Danyang () is a
county-level city
A county-level municipality (), county-level city or county city, formerly known as prefecture-controlled city (1949–1970: ; 1970–1983: ), is a county-level administrative division of the People's Republic of China. County-level ...
located on the southwest (right) bank of the
Yangtze River
The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest list of rivers of Asia, river in Asia, the list of rivers by length, third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in th ...
, and is under the administration of
Zhenjiang
Zhenjiang, alternately romanized as Chinkiang, is a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu Province, China. It lies on the southern bank of the Yangtze River near its intersection with the Grand Canal. It is opposite Yangzhou (to its north) and ...
,
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its ca ...
province, China. It is noted for the production of optical lenses used in sunglasses and eyeglasses. Danyang has a total area of and a population of roughly 890,000. Danyang locals speak a dialect of
Wu Chinese
The Wu languages (; Wu romanization and IPA: ''wu6 gniu6'' [] ( Shanghainese), ''ng2 gniu6'' [] (Suzhounese), Mandarin pinyin and IPA: ''Wúyǔ'' []) is a major group of Sinitic languages spoken primarily in Shanghai, Zhejiang, Zhejiang Provin ...
, and the city is on the linguistic borderline between Wu Chinese and
Jianghuai Mandarin
Lower Yangtze Mandarin () is one of the most divergent and least mutually-intelligible of the Mandarin languages, as it neighbours the Wu, Hui, and Gan groups of Sinitic languages. It is also known as Jiang–Huai Mandarin (), named after th ...
.
History
During the period of the four
Southern Dynasties
The Northern and Southern dynasties () was a period of political division in the history of China that lasted from 420 to 589, following the tumultuous era of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Eastern Jin dynasty. It is sometimes considered as ...
(Nan Chao) from 420 to 589 A.D. when China's national capital was in
Jiankang (modern
Nanjing
Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
), Danyang was the hometown of the emperors of the
Southern Qi (479-502) and
Liang Dynasties (502-557), who were buried in the countryside outside the city. Today 11 of these Southern Dynasties imperial tombs can still be found to the east and northeast of the city. They are notable for their unique stone statues of mythical animals marking the sacred way (shen dao) leading to each imperial tomb.
Administrative divisions
In the present, Danyang City has 13 towns and 1 other.
;13 towns
;1 Other
*
Danyang Economic and Technological Development Zone ()
Climate
Economy
As one of the key cities in the
Yangtze River Delta
The Yangtze Delta or Yangtze River Delta (YRD, or simply ) is a triangle-shaped megalopolis generally comprising the Wu Chinese-speaking areas of Shanghai, southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang. The area lies in the heart of the Jiangnan reg ...
open to foreign trade, Danyang has shown strong economic and standard-of-living growth since 2000. In 2007, the GDP and per capita GDP of Danyang reached 35.7 billion yuan (US$4.7 billion) and 44,242 yuan (US$6,061) respectively. Danyang's economy was 16th in a 2010 ranking of China's top county-level cities.
Businesses from 32 countries and regions have invested in Danyang with accumulated paid-in capital of US$1 billion. As a developing city within the
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
economic sphere of influence, Danyang has attracted domestic and foreign businesses. The main industries in Danyang are prescription eyewear, tools and hardware, and automobile parts.
Spectacles City
''The Spectacles City'', located in Danyang, is one of the largest eyeglass merchandise centers in China. Built in 1986, the market center's construction occurred in three phases. It subsequently merged with the Huayang Spectacles and Yunyang Spectacles markets. It covers an area of over 344,445 square feet (32,000 square meters).
Education
Schools
*
Jiangsu Danyang Senior High School
Transport
*
China National Highway 312
China National Highway 312 (312国道), also referred to as Route 312 or The Mother Road, is a key east-west route beginning in Shanghai and ending at Khorgas, Xinjiang in the Ili River valley, on the border with Kazakhstan. In total it spans ...
Railway stations
There are three railway stations in Danyang:
*
Danyang Railway Station, actually two separate, adjacent, but unconnected stations. The old station is served by regular trains on the
Huning Railway. The new station is served by
high-speed trains
High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...
on the
Huning Intercity High-Speed Railway (between Nanjing and Shanghai).
*
Danyang North Railway Station
The Danyang North railway station (Simplified Chinese: 丹阳北站) is a high-speed railway station in Danyang, Jiangsu, China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of ...
, north of the city, which is served by high-speed trains on the
Jinghu High-Speed Railway
Jinghu may refer to:
* Jinghu (instrument) (京胡), Chinese bowed string instrument in the ''huqin'' family
Places
*Jinghu District (镜湖区), a district in Wuhu, Anhui, China
*Jinghu Subdistrict (镜湖街道), a subdistrict in Ningjiang Dist ...
(between Shanghai and
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
). Danyang North station is at the beginning of the
Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge
The Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge () is a viaduct on the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway. It is the longest bridge in the world.
Bridge
The bridge is located on the rail line between Shanghai and Nanjing in Jiangsu province. It is in ...
, currently
the longest bridge in the world.
The high-speed trains (typically, listed in schedules as
G-series or D-series trains) take about an hour and a half
to get to
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
and about 30 minutes to get to
Nanjing
Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
, the provincial capital. Direct service to Beijing from Danyang North Station takes about 4 hours and 30 minutes.
Local food
Danyang is known for its
barley gruel and
huangjiu
''Huangjiu'' (), meaning yellow wine, is a Chinese alcoholic beverage, and is most popular in the Jiangnan area. ''Huangjiu'' is brewed by mixing boiled grains including rice, glutinous rice or millet with qū as starter culture, followed by ...
(yellow wine), which has traditional medicinal properties.
References
External links
Government website of DanyangDanyang City English guide(Jiangsu.NET)
{{authority control
Cities in Jiangsu
County-level divisions of Jiangsu
Zhenjiang