Yancheng

Yancheng, formerly known as Yandu, 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 Taizhou to the southwest, Nantong to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the east. Formerly a county, the current Yancheng city was founded on January 18, 1983.

Yancheng, literally "Salt City", is named after the salt harvest fields surrounding 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 (盐渎县). According to the 2020 census, Yancheng has a registered population of 6,709,629, with 1,733,591 inhabitants in its built up area comprising the districts of Tinghu and Yandu.

Administration
The prefecture-level city of Yancheng administers 9 county-level divisions, including 3 districts, 1 county-level city and 5 counties. The population information here presented uses 2010 census data of permanent residents.

History
Yancheng has a history of 2,100 years since the first canton was founded here in the Han dynasty at the year 119 BC. It was named for the salt reserves in rivers around the area, its name literally meaning "Salt City". In later years, the city was the home of Fan Zhongyan, the 12th century statesman and Shi Nai'an, the reputed author of famous novels.

Yancheng was in the limelight during the Chinese Civil War from the 1930s to 1940s. The New Fourth Army led by the Chinese Communist Party was reestablished in Yancheng after being ambushed and battered by the enemy. After the revival, the Army played a very important role in the war and finally the foundation of the People's Republic of China. Many monuments in honor of these heroes can still be found around Yancheng.

Chenjiagang Chemical Industry Park explosions
A major fire and explosion accident happened in March 2019, killing 78 people and severely injuring at least 94. Around 640 people required hospital treatment and were taken to 16 hospitals. The facility—located in Yancheng's industrial park—was operated by Tianjiayi Chemical (江苏天嘉宜化工有限公司), and was used to produce fertilizer or pesticides. Tianjiayi Chemical had previously been penalized six times for infractions of pollution and waste management laws, and China Daily reported fines over safety issues. According to the South China Morning Post, this plant paid bribes, paid journalists and local officials so this chemical plant could remain open without any negative publicity or reasons to shut down.

On 27 November 2007, an explosion occurred in one of the chemical factories in Chenjiagang Chemical Zone (陈家港生态化工园区), with seven killed and around 50 injured. On 23 November 2010, more than thirty were poisoned by a toxic gas release. In the early morning of 11 February 2011, rumors of toxic chemical release and potential imminent explosions in the Chenjiagang Chemical Industry Park led over ten thousand residents to evacuate in panic from the towns of Chenjiagang and Shuanggang (双港镇) during which four people died and many were injured. On the afternoon of May 18 and again on July 26 in 2011, there were explosions at local factories.

Geography
Yancheng occupies roughly 582 km of coastline, more than half of the whole province. By the end of the Mesolithic period, the marine transgressions changed almost of the area into a shallow bay. Continued deposition of silt carried by the Yangtze River and the Huai River extend its coast to the east gradually. Since 1128, the course of the Yellow River have changed to join up with the Huai River. The change has accelerated.

Climate
Typical of northern and central Jiangsu, Yancheng has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa/Cwa), strongly influenced by the East Asian Monsoon. The normal monthly mean temperature ranges from 1.7 °C in January to 26.9 °C in July, with the annual mean at 14.68 °C. A majority of the mean annual precipitation of 1002 mm is distributed in June thru August.

Expressways

 * G15 Shenyang–Haikou Expressway
 * G15 15 Yancheng–Jingjiang Expressway
 * G15 16 Yancheng–Luoyang Expressway

National Highway

 * China National Highway 204

Railway
Xinyi-Changxing Railway runs through the city.

Buses
The BRT system of Yancheng uses a dedicated bus lane on a 16 km route and as of 2010 carries 33,000 passengers per day. The first line went into service in 2010.

The Yancheng District SRT Line 1 began testing in March 2021 and officially opened for trial operation on 16 April 2021 with a 17-station, 13 km route. The line uses the Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit system with four-segment 320 passenger guided vehicles. During the trial operation, the B3 line of Yancheng City Public Transport Company will run on the same line as the SRT.

Air
Yancheng Nanyang International Airport now flies directly to Shanghai and Beijing, as well as flying directly to Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and so on.

Universities and colleges

 * Yancheng Institute of Technology
 * Yancheng Teachers University

High schools

 * Jiangsu Yancheng Wuyou Senior High School
 * Jiangsu Yancheng Middle School
 * Jiangsu Yancheng Jingshan Middle School
 * Tinghu High School of Jiangsu Province
 * Jiangsu Funing Middle School
 * Jiangsu Yancheng NO.1 Middle school

Tourism
Outdoor activities include the Yangcheng wetlands and salt marshes, home of some unique and endangered species, including Père David's deer and the red-crowned crane. There is also a famous food street in east road springing up in recent years in which there are many restaurants in the style of Huizhou architecture.

Notable people

 * Lu Xiufu
 * Qiao Guanhua
 * Hu Qiaomu
 * Hau Pei-tsun
 * Taylor Wang
 * Wei Yi
 * Luo Xiaojuan
 * Xu Sihai – purple tea pot expert and curator
 * Yang Chaoyue

Twin cities
Yancheng is twinned with the following domestic and foreign cities.

Domestic

 * Turpan, Xinjiang
 * Taiyuan, Shanxi
 * Yanbei Prefecture, Shanxi
 * Qinzhou, Guangxi
 * Wuxi, Jiangsu
 * Xicheng District, Beijing
 * Zhuhai, Guangdong
 * Qinhuangdao, Hebei
 * Jilin, Jilin
 * Yan'an, Shaanxi
 * Yangjia, Shanxi
 * Haikou, Hainan
 * Dachuan, Sichuan
 * Changning District, Shanghai
 * Lhasa, Tibet
 * Dandong, Liaoning
 * Xuhui District, Shanghai

International

 * 🇮🇹 Chieti, Italy (1992)
 * Namwon, South Korea (1998)
 * Deva, Romania (1998)
 * 🇯🇵 Kashima, Japan (2002)
 * 🇺🇸 San Diego, United States (2003)
 * Čakovec, Croatia (2022)

Formal paper to be signed

 * Hagen, Germany
 * St. Petersburg, Russia
 * Brescia, Italy

In addition, the county-level city of Dafeng, administered by Yancheng, is also twinned with Ascoli Piceno, Italy (September 2001) and Guri, South Korea (February 20, 2003) respectively.