'Gaoyou' (; lit. "high post (stop)", also called 'Qinyou' (; "
Qín post stop") is a cultural city with a long history in
China's Jiangsu Province, located in the
Yangtze River Delta in the North side of the
Open Economic Development Zone along the
Yangtze River. Population (2000): 150,000, with over 830,000 in its metropolitan area. Area: 1,963 km².
Administration
Gaoyou is a
county-level city under the jurisdiction of
Yangzhou prefecture-level city, in the
Jiangsu Province of the
People's Republic of China.
History
Gaoyou was founded in
223 BC, but recent archaeological finds at the Longqiuzhuang site in Gaoyou has found evidence of rice growing dating back 5,500-7,000 years. In
1375, early in the
Ming Dynasty by the
Hongwu Emperor, a post office was constructed called Yucheng You. At that time, it was one of the 46 important mail posts along the
Grand Canal between
Beijing and
Nanjing. It was in used until the
1911 Revolution.
The profound history and culture of Gaoyou fostered
Qin Shaoyou, the well-known poet in the
Song Dynasty,
Wang Nianshun and
Wang Yinzhi (father and son), the celebrated classics interpreters in the
Qing Dynasty,
Sun Yunzhu, the modern
paleontologist and
Wang Chenqi, the contemporary writer.
Geography
Gaoyou is located at
32°47'N, 119°25'E in the southern part of the
Jianghuai Plain, 40 km north of
Yangzhou on the east shore of
Gaoyou Lake. The
Beijing-Shanghai expressway and the
Grand Canal of China run though the city center from the north to the south.
Climate
The climate of Gaoyou belongs to the subtropical
monsoon marine climate. Gaoyou is temperate and moist and the four seasons are quit distinct.
Geology
Gaoyou is relatively flat with an elevation of 2 to 3
meters. The ground is mostly made up of clay.
Tourism
1.
The Yucheng Post and Museum (in chinese) As postal stop in Qing dysnasty (221 BC). As post station, it was built @ AD 1375. Largest and oldest historic post-office in the world.
picture.
2.
The Wenyou Platform (in chinese):built @ AD 976. To memorize Qin Shaoyou, a well-known poet @ Song Dynasty.
picture.
3.
Longqiu Village (in chinese):7000 year history. Area @ 43,000 m2.
picture.
4.
People's Plaza (AD 2002), Kuixing Pavilion (AD 971, high 20 m, 3 stories) and City Wall (AD 1623),
Jingtusi Pagoda(AD 1612, high 30 m, 7 stories) and
Zhenguosi Pagoda(AD 873-889, high 34 m, 7 stories). ODD number of story is YANG, that means strong, bright and ascending etc, based on the theory of Ying-Yang.
5.
Wang's museum (in chinese):Wang Nianshun (1744-1834,Father) and Wang Yinzhi (1766-1834, son), Masters in Confucian Philosophy and Classic literatures.
picture.
Economy
Gaoyou has a very fast growing economy. It is home to approximately 3,000 industrial enterprises, most of which belong to the following sectors:
machinery, light industry,
textile, mechanical industry, building materials, and
electronics.
Agriculture plays a large part in the overall economy of the region. The well-known feature product is "double yolk duck egg".
See also
★
Gaoyou government in chinese
★
List of administrative divisions of Jiangsu
External link
★
Gaoyou Information Website