Qidong 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 Administrative divisions of China#County level (3rd), county-level administrative divi ...
under the administration of the
prefecture-level city
A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure.
During the Republican era, many of China' ...
of
Nantong
Nantong (; alternate names: Nan-t'ung, Nantung, Tongzhou, or Tungchow; Qihai dialect: ) is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Jiangsu province of China, province, China. Located on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, near the river mouth. ...
in southeastern
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
province, China. It is located on the north side 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 ...
opposite
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 flow ...
and forms a peninsula jutting out into the
East China Sea
The East China Sea is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. It covers an area of roughly . The sea’s northern extension between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula is the Yellow Sea, separated b ...
. It has a population of 1.12 million.
![Qidong_night_view](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Qidong_night_view.jpg)
The center of the city is named Huilong Township. It also has a well-known fishing port called Lüsi town, named after
Lü Dongbin
Lü Dongbin (796 CE – 1016 CE) is a legendary Chinese scholar and poet said to have lived during the Tang Dynasty. Whether he actually lived the two hundred and twenty years cannot be determined. Elevated to the status of an immortal in the C ...
, one of the eight immortals, who is said to have visited the place four times. Qidong's
Qilong township
Qilong is a township of Qidong in eastern Jiangsu province. The land it occupies was formerly Yonglongsha, a separate island in the Yangtze River delta, but reclamation projects and natural deposition of sediment have joined it to Chongming Isl ...
was formerly a separate island in the Yangtze called
Yonglongsha
Yonglongsha, sometimes translated as the Yonglong Shoal or Yonglong Sands, was a former island in the north channel of the Yangtze River above Chongming in eastern China. It was also known as Yongfengsha and Hefengsha.Office of Shanghai Chronicl ...
but now forms a
pene-enclave
An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
on
Chongming Island
Chongming, formerly known as Chungming, is an alluvial island at the mouth of the Yangtze River in eastern China covering as of 2010. Together with the islands Changxing and Hengsha, it forms Chongming District, the northernmost area of the pr ...
, most of which belongs 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 flow ...
.
History
![Txu-oclc-10552568-ni51-14](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Txu-oclc-10552568-ni51-14.jpg)
The area of present-day Qidong was part of the
East China Sea
The East China Sea is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. It covers an area of roughly . The sea’s northern extension between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula is the Yellow Sea, separated b ...
until the
Han dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
, when
deposition from 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 ...
began to form islands, notably including
Dongbuzhou (
t ,
s ,
p ''Dōngbùzhōu'') at the site of present-day Lüsi.
In the
Tang Dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
, prisoners were sent to Qidong and worked on salt production.
During the
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen conc ...
, the first official government, called Lüsi chang, was established.
During the transition period of the
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...
and
Qing Dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
, the Yangtze River's main waterway moved northward and resulted in a large area of land loss in Lüsi chang. Lüsi chang was merged into
Tongzhou.
Increasing sediment accumulation bordered Qidong with the
mainland
Mainland is defined as "relating to or forming the main part of a country or continent, not including the islands around it egardless of status under territorial jurisdiction by an entity" The term is often politically, economically and/or dem ...
during the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
.
In the first year of the
Republic of China
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...
,
Tongzhou was renamed to
Nantong
Nantong (; alternate names: Nan-t'ung, Nantung, Tongzhou, or Tungchow; Qihai dialect: ) is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Jiangsu province of China, province, China. Located on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, near the river mouth. ...
. Later, Qidong was governed by
Nantong
Nantong (; alternate names: Nan-t'ung, Nantung, Tongzhou, or Tungchow; Qihai dialect: ) is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Jiangsu province of China, province, China. Located on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, near the river mouth. ...
,
Haimen
Haimen (, Qihai dialect: , Shanghai: ) is a district of Nantong, Jiangsu province, with a population of approximately 1 million. It is located at the opposite side of the Yangtze River to Shanghai and is directly north of Chongming Island except ...
, and
Chongming.
On March 1, 1928, Qidong County was established with a population of around 330,000 residents.
By November 1989, significant progress was made in
urbanization
Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It is predominantly t ...
and the
Chinese State Council
The State Council, constitutionally synonymous with the Central People's Government since 1954 (particularly in relation to local governments), is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the pre ...
permitted the promotion of Qidong from a county to 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 Administrative divisions of China#County level (3rd), county-level administrative divi ...
.
At November 16, 2021, there female secondary students committed suicide, the current circumstances of three girls are not certain.
Administrative divisions
In the present, Qidong City has 11 towns and 1 township.
;11 towns
;1 township
*
Qilong ()
Education
Qidong is famous for its high school. Students from middle schools in Qidong usually get higher grades on the
Gao Kao, China's national college entrance examination. Qidong has five public middle schools: Qidong Middle School,
Huilong High School, Dongnan Middle School, Dajiang Middle School, and Lüsi Middle School. Among these schools, Qidong High School is the most prestigious. Qidong High School was established in 1928 and has been one of the best middle schools in Jiangsu province ever since. Over ninety percent of graduates from Qidong Middle School attend first-class universities every year.
Language
People living in Lüsi town (Lusze) speak a different
dialect
The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of Linguistics, linguistic phenomena:
One usage refers to a variety (linguisti ...
—known as the Lüsi () or Tongdong dialect ()—from most other residents, who generally speak Qidong Dialect (). The two dialects are considerably different, and thus they are not
mutually intelligible
In linguistics, mutual intelligibility is a relationship between languages or dialects in which speakers of different but related varieties can readily understand each other without prior familiarity or special effort. It is sometimes used as an ...
. Because most economical, educational, and governmental activities are held in the city capital Huilong, where Qidong Dialect is prevalent, many residents of Lüsi have learned to understand and even speak the majority dialect.
Qidong Dialect is a dialect of
Wu Chinese
The Wu languages (; Romanization of Wu Chinese, Wu romanization and Romanization of Wu Chinese#IPA, IPA: ''wu6 gniu6'' [] (Shanghainese), ''ng2 gniu6'' [] (Suzhounese), Mandarin pinyin and IPA: ''Wúyǔ'' []) is a major group of Sinitic languag ...
. Some people consider it similar to Shanghainese, also a dialect of Wu Chinese. It is almost the same as
the dialect spoken in Chongming District, which is under the administration of Shanghai.
Both of the two dialects belong to the Northern Wu. However, because of cultural differences between the two places, there still exist non-intelligible usage mostly in vocabulary.
Infrastructure
Qidong Grand Theater: Qidong Grand Theater is located on the east side of Jianghai South Road and both sides of Qiantang River Road. It has a 1200-seat grand theater and a 408-seat small theater. The stage process design and mechanical equipment configuration of the grand theater can meet the requirements of various large-scale operas, dances, ballets, concerts, large-scale comprehensive literary and artistic performances while taking into account the conference function. The small theater can meet the needs of various purposes, such as small art performances, small drama performances, conferences, and so on.
Ningqi Railway: The railway is 365 km long, connecting
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 ...
to Qidong. It connects the
Xinchang Railway and
Ningxi Railway, and strengthen the cargo transportation capacity between East China and West China.
Qidong railway station has passenger services.
Chongqi Bridge:
Chongqi Bridge is a river crossing channel connecting China to Shanghai and Jiangsu Province, located at 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 ...
estuary. It was completed in 2011.
Chongqi Bridge links Qidong with
Chongming County
Chongming District () is northernmost district of the provincial-level municipality of Shanghai. Chongming consists of three low-lying inhabited alluvial islands at the mouth of the Yangtze north of the Shanghai peninsula: Chongming, Changxi ...
and also downtown Shanghai, reducing the driving time from three hours to one hour. Qidong can be reached from
Shanghai Pudong Airport
Shanghai Pudong International Airport is one of two international airports serving Shanghai and a major aviation hub of East Asia. Pudong Airport serves both international flights and a smaller number of domestic fights, while the city's othe ...
within 45 minutes without traffic congestion.
Yuan Tuo Corner: It is China's largest freshwater wetland reserve. 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 ...
entered the sea from here, and the
East China Sea
The East China Sea is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. It covers an area of roughly . The sea’s northern extension between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula is the Yellow Sea, separated b ...
and the
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. It is one of four seas named after common colour terms ...
are also Separate here.
Economy
![Qidong](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Qidong.jpg)
Local industry focuses on pharmaceutical production, computer accessory production, and chemical fertilizer production.
Qidong is an offshore engineering & construction hub hosting companies like COSCO, SINOPACIFIC, Specialty Process Equipment Corporation (SPEC), Shanghai Zhen Hua Heavy Industries (ZPMC) Qidong Marine Engineering Company Limited (formerly DAODA Heavy Industry) and several other heavy industry, shipyard & fabrications facilities.
Major agriculture crops produced in the area include wheat, corn, soybeans, peanuts, yams, and cotton. The climate is suitable for pears, peaches, oranges, and watermelons.
Fishing is a major source of income for some rural residents.
Climate
There are four distinct seasons: spring, summer, fall, and a mild winter. During the summer, monsoon lasts for weeks, and there is plenty of rain.
Notable people
*
Shen Hongbing
Shen Hongbing (; born May 1964) is a Chinese epidemiologist and oncologist, director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and president of Nanjing Medical University from 2014 to 2021.
Biography
Shen was born in Qidong, N ...
*
Chen Yu'ao
Chen Yu'ao (; born April 1981) is a Chinese physicist and a professor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), working on quantum information, quantum communication and quantum simulation.
Chen was born in Qidong, Nantong, J ...
Qidong protest
The
Qidong protest
The Qidong protest was an environmental protest against a proposed waste water pipeline in the Chinese city of Qidong province. The protest took place on 28 July 2012. The pipeline, which would have dumped industrial waste water into the sea, w ...
happened in July 2012. It was a violent environmental protest against an industrial waste pipeline.
NBC News, 28 July 2012
/ref> A Japanese company called Oji Paper Company constructed a paper mill in the city of Nantong
Nantong (; alternate names: Nan-t'ung, Nantung, Tongzhou, or Tungchow; Qihai dialect: ) is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Jiangsu province of China, province, China. Located on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, near the river mouth. ...
, Jiangsu. The wastewater from the factory would be emitted to the coast of Qidong. The rumors said that the Japanese company bribed the mayor, and the wastewater was going to pollute the drinking water of Qidong. In 2012, the Chinese have anti-Japanese sentiment because of the Senkaku Islands dispute
The Senkaku Islands dispute, or Diaoyu Islands dispute, is a territorial dispute over a group of uninhabited islands known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan, the Diaoyu Islands in the People's Republic of China (PRC), and Tiaoyutai Islands in t ...
, and the anti-Japanese demonstrations were breaking out country-wide. About 10,000 Qidong citizens ran out to the street and joined the protest, they crashed the cars and threw stones into the government building. Then approximately 1,000 protestors rushed into government buildings and smashed everything they could see. They also found fine liquors, condoms, and expensive watches in the building. The protest ended after a few days because of government intervention. Riot police
Riot police are police who are organized, deployed, trained or equipped to confront crowds, protests or riots.
Riot police may be regular police who act in the role of riot police in particular situations or they may be separate units organize ...
were called in, and they stopped the demonstration in one day. In the following days, the organizers of the demonstration were arrested.
References
External links
City government official site
English Language Guide to Qidong
(Qidongmap.net)
Qidong City English guide
(Jiangsu.net)
* Ningqin
{{authority control
Cities in Jiangsu
County-level divisions of Jiangsu
Nantong