Wuxi

Etymology

Wuxi's name can be read to mean "without (无; 無) tin (锡; 錫)". Despite the many folk origin stories for the name, many modern Chinese scholars favor the view that the word is derived from the "old Yue language" or, supposedly, the old Kra–Dai languages, rather than reflecting the presence of tin in the area.

History

Clues are to be found at the Meili Museum and the Helv Relics Museum, Wuxi is the ancient capital of Wu State during the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BCE). Taibo and Zhongyong traveled southeast and settled in Wuxi Meili. There, Taibo and his followers set up the State of Wu, and made Wuxi as its founding capital which lasted for 600 years. The history of Wuxi can be traced back to Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC).

The tin industry thrived in the area in ancient times but it was eventually depleted, so that when Wuxi was established in 202 BCE during the Han dynasty, it was named "Wuxi" (the capital of Wu commandery). Administratively, Wuxi became a district of Biling (later Changzhou) and only during the Yuan dynasty (1206–1368) did it become an independent prefecture. Wuxi and Changzhou are considered to be the birthplaces of modern industrialization in China.

Agriculture and the silk industry flourished in Wuxi and the town became a transportation hub under the early Tang Dynasty after the opening of the Grand Canal in 609. It became known as one of the biggest markets for rice in China.

The Donglin Academy, originally founded during the Song dynasty (960–1279) was restored in Wuxi in 1604. Not a school, it served as a public forum, advocating a Confucian orthodoxy and ethics. Many of its academicians were retired court officials or officials deposed in the 1590s due to factionalism.

As a populous county, its eastern part was separated and made into Jinkui County in 1724. Both Wuxi and Jinkui were utterly devastated by the Taiping Rebellion, which resulted in nearly 2/3 of their population being killed. The number of "able-bodied males" (ding, 丁) were only 72,053 and 138,008 individuals in 1865, versus 339,549 and 258,934 in 1830.

During the Qing dynasty (1644–1912), cotton and silk production flourished in Wuxi. Trade increased with the opening of ports to Shanghai in 1842, and Zhenjiang and Nanjing in 1858. Wuxi became a center of the textile industry in China. Textile mills were built in 1894 and silk reeling establishments known as "filatures" were built in 1904. Wuxi has remained the regional center for the waterborne transport of grain. The opening of the railways to Shanghai and to the cities of Zhenjiang and Nanjing to the northwest in 1908 further increased the exports of rice from the area. Jinkui County merged into Wuxi County with the onset of the Republic in 1912.

Administrative divisions

The prefecture-level city of Wuxi administers seven county-level divisions, including 5 districts and 2 county-level cities. The information here presented uses the metric system and data from the 2020 Census.

These districts are sub-divided into 73 township-level divisions, including 59 towns and 24 subdistricts.

Economy

Wuxi has a relatively developed economy since ancient times. In 1895, Yang Zonglian and Yang Zonghan founded the first national capital enterprise, Yeqin Cotton Mill, outside the south gate of Wuxi. Subsequently, many enterprises with textile, silk and grain processing industries as the main body were born and developed rapidly. Wuxi became One of the birthplaces of national industry and commerce. During this process, many "firsts" and "most" in the history of Wuxi's modern industrial development were born; batches of industrial and commercial giants including the Rong family and the Tang family were born, and it also demonstrated the entrepreneurship of Wuxi's national industrial and commercial entrepreneurs. After the reform and opening up, private enterprises in Wuxi developed vigorously on the basis of the southern Jiangsu model represented by township industries. Well-known

companies such as "Technology" all transformed during this period. And since July 1993, Taiji Industry was the first private enterprise listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange as a listed company in Jiangsu Province. Over the years, the scale of listed companies from Wuxi has gradually expanded, forming a relatively unique "Wuxi plate", ranking first in Jiangsu Province. First, it plays an increasingly important role in the economic development of the entire Yangtze River Delta.

After the reform and opening up, Wuxi has gradually become an important economic center in the east and a very dynamic commercial city with the opportunity brought by the Southern Jiangsu model. At the end of 2013, Wuxi became one of China's "new first-tier cities" selected by "First Financial Weekly" due to its stable comprehensive strength; at the same time, "2013 Best Commercial Cities in Mainland China" released by the Chinese version of "Forbes" Among them, Wuxi ranks fifth, ranking first among prefecture-level cities.

In terms of industry, the added value of the city's primary industry was 13.365 billion yuan, an increase of 1.1% over the previous year; the added value of the secondary industry was 717.739 billion yuan, an increase of 3.6% over the previous year; The growth rate of the previous year was 2.4%; the ratio of the three industries was adjusted to 0.9 : 48.3 : 50.8.

A total of 158,100 new jobs were created in cities and towns throughout the year, of which 77,200 laid-off and unemployed people in various cities and towns were reemployed, and 31,200 people who had difficulties in finding jobs were reemployed. The city's urban registered unemployment rate was 2.68%.

Commercial facilities

As an important commercial center in East China, it has always been famous for its unique geographical location and historical background. Wuxi's commercial development has a long and prosperous history, and it has played a vital role in the local economic and social development.

The earliest commercial development in Wuxi can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, when commercial activities were already carried out here. With the evolution of history, Wuxi has gradually become a transportation hub and commercial center in the Jiangnan area. Wuxi is located on the shore of Taihu Lake and has convenient transportation. It has been a distribution center for silk, tea, rice and other commodities since ancient times. Today, Wuxi Commerce has developed into a diversified economic system dominated by service industries and high-tech industries.

There are many characteristics and advantages of Wuxi business. First of all, its geographical location is superior, located in the center of the Yangtze River Delta, and the transportation is convenient, which is conducive to the circulation of commodities. Secondly, Wuxi has rich natural resources and cultural heritage, which provides unique conditions for commercial development. In addition, the Wuxi municipal government has been committed to optimizing the business environment, attracting many domestic and foreign investors and entrepreneurs to invest and start businesses.

Now Wuxi is a regional business hub, with extensive manufacturing and large industrial parks devoted to new industries. Historically a center of textile manufacturing, the city has adopted new industries such as electric motor manufacturing, MRP software development, bicycle and brake manufacturing, and solar technology, with two major photovoltaic companies, Suntech Power and Jetion Holdings Ltd, based in Wuxi. Wuxi Pharma Tech, a major pharmaceutical company, is based in Wuxi. The city has a rapidly developing skyline with the opening of three supertall skyscrapers in 2014: Wuxi IFS (339 meters (1,112 ft)), Wuxi Suning Plaza 1 (328 meters (1,076 ft)) and Wuxi Maoye City - Marriott Hotel (303.8 meters (997 ft)).

Wuxi's commercial area is concentrated along Zhongshan Road in Liangxi District. On this road, Maoye Department Store, Hongdou Wanhua City, Great Oriental Department Store, Suning Plaza, Center 66, Yaohan, Parkson and other Chinese and foreign commercial retail enterprises gather. Chong'an Temple, Nanchan Temple, and Nanchang Street are three traditional commercial bazaars. Among them, Chong'an Temple Block is as famous as Shanghai Town God's Temple, Nanjing Confucius Temple, and Suzhou Xuanmiao Temple, which are also formed by temple bazaars.

Transportation

Wuxi Railway Station is situated on the Shanghai–Nanjing Intercity High-Speed Railway, a 301 kilometers (187 mi) railway which opened on 1 July 2010, linking it directly with the provincial capital of Nanjing, Shanghai and Suzhou.

Wuxi Metro is an urban rail transit system serving Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China. Its first line, Wuxi Metro Line 1, was officially opened for operation on 1 July 2014, making Wuxi the 22nd metropolitan area in mainland China. It is the third city in Jiangsu Province to open rail transit.As of January 2024, there are 5 Wuxi Metro operating lines, namely Wuxi Metro Line 1, Wuxi Metro Line 2, Wuxi Metro Line 3 Phase I, Wuxi Metro Line 4 Phase I, Wuxi Metro Line S1, They are all subway lines with an operating mileage of 145 kilometers and a total of 97 stations.As of January 2024, there are 4 lines under construction in Wuxi Metro, namely Wuxi Metro Line 4 Phase II, Wuxi Metro Line 5 Phase I, Wuxi Metro Line 6 Phase I, and Wuxi Metro Line S2, with a total of about 120 km.On 21 January 2024, the daily passenger flow of the Wuxi subway network reached a record high of 1.3 million passengers. On 16 February 2024, the Wuxi subway network carried 1.4112 million passengers, a record high.

Wuxi Shuofang Airport, situated 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) from the city center, opened in 2004, and has direct flights to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, and Osaka.

Wuxi lies along China National Highway 312 which connects Shanghai to central and northwestern China. The 274 kilometers (170 mi) Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway (G42), which opened in November 1996, connecting it to Shanghai, Suzhou, Changzhou, Zhenjiang and other cities in Jiangsu province. The 62.3 kilometers (38.7 mi) Wuxi-Yixing Expressway connects Wuxi with Yixing within the regional prefecture-level area.

Wuxi Jiangyin Port has 12 berths, mainly distributed in Shenxia Port Area, all of which have passed the open acceptance for foreign ships, with a total area of 1.5 million square meters, which are operated by Dagang Branch and Dacheng Branch respectively. Dagang Branch has a yard area of 710,000 square meters, and has two large warehouses with an area of 12,000 square meters each, each equipped with two 20-ton cranes. There are 10 dock berths, and the front of the dock maintains a water depth of -15 meters all year round. Among them, there are two 50,000-ton and 100,000-ton ocean-going berths, and one 2,000-ton sea-going berth, equipped with 9 gantry cranes with a lifting capacity of 40T, which can complete the cargo of arriving ships below 100,000 tons Unloading and transfer operations. There are also four 5,000-ton inland berths with a total length of 536 meters, equipped with multiple portal cranes and loading belt conveyors for port dredging. The port area is equipped with 7 120–150 ton truck scales and 2 gantry cranes. The warehouse has a maximum storage capacity of 3 million tons. It is mainly responsible for the unloading, storage and transfer of metal ore, coal and some general cargo. In order to meet the needs of customers, Dagang Branch also has ore screening and crushing equipment. After crushing, it can be directly conveyed to the vibrating screen for screening by the belt conveyor. The screen aperture can be adjusted according to the needs of different customers, and the production and processing can form lump ore and fine ore, with an annual output of 800,000-1 million tons. Dagang Branch has also launched three-condition general cargo liner routes from Jiangyin to the Middle East, Thailand and South Korea. Dacheng Branch was completed and put into operation in 2015.

Education and research

Wuxi is also a major city among the top 200 cities in the world by scientific research outputs, as tracked by the Nature Index.

University

Jiangnan University: a key national university of "Project 211" and center for scientific research, which was originally founded in 1902 and established in 1958 as the Wuxi Institute of Light Industry. In 2001 it was reconstituted by the Ministry of Education with the merger of two other colleges to formally establish Jiangnan University. The Taihu University of Wuxi, beside Huishan National Forest Park is a private university and one of the largest in China, covering over 2,000 acres with over 20,000 teachers and students and more than 20 different faculties.

Wuxi University: Wuxi University, located in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, is a public general undergraduate university approved by the Ministry of Education, managed by the People's Government of Jiangsu Province, organized by the People's Government of Wuxi City, and supported by Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology.

DongNan University Wuxi Campus: Founded in April 1988, formerly known as Southeast University Wuxi Campus, it is one of the first batch of key university branches approved by the former State Education Commission, and it is the first to explore the cultivation mode of outstanding engineers in my country.

Wuxi Institute of Technology

Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications Wuxi Campus

Nanjing University of Science and Technology Jiangyin Campus

Wuxi Higher Normal School: Founded in 1911, it was formerly known as the Jiangsu Provincial Third Normal School. Famous scholars such as Qian Songyan, Wu Guanzhong, and Chen Shouzhu are all alumni of the school.

Peking University School of Software and Microelectronics: Established in March 2002, it is a school directly affiliated to Peking University.

In addition, there are scientific research bases in Wuxi such as the Supercomputing Center, 702 Research Institute, and Microelectronics Research Institute, as well as Wuxi Research Institute of Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Wuxi Research Institute of Fudan University, Wuxi Research Institute of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Wuxi Research Institute of Huazhong University of Science and Technology. and many other university research institutes.

Medical

Wuxi has a long history of medicine, especially in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Since the Ming Dynasty, famous doctors such as You Zhongren, Shi Zhongmo, Deng Xingbo, Ke Huaizu, Xue Fuchen, etc. have either worked in the imperial hospital, or been ordered to diagnose and treat the royal family. Among them, Tan Yunxian and Xu Lushi are rare female doctors in ancient China. As for the modern medical institutions in Wuxi, it began in 1908 when Li Kele, a missionary of the American Episcopal Church and a doctor of medicine, founded the Puren Hospital, which is now the Second People's Hospital of Wuxi.

At present, Wuxi has one medical school (Medical College Affiliated to Jiangnan University), ten municipal hospitals, and 210 hospitals, including fourteen tertiary hospitals

Wuxi No. 1 People's Hospital

Wuxi No. 2 People's Hospital (North and South Campus)

Jiangnan University Affiliated Hospital (formerly No. 3 Hospital and No. 4 Hospital, currently North and South Branches)

Wuxi No. 5 People's Hospital

Wuxi No. 7 People's Hospital, Wuxi Ninth People's Hospital

Wuxi Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital

Wuxi Maternal and Child Health Center

Wuxi Children's Hospital

904 General Hospital

Jiangyin People's Hospital

Jiangyin Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Yixing People's Hospital

Yixing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Sports

The Wuxi Sports Center opened in October 1994 and has a capacity of 30,000. It hosts the Wuxi Classic, a snooker event which attracted the biggest names in snooker. Wuxi City Sports Park Stadium hosted the 2017 ITTF Asian-Championships (Ping Pong), and the 2019 World Cup in snooker in June 2019. Major League Baseball based its main Chinese recruitment center in Wuxi since 2009 in Wuxi Development Center at Dongbeitang High School. There Major League Baseball scouts recruit the best players in China in the hopes that they will eventually play professional baseball in America.

Due to the aging of the Wuxi New Sports Center and other reasons, the Wuxi Olympic Sports Center project will officially open in 2026. The facility covers approximately 56.7 hectares, with a total construction area of approximately 467,000 square meters and a total investment of approximately 6.9 billion yuan. It is planned to include a 60,000-seat stadium, an 18,000-seat gymnasium, a 2,000-seat swimming pool, and a public fitness center, and will be built to Class A stadium standards, capable of hosting large-scale national comprehensive sports events. In addition to the stadium and gymnasium, a 70,000-square-meter cultural, commercial, sports, and tourism complex, including commercial areas and hotels, will also be constructed.

Landmarks

The city lies in the southern Yangtze River delta on Lake Tai, which is the third largest freshwater lake in China, and a rich resource for tourism in the area with cruises. There are 72 peninsulas and peaks and 48 islets, including Yuantouzhu (the Islet of Turtlehead) and Taihu Xiandao (Islands of the Deities).

Parks and gardens

Wuxi has many private gardens or parks built by learned scholars and illustrious people in the past. Lihu Park in Binhu District was built in 1927 and named after the politician and economist Fan Li. The Star of Taihu Lake is noted for its water Ferris wheel. The gardens contains a long embankment with willow trees and a path beside the lake with numerous small bridges and pavilions. On the southwest bank of the lake at the foot of Junzhang Hill is Changguangxi Wetland Park, a 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) stretch of canal connecting Lihu Lake to the north and Taihu Lake to the south. It contains the Shitang Bridge and a lotus pond. Also in Binhu District is Wuxi Zoo and Taihu Lake Amusement Park, an AAAA national landmark with over 1000 animals including Asian elephant, leopard, chimpanzee, giant panda and white rhinoceros and an ecology and science exhibition and recreation area.

The 30 hectare (74 acres) Mt. Lingshan Grand Buddha Scenic Area on the southwest tip of Wuxi contains the 88 meters (289 ft) tall Grand Buddha at Ling Shan, the world's largest bronze Buddha statue. The Mt Lingshan area also contains the Brahma Palace, Xiangfu Temple, Five Mudra Mandala, Nine Dragons Bathing Sakyamuni (a 7.2 meters (24 ft) statue of Sakyamuni), and numerous other Buddhist sites. Xihui Park, established in 1958 at the foot of Xi Shan to the west of the city, contains Jichang Garden and the Dragon Light Pagoda.

Museums

Wuxi Museum was formally opened on 1 October 2008 following a merger of the Wuxi Revolution Museum, Wuxi Museum and Wuxi Science Museum. Covering over 71,000 square meters (760,000 sq ft) and an exhibition area of 24,100 square meters (259,000 sq ft) it is the largest public cultural building in Wuxi, with 600,000 visitors annually as of 2019. The museum also administers the Chinese National Industry and Commerce Museum of Wuxi, Chengji Art Museum, Zhou Huaimin Painting Museum, Zhang Wentian Former Residence and Wuxi Ancient Stone Inscriptions Museum. Wuxi Art Museum, known as the Wuxi Painting and Calligraphy Institute before the rename in 2011, was established on 7 December 1979 in Chong'an district. The current facility has a space of 1,135 meters (3,724 ft).

Hongshan Archaeological Museum in Wuxi New District opened in 2008 and houses artifacts related to the local Wu culture between 770 and 221 BC. The items, which include miniature jade engravings and objects related to burial and musical customs, were unearthed at Hongshan Tomb Complex in 2004.

The Helv City Ruins is an extremely precious historical and cultural heritage in Wuxi City, and it is the capital of Helu, one of the Five Hegemons in the Spring and Autumn Period. The city was built in the first year of Helu (the sixth year of King Jing of Zhou, 514 BC), more than 2,500 years ago.

As early as 1956, the Helu City site was named a provincial cultural relic protection unit by the Jiangsu Provincial Government. At the national expert demonstration meeting held in 2008, the site was identified as the capital of King Helu of Wu, and was named one of the "Top Ten New Archaeological Discoveries in China in 2008". In 2011, it was selected as a "Jiangsu Grand Site". In March 2013, it was named the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council. In December of the same year, it was selected into the National Archaeological Site Park Project List announced by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

The Former Residence of Xue Fucheng at No. 152 Xueqian Street in Chong'an district, is the former home of Zue Fencheng, a noted diplomat of the late Qing dynasty and is open to the public.

In addition, Wuxi also has the famous Wuxi Grand Theater and Sunac Taihu Show. In December 2023, the Wuxi International Convention Center opened; in 2026, the Wuxi Concert Hall and Art Museum also began to provide cultural services to residents.

Notable people

An Guo, printer and collector of antiques (1481–1534)

Ni Zan, painter (1301–1374)

Xue Fucheng, diplomat (1838–1894)

Gu Deng, mathematician and politician (1882–1947?)

Chen Chi (1912–2005), painter

Hua Yanjun (1893–1950), musician

Liu Tianhua, folk musician (1895–1932)

Yang Ling-fu, artist (1889–1978)

Zhou Peiyuan (1902–1993), theoretical physicist

Zhang Xu, telecommunications engineer (1913–2015)

Zhou Yongkang (b. 1942), politician

Zou Jiayi (b. 1963), politician and economist

Qian Zhongshu, 20th century Chinese literary scholar and writer (1910–1998)

Qian Weichang, physicist, applied mathematician and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (1910–1998)

Marie Lu (b. 1984), novelist, author of Legend series

Feng Jialiang (born 1966), artist

Zhang Linghe (born 1997), actor

Sister cities

Asia

Akashi, Hyogo, Japan: since 29 August 1981

Sagamihara City, Japan: since 6 October 1985

Gimhae, South Korea: since 24 October 2006

Puerto Princesa City, Philippines: since 30 October 2007

Sihanoukville, Cambodia: since 29 July 2009

Ulsan, South Korea: since 20 January 2014

Tiberias, Israel: since 22 July 2015

Europe

Cascais, Portugal: since 14 September 1993

Vicenza, Italy: since 25 January 2006

Leverkusen, Germany: since 27 April 2006

Bocholt, Germany: since October, 2003

Nimes, France: since 5 April 2007

Södertälje, Sweden: since 8 October 2007

Kortrijk, Belgium: since 30 October 2007

Bycirklen, Denmark: since 22 August 2008

Chelmsford, United Kingdom: since 19 November 2009

's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands: since 10 February 2010

Lahti, Finland: since 7 November 2011

Patras, Greece: since 24 December 2012

Zielona Góra, Poland: since 7 January 2014

America

Chattanooga, United States: since 12 October 1982

Fredericton, Canada: since 22 November 2010

Sorocaba, Brazil: since 18 December 2010

San Antonio, United States: since 16 February 2012

Puebla, Mexico: since 25 December 2014

Oceania

Hamilton, New Zealand: since 5 July 1986

Frankston, Australia: since 8 November 2012

Africa

Fez, Morocco: since 29 June 2010