Wuxi
Encyclopedia : W : WU : WUX : Wuxi
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| Administration Type | Prefecture-level city | ||||||
| City Seat | (}; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; former spellings: Wu-hsi, Wuhsi, or Wusih; lit. "Without Tin") is an old industrial 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.
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AdministrationThe prefecture-level city of Wuxi administers 8 county-level divisions, including 6 districts and 2 county-level cities.
GeographyThe city plan, as is typical of many older Chinese cities, is of a central city with a roughly circular plan, crisscrossed with older canals, the main canal still seeing heavy barge traffic. Wuxi itself is on an alluvial plain of deep sedimentary deposits cut between limestone foothills, making it one of the sources for "scholar's rocks", the intricately weathered stones which were used as devices for contemplation. Wuxi ranges from a very hot summer to a chilly winter, having an average annual temperature of 18 °C, though it seldom sees snow. Because of its proximity to the East China Sea, it is has a monsoon season and receives 100 cm of rain annually. HistoryWuxi was founded 3,000 years ago by two fugitive princes from northern China, who called the area Mei. Because of the tin deposits that were utilized nearby, the town became known as Youxi ('Has Tin'). When the tin ran out in 25 AD, it got its present name. Despite its location on the Grand Canal, Wuxi did not prosper as much as neighbouring cities. Only in the 20th century, Wuxi became a center of the silk industry, when Shanghai investors and foreign technicians came to the area. After the communist takeover in 1949, Wuxi continued to grow in importance, with the establishment of more textile production and both light and heavy industry. EconomyCurrently Wuxi is designated an investment grade city, and has two large industrial parks devoted to new industry. While current manufacturing centers on textiles, there is a project to move to electric motor manufacturing and MRP software development. According to most recent figures (2002) from the local government, 24% of economic activity is textile trade, and another 25% is industrial based manufacturing, including motors, molds and casting, with another 8% being light industry. The GDP per capita was ¥52,825 (ca. US$6,382) in 2004, ranked no.9 among all 659 Chinese cities, and ranked no.2 in Jiangsu Province, less than Suzhou but more than the capital city Nanjing. The center of the city is filled with modern high rise buildings and the market is being redeveloped in a postmodern style. CultureWuxi was originally a mining town, which, legend has it, exhausted its tin deposits, hence its name, which in Chinese literally means "tinless". It subsequently became an arts and cultural center, with several famous Chinese authors claiming Wuxi as their home town. Among them, most recently, Qian Zhongshu, author of Fortress Besieged a comedy of manners set in China in the 1930s. One of the handicraft specialties of Wuxi is the production of Huishan clay figurines. FoodWuxi is famous for its Wuxi-style spareribs and sweetend pork mini buns. FolkloreThe nine peaks of Huishan, in Xihui Park on the western outskirts of Wuxi, are said to be the sleeping sons of the legendary Dragon King. The cleverness of Wuxi natives is legendary. A popular joke is that "they can sell you meat that is really bones and they sell you dumplings that are just air inside", i.e. Wuxi pork ribs and Wuxi fried tofu dumplings, which are hollow. Wuxi people joke about their neighbors in Changzhou: "Wuxi smart - Changzhou stubborn". TourismWuxi is a tourist spot in the Lower Yangtze Delta. It has both natural and man-made places of interest. Natural
Lake Tai: the city was built on its shore. Naturally the lake becomes a rich tourism resource.
Famous spots include Yuantou Zhu (the Islet of Turtlehead), Taihu Xiandao (Islands of the Deities).
Xi Shan, Huishan: Literally means "Mountain of Tin" and "Mountain of Kindheartedness". They are two small hills located at the western part of the city.
The Great Canal: it passes the city. There are two canals: one is the old canal that has been there ever since it was dug, the other is the new canal dug after the year 1949. Manmade ParksWuxi is famous for the many private gardens or parks built by learned scholars and rich people in the past. Among them, Li Yuan, Mei Yuan are good examples that have been well preserved. Xihui Gongyuan (Xihui Park), located at the foot of Xi Shan also houses historical relics.Notable people
Sister citiesWuxi is twinned with six cities around the world.
See alsoExternal links
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