamed the Dragon City, is situated in China’s most prosperous Yangtze River delta. It is administratively divided into 2 county-level cities, Jintan and Liyang, and 5 districts, Wujin, Xinbei, Tianning, Zhonglou and Qishuyan. The whole city covers 4,375 sq. km and has a population of 3.49 million, of which the urban area covers 1,864 sq. km with 2.17 million inhabitants. The city boasts economic and cultural prosperity and social harmony. In 2005, its GDP reached 130.2 billion yuan, with the per capita GDP being 4,500 USD and municipal financial revenue 22 billionyuan.
Laurels
– let’s share the city’s beauty
“At sunrise the flowers on river banks were suffused with a flame-like red. In springtime, the river water turned turquoise blue.” A city whose beauty has been adored by many poets, Changzhou is becoming even more attractive today. Up to 2005, it has won many honors in the nation:
★ The ear l iest “ci ty for the exper iment on comprehensive reform of economic structure” and “city to open to the outside world”;
★ One of the 50 Chinese cities with biggest comprehensive power;
★ China Excellent Tourism City;
★ National Clean City;
★ National Model City in Environmental Protection;
★ Provincial Green City;
★ Nat ional Award for Human Inhabi tat ion Environment;
★ One of the 50 Chinese cities with best investment environment;
★ National Advanced City in Development of Science and Technology;
★ National Excellent City in Public Safety;
★ National Advanced City in Social Progress.
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As a major tourist city, Changzhou is easily accessible by road or rail
and also has some good boat services operating out of the city port.
Airport
Changzhou Guangfu Airport, is a small airport. It has only a flight to Foshan every Tuesday. Most travelers fly into Shanghai and then take a bus (one hour and forty minutes, RMB50) from the Shanghai Airport or a train to Changzhou (about an hour). China Eastern has an office here and you can book tickets to Shanghai through Ctrip!
Changzhou is an important city on the Beijing-Shanghai Railway line, and everyday, more than 20 trains stop at the Changzhou railway station which is on the northern side of the city. A train to Shanghai takes about one hour and costs between RMB20-50 depending on the type of ticket. There are also regular trains to Nanjing and Wuxi from here (2 hours).
Changzhou is small enough to walk around. A nice way to see the sites is to hire a bike (ask in your hotel). There are numerous buses and taxis also operating in the city.
The city of Changzhou is along the Grand Canal and therefore accessible by boat from various cities along the canal including Beijing (Tongxian County), Shanghai, Zhenjiang (in Jiangsu Province) and Hangzhou. Although the boats travelling along the Grand Canal are not always comfortable this can be a nice way to leave the city and to arrive in Shanghai.
The selection of materials has much to do with the water country. Dishes and pastries traditionally served aboard of pleasure boats remain the proincipal form. Ingredients for seasonal foods are fishes, shrimps, crabs, water mallows, gorgon fruits and other aquatic products. The visitor is sure to be impressed by the refined taste of Changzhou cuisine.