Lianyungang () is a

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 Chi ...

in northeastern

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 it ...

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

, China. It borders

Yancheng Yancheng () is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. As the city with the largest jurisdictional area in Jiangsu, Yancheng borders Lianyungang to the north, Huai'an to the west, Yangzhou and Tai ...

to its southeast,

Huai'an Huai'an (), formerly called Huaiyin () until 2001, is a prefecture-level city in the central part of Jiangsu province in Eastern China. Huai'an is situated almost directly south of Lianyungang, southeast of Suqian, northwest of Yancheng, a ...

and

Suqian Suqian (, IPA: ) is a prefecture-level city in northern Jiangsu Province, China. It borders Xuzhou to the northwest, Lianyungang to the northeast, Huai'an to the south, and the province of Anhui to the west. History Suqian was said to be the s ...

to its south,

Xuzhou Xuzhou (徐州), also known as Pengcheng (彭城) in ancient times, is a major city in northwestern Jiangsu province, China. The city, with a recorded population of 9,083,790 at the 2020 census (3,135,660 of which lived in the built-up area ma ...

to its southwest, and the province of

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in His ...

to its north. Its name derives from

Lian Island Lian Island () is the largest island in Lianyun District, Lianyungang, Jiangsu, China. The island is located inside Haizhou Bay in the Yellow Sea. It is long from east to west across the island and it has an area of . 80% of the island is cover ...

, the largest island in Jiangsu which lies off its coastline, and Yuntai Mountain, the highest peak in Jiangsu, a few miles from the city center, and the fact that it is a port. The name can be literally translated as the Port Connecting the Clouds. Lianyungang was home to 4,599,360 inhabitants as of the 2020 census whom 1,210,767 lived in the built-up (''or metro'') area made of Haizhou and Lianyun counties. Lianyungang was known in the West as Haichow (Postal romanization), which means the City of Sea. Haichow was opened to foreign trade by the Qing imperial government in 1905.

Geography

Lianyungang is between 118°24' and 119°48' east longitude and 34°11' and 35°07' north latitude. Lianyungang covers an area of .

Administration

The

of Lianyungang administers six county-level divisions, including three

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

and three

counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Economy

Lianyungang is one of the first 14 Chinese coastal cities opening to the outside world and a rising center of industry, foreign trade, and tourism in east China. It is the eastern terminus of the New Eurasian Land Bridge and the proposed Northern East West Freight Corridor. The New Eurasia Continental Landbridge continue by land, connecting Lianyungang with over 40 countries and regions in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...

and the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

by railway networks. The Lianyun-Port, in the center of the coast, links eastern sea routes with western land routes.

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

in the east can be reached economically and conveniently from Lianyungang. Near the port, the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant is one of the biggest nuclear power plants in China, with two operational units and six more planned. Lianyungang is also rich in mineral resources.

Donghai County Donghai County () is under the administration of Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, China. It borders the prefecture-level cities of Linyi (Shandong) to the north and Xuzhou to the west. The county has 300 million tons of quartz and 300,000 tons of r ...

has 70% of the national reserve of natural crystal, and is manufacturing 80% of China’s crystal products. The

Chinese government The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, m ...

has stated its intention to build an economic belt along the New Eurasia Continental Landbridge in "the Ninth Five-Year Plan of the National Economy and Social Development and the Long-range Goal for the Year 2010." On "China's 21st Century Agenda", Lianyungang is to be developed into an international seaport linking countries on the Pacific rim with those in Central Asia. In the "National Ocean Development Plan" it is listed as one of three special development zones. Lianyungang Economic & Technological Development Zone was approved by the State Council as one of the first batch of state-level development zones in December 1984. It is in the eastern new seashore urban area of Liangyungang City. The distance to the nearest airport, Liangyungang Airport is and the distance to the nearest highway G310 is . Lianyungang port is . On July 18, 2019, began a construction on a large petrochemical storage dock in the Xuwei area of the port of Lianyungang.

Climate

The temperature in Lianyungang can reach average highs of 30 °C in the summer and drop to as low as −4 °C in the winter. Lianyungang’s climate is classified by Köppen and Geiger as

Cwa CWA or Cwa may refer to: Organisations * CWA Constructions, a Swiss manufacturer of gondolas and people mover cabins, a division of Doppelmayr Garaventa Group * Catch Wrestling Association, a former German professional wrestling promotion * Contin ...

(humid subtropical climate with dry winters). The vast majority of precipitation occurs between June and August, where it can measure up to 278mm of rainfall on average. Winter precipitation is quite low, making snowfall rare and short-lived.

Tourism

Lian Island Resort

One of the most popular tourist attractions in Lianyungang and the only AAAA-Class beachfront in Jiangsu Province,

() is a beautiful island connected to Lianyun District by a sea dyke, the longest in China. There are two main beach and swimming areas, several places to eat, as well as hotels. Lian Island is home to an annual music extravaganza featuring some of China's most famous pop stars.

Huaguo Mountain

Lianyungang is famous for its "Huaguo Shan, Shuilian Dong" () attraction. Shuiliandong literally means the "Water Curtain Hole," since, according to legend, the hole was hidden behind a waterfall, therefore resembling a "curtain of water." The hole is famous because according to legend it is the home of

Sun Wukong The Monkey King, also known as Sun Wukong ( zh, t=孫悟空, s=孙悟空, first=t) in Mandarin Chinese, is a legendary mythical figure best known as one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel '' Journey to the West'' ( zh, ...

, commonly known as the Monkey King from the epic novel ''

Journey to the West ''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the greatest Classic Chinese Novels, and has been described as arguably the most popul ...

''. In this hole, underneath the mountain is where he and his monkey subjects lived. After learning Tao, the Monkey King traveled back to the hole so that he and his subjects could eat and play for eternity. Eventually, the

Jade Emperor The Jade Emperor or Yudi ( or , ') in Chinese culture, traditional religions and myth is one of the representations of the first god ( '). In Daoist theology he is the assistant of Yuanshi Tianzun, who is one of the Three Pure Ones, the th ...

sent heavenly armies to battle him at this spot because of his misdeeds. While the Monkey King story is a work of fiction,

Xuanzang Xuanzang (, ; 602–664), born Chen Hui / Chen Yi (), also known as Hiuen Tsang, was a 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making contributions to Chinese Buddhism, the travelogue of ...

, the monk who he accompanies on the journey of the novel, was based on a historical person.

Transport

A25 at Xugou Shopping Center (20191005075746)

Lianyungang has convenient transport including highway, railway, port and airport. It is one of the 42 major transportation hub cities in China.

Airport

Lianyungang Huaguoshan International Airport, south of downtown Lianyungang, provides scheduled passenger service to dozens of airports in China.

Railway

Lianyungang is the eastern end of the Longhai Railway (formerly the Lunghai Railway), connecting it with

Lanzhou Lanzhou (, ; ) is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. Located on the banks of the Yellow River, it is a key regional transportation hub, connecting areas further west by rail to the eastern half of the country. H ...

in central China. As a major arterial east–west railway in China, it runs from Lianyungang to

Gansu Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibe ...

through the provinces of Jiangsu,

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze Riv ...

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is a ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), N ...

, and Gansu, covering a total length of 1,759 km. Lianyungang-Xuzhou Highspeed Railway, connecting Lianyungang and the important provincial transportation hub of

, is under construction. The length of this railway is and the speed standard is . Qingdao-Yancheng Highspeed Railway, part of China's Coastal High-speed Railway, goes through Lianyungang. The length of this railway is 429 km and the speed standard is 200 km/h. Lianyungang-Nanjing/Zhenjiang Highspeed Railway connects Lianyungang and the provincial capital,

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and t ...

. The length of this railway is and the speed standard is .

Expressway

Lianyungang is the intersection of

G15 Shenyang–Haikou Expressway The Shenyang–Haikou Expressway (), designated as G15 and commonly referred to as the Shenhai Expressway () is an expressway in China that connects the cities of Shenyang, Liaoning, and Haikou, Hainan. When fully complete, it will be in length ...

G25 Changchun–Shenzhen Expressway The Changchun–Shenzhen Expressway (), designated as G25 and commonly referred to as the Changshen Expressway (), is an expressway that connects the cities of Changchun, Jilin, China, and Shenzhen, Guangdong. When complete, it will be in len ...

and

G30 Lianyungang–Khorgas Expressway The Lianyungang–Khorgas Expressway (), designated as G30 and commonly referred to as the Lianhuo Expressway (), is

Port

Lianyungang port is among the 10 largest ports in China and the 30 largest port in the world. The cargo throughput of Lianyungang port is 210 million ton/year (2015). The container throughput is 5 million TEU/year (2015). The port is part of the Maritime

Silk Road The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and rel ...

that runs from the Chinese coast to the south via

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

towards the southern tip of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

, to

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town ...

, then through the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popula ...

to the Mediterranean with its connections to

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

and

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whi ...

.The Maritime Dimension of “One Belt, One Road” in Strategic Perspective
/ref>

Notable people

* Chen Qinggang (born 1966), journalist and newspaper bureau chief * Zhong Huijuan (born 1961), pharmaceutical entrepreneur

References

External links

Government website of Lianyungang

Lianyungang comprehensive guide with open directory
(Jiangsu.NET)

{{Authority control Cities in Jiangsu Prefecture-level divisions of Jiangsu Port cities and towns in China