Yancheng

Yancheng (Simplified Chinese: 盐城; Traditional Chinese: 鹽城; Pinyin: Yánchéng; lit. "Salt City") is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. The largest city in Jiangsu in terms of physical size, Yancheng borders Lianyungang to the north, Huai'an to the west, Yangzhou and Taizhou to the southwest, Nantong to the south, and looks out to the Yellow Sea to the east.

Yancheng, literally "Salt City", is named after the many sea salt harvest fields around the city. According to historical records, collection and production of sea salt in the region began as early as 119 BC during the Western Han Dynasty, when the settlement on the current location of Yancheng was named Yandu County (盐都县).

Administration

The prefecture-level city of Yancheng administers 9 county-level divisions, including 2 districts, 2 county-level cities and 5 counties.

• Yandu District (盐都区)
• Tinghu District (亭湖区)
• Dongtai City (东台市)
• Dafeng City (大丰市)
• Xiangshui County (响水县)
• Binhai County (滨海县)
• Funing County (阜宁县)
• Jianhu County (建湖县)
• Sheyang County (射阳县)

History

Yancheng has a history of 2,100 years since the first canton was founded here in Han Dynasty at year 119 BC. Yancheng was in the limelight during the Chinese Civil War from the 1930s to 1940s. The New Fourth Army (N4A) led by the Communist Party of China was reestablished in Yancheng after being ambushed and battered by the enemy. After the revival, the N4A played a very important role in the war and finally the foundation of the People's Republic of China. Many monuments in honor of N4A heroes can still be found around Yancheng.

Economy

Yancheng's financial income used to rely heavily on agricultural industry. Recently, Yancheng's economy has been boosted by the automobile industry. The joint venture between local Yueda Corporation and the multinational company Kia has set up car factories in Yancheng. Up to today three models including two saloons and one MPV have been released and the production is going to reach 50,000 units/year soon.

Moreover, the Yueda group is constructing a new production facility in the Western development district of Yancheng. When this facility is complete in late 2007, it will proruce an additional 200,000 units per year.