Yixing
Yixing
宜兴市 Ihing | |
|---|---|
 A park in Yixing | |
  Yixing Location within Jiangsu | |
| Coordinates: 31°21′36″N 119°48′54″E / 31.360°N 119.815°E | |
| Country | China |
| Province | Jiangsu |
| Prefecture-level city | Wuxi |
| Seat | Yicheng Subdistrict |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,996.6 km2 (770.9 sq mi) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 1,075,800 |
| • Density | 538.82/km2 (1,395.5/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
| Postal code | 214200 |
| Area code | 0510 |
| Website | www |
Yixing (simplified Chinese: 宜兴; traditional Chinese: 宜興; pinyin: Yíxīng) is a county-level city administered under the prefecture-level city of Wuxi in southern Jiangsu province, China, and is part of the Yangtze River Delta. The city is known for its traditional Yixing clay ware tea pots. It is a pene-exclave with Changzhou. The city spans an area of 1,996.6 square kilometres (770.9 mi2),[1] and has a registered hukou population of about 1,075,800 as of 2020.[2]
History
[edit]Yangxian County was established no later than the early Han dynasty, with its administrative seat located southwest of modern-day Yixing.[3]
The Zhou clan rose to prominence as a powerful local gentry family during the 3rd and 4th centuries, beginning with Zhou Fang, a distinguished general and administrator of Eastern Wu.[4] His son, Zhou Chu, is prominently featured among the clan members in A New Account of the Tales of the World in connection with the "Eradicating the Three Scourges (除三害)" legendary narrative.
In 276, the last emperor of Eastern Wu, Sun Hao, authorized Zhou Chu to preside over the feng and shan sacrifices at Limo Mountain in the southwest of Yixing—in the emperor's own absence. The mountain was subsequently renamed Mt. Guo (國山). The extant Stele for the Shan Sacrifice on Mt. Guo (Shan Guoshan bei) commemorates the ritual.[5]
The clan's power peaked under the third generation Zhou Qi, who commanded a significant local militia to suppress three major rebellions. In recognition of his military achievements, The imperial court elevated the county to a commandery and renamed it Yixing (义兴; 義興; Yìxìng; 'Prosperous Righteousness'). Nevertheless, the Zhou family's growing military independence alarmed the court, which increasingly viewed their regional dominance as a threat to imperial authority.
Tensions persisted between the Zhou clan and the northern displaced elite in the capital. After Qi's death in 313, his son, Zhou Xie (周勰), attempted an uprising fueled by this historical friction. The plot failed after being exposed by his uncle Zhou Zha (周札), who had been named as the rebellion's leader without his prior consent. Despite this, the emperor Sima Rui remained wary of the clan's military force. Their regional dominance finally ended after 322, when Wang Dun utilized the rival Shen clan of Wuxing to suppress the Zhous and dismantle their authority.[6]
During the period, the Junshan (均山, also known as the Nanshan, 南山) kilns in southern Yixing produced celadon, though the quality was generally inferior to their counterparts in eastern Zhejiang.[7][8] Archaeologists speculate that the decline of local celadon production was a result of the collapse of the Zhou clan's regional dominance.[7]
In 589 CE, under the Sui dynasty, Yixing was re-designated from a commandery back to a county, and was placed under the jurisdiction of Changzhou.[9]
In 976 CE, upon the accession of Emperor Taizong of Song (born Zhao Guangyi), the county was renamed to the similar sounding Yixing (宜兴; 宜興; Yíxìng), due to the naming taboo. The renaming was likely an allusion to a passage in the Doctrine of the Mean: "Righteousness is the accordance of actions with what is right (義者宜也)." [10]
In the late Ming Dynasty, the red stoneware teapots of Yixing (Zisha ware) emerged as the most expensive contemporary ceramics of the period. A single teapot produced by one of the "Three Masters" could command a price between five and six ounces of silver.[11]
During this era, Wu Zhengzhi, a local member of the scholar-official class, acquired the legendary scroll Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains from his fellow jinshi graduate Dong Qichang. Dong pawned the masterpiece to Wu for 1,000 ounces of silver, and Wu subsequently brought the painting back to Yixing in 1634.[11]
In 1633, the abuses and extortion by bondservants (yi-nan, 義男) of powerful gentry, notably the Chen familiy, provoked violent reprisals by peasants in Yixing. The unrest escalated into the looting of estates and the desecration of the Chen ancestral tombs. At court, political opponents cited the incident to attack Grand Secretary Zhou Yanru (周延儒), a native of Yixing and kinsman by marriage of the Chen family, leading to his dismissal. Unrest continued, and in 1634 a second wave of rioting centered on Zhou himself. After suppressing the disturbances, the authorities formally prosecuted the bondservants as the primary instigators.[12][13]
The 1725 administrative reform split the area into Yixing and Jingxi (荆溪; 荊溪; Jīngxī Xiàn) counties; both jurisdictions shared the same walled seat.[9] The Taiping Rebellion devastated two counties, initially triggering a massive influx of migrants from northern Jiangsu during the 1860s. By the late 19th century, the migration pattern shifted to include settlers from Henan, Hubei, and Hunan.[14] By the turn of the 20th century, 74 charity granaries had been established across the two counties.[15] However, land registers were systematically manipulated by local interests: productive acreage was fraudulently categorized as "disaster-affected precincts" (laozaitu, 老災圖) or newly reclaimed wasteland to secure tax exemptions, casting serious doubt on the reliability of official agricultural statistics.[16]
In 1912, the Republican government abolished Jingxi County and merged it back into Yixing County.[9] By the 1920s, the rural population comprised 6% owner-peasants and 8% landlords, while tenant farmers and agricultural laborers accounted for 30% and 56%, respectively.[17] Surveys at the time indicate that fixed rents often exceeded 60% of a tenant's net income.[18] While the land tax in Yixing had remained stable at 0.552 silver dollars per mu throughout the Beiyang era (1912–1926), the sudden Kuomintang imposition of various surtaxes following the Northern Expedition drove the total burden to 1.184 silver dollars per mu in 1927 alone.[19]
The 1927 Yixing Uprising instigated by sparse Communist elements emerged as an "isolated outbreak",[20] within the broader Autumn Harvest movement.[21] On November 1, local organizers mobilized several thousand peasants to capture the county seat and establish a worker-peasant committee. Against a backdrop of escalating surtaxes and rents, the rebels executed five members of the local gentry and killed nine officials. Before Kuomintang forces retook the city two days later, thirty properties were destroyed and assets from three hundred businesses were confiscated.[21][22]
People's Republic of China
[edit]From June 1949 to January 1953, Yixing belonged to Changzhou Prefecture.[9] From January 1953 to February 1956, Yixing belonged to Suzhou Prefecture.[9] Following this, Yixing fell under the jurisdiction of Zhenjiang Prefecture until March 1983.[9] Beginning in March 1983, Yixing County was placed under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Wuxi, which it remains part of today.[9] In January 1988, Yixing County was abolished, and Yixing was reorganized as a county-level city, which it remains today.[9]
Geography
[edit]
Yixing is situated on the western shore of Lake Taihu, with a shoreline extending approximately 43 kilometres (27 mi). The city's terrain varies significantly: the southern and southwestern regions are dominated by low mountains and hilly landscapes, forming part of the Tianmu Mountain range. This area includes Huangtading (黄塔顶), the second-highest peak in Jiangsu Province, reaching an elevation of 611 metres (2,005 ft).[23]
In contrast, the western part of the city consists of embankment-enclosed wetlands. The northwestern and central regions are characterized by fertile alluvial plains. To the north, Yixing is separated from the Wujin District of Changzhou by Lake Ge.
Yixing Proper was flanked by two lakes, Dongjiu to the east and Xijiu to the west, historally.[24] Over time, the eastern portion of Lake Xijiu near the proper evolved into a distinct circular lake named Tuanjiu. Together, they are referred to as the "Sanjiu".[25]
As remnants of Ancient Lake Taihu, the Sanjiu lakes are situated in the lower reaches of the Yili River System. They discharge into Lake Taihu via the Dapukgang and other channels.[26] These water bodies are characterized as flushing lakes (throughflow lakes) with an extremely high water turnover rate.[25] Traditionally classified as seasonal lakes,[26] their water levels exhibited dramatic natural fluctuations.[25]
Starting in the 1960s, extensive hydraulic engineering was conducted for flood control and urban landscaping, which altered the lakes' natural hydrological patterns. Since the 1970s, rapid urbanization and industrial-agricultural expansion led to significant nutrient loading, making the Sanjiu lakes a major source of pollution entering Lake Taihu during that period.[27] Research indicates that massive catchment-wide restoration since 2007 has significantly improved nutrient levels and biological diversity, effectively mitigating these urbanization-driven impacts.[28]
Climate
[edit]| Climate data for Yixing, elevation 16 m (52 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 21.7 (71.1) |
28.0 (82.4) |
31.5 (88.7) |
34.9 (94.8) |
35.5 (95.9) |
37.5 (99.5) |
39.0 (102.2) |
42.2 (108.0) |
37.3 (99.1) |
32.9 (91.2) |
28.0 (82.4) |
23.4 (74.1) |
42.2 (108.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.5 (45.5) |
9.8 (49.6) |
15.7 (60.3) |
21.7 (71.1) |
26.6 (79.9) |
29.0 (84.2) |
33.1 (91.6) |
33.0 (91.4) |
28.3 (82.9) |
23.2 (73.8) |
17.1 (62.8) |
10.3 (50.5) |
21.3 (70.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.1 (37.6) |
5.2 (41.4) |
10.2 (50.4) |
16.1 (61.0) |
21.3 (70.3) |
24.7 (76.5) |
28.5 (83.3) |
28.4 (83.1) |
23.7 (74.7) |
17.9 (64.2) |
11.7 (53.1) |
5.0 (41.0) |
16.3 (61.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.4 (31.3) |
1.5 (34.7) |
5.6 (42.1) |
10.9 (51.6) |
16.7 (62.1) |
21.1 (70.0) |
24.8 (76.6) |
25.0 (77.0) |
20.1 (68.2) |
13.6 (56.5) |
7.4 (45.3) |
0.7 (33.3) |
12.3 (54.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −9.5 (14.9) |
−9.2 (15.4) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
0.1 (32.2) |
7.5 (45.5) |
13.1 (55.6) |
18.1 (64.6) |
18.3 (64.9) |
10.6 (51.1) |
2.3 (36.1) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
−9.7 (14.5) |
−9.7 (14.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 83.0 (3.27) |
76.7 (3.02) |
104.6 (4.12) |
97.2 (3.83) |
114.3 (4.50) |
225.3 (8.87) |
200.6 (7.90) |
178.1 (7.01) |
114.4 (4.50) |
77.7 (3.06) |
66.4 (2.61) |
53.0 (2.09) |
1,391.3 (54.78) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 11.2 | 10.8 | 12.8 | 11.8 | 12.0 | 14.1 | 13.5 | 13.2 | 9.9 | 8.3 | 9.9 | 8.5 | 136 |
| Average snowy days | 3.6 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 7.7 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 78 | 77 | 75 | 73 | 75 | 81 | 80 | 81 | 80 | 79 | 79 | 76 | 78 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 116.2 | 115.2 | 137.8 | 161.5 | 171.5 | 134.8 | 190.5 | 191.1 | 157.6 | 158.3 | 136.4 | 130.5 | 1,801.4 |
| Percentage possible sunshine | 36 | 37 | 37 | 41 | 40 | 32 | 44 | 47 | 43 | 45 | 43 | 42 | 41 |
| Source: China Meteorological Administration[29][30] |
Administrative divisions
[edit]Yixing is divided into 5 subdistricts, 14 towns, and 2 other township-level divisions.[31] These township-level divisions are then further divided into 102 residential communities and 207 administrative villages.[2] The city's government is seated in Yicheng Subdistrict.[2]
Subdistricts
[edit]Yixing administers the following 5 subdistricts:[31]
- Yicheng Subdistrict (宜城街道)
- Fangqiao Subdistrict (芳桥街道)
- Qiting Subdistrict (屺亭街道)
- Xinjie Subdistrict (新街街道)
- Xinzhuang Subdistrict (新庄街道)
Towns
[edit]Yixing administers the following 14 towns:[31]
Other township-level divisions
[edit]Yixing administers the following 2 other township-level divisions:[31]
- Huanke Park (环科园)
- Yixing Economic Development Zone (宜兴经济开发区)
Demographics
[edit]
As of 2020, the city government estimates Yixing's registered hukou population to be 1,075,800 people.[2] Of this, 529,300 residents are male, and 546,500 are female.[2] The city saw 7,038 births in 2020, giving it a birth rate of 6.53‰ (per thousand), and 9,694 deaths, giving it a death rate of 8.99‰.[2] This gave Yixing a rate of natural increase of -2.46‰ in 2020.[2]
The city is home to 42 different ethnic minorities, who comprise a population of about 15,000 (1.39% of Yixing's total population).[2]
Economy
[edit]As of 2020, Yixing has a gross domestic product (GDP) of 183.221 billion renminbi (RMB).[32] This represented a 3% increase from the previous year.[32] The city's per capita disposable income stands as 50,987 RMB, a 5.1% increase from the previous year.[32] This figure stands at 61,090 RMB for urban residents, and 32,430 RMB for rural residents, reflecting a 4.4% and 6.6% increase from the previous year, respectively.[32]
Transportation
[edit]
The city is served by three railway stations: the Yixing railway station,[33] the Yixing North railway station,[34] and the Dingshan railway station.[citation needed] Yixing railway station is located on the Nanjing–Hangzhou high-speed railway, while the latter two are part of the Xinyi–Changxing railway.
In 2020, the Changyi Expressway (常宜高速), a section of the S39 Jiangyi Expressway linking Yixing to Jiangdu District in Yangzhou, was completed.[32] The same year, the Yichang Expressway (宜长高速), a section of the S14/45 Hangchangyi Expressway linking Yixing to Changxing County, Huzhou and Hangzhou in neighboring Zhejiang province, was also completed.[32]
Tourist attractions
[edit]Dongcang Bridge is a historic stone arch bridge in the city.
Notable people
[edit]- Ding Junhui, professional snooker player
- Jiang Fengzhi, musician erhu artist
- Xu Beihong, Chinese painting painter
- the ancestral home of Chiang Kai-shek
- Ge Mingxiang, 18th century potter
- Qian Yingying, artist
References
[edit]- ^ 地理位置 [Geographic Location]. www.yixing.gov.cn (in Chinese). Yixing Municipal People's Government. 2021-08-25. Archived from the original on 2021-10-30. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ^ a b c d e f g h 区划人口 [Divisions and Population]. www.yixing.gov.cn (in Chinese). Yixing Municipal People's Government. 2021-08-25. Archived from the original on 2021-10-30. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ^ Zhou, Zhenhe (2017). 中国行政区划通史-秦汉卷 [General History of Administrative Divisions in China: Volume on Qin and Han Dynasties] (in Chinese). Fudan University Press. ISBN 978-7-309-11161-3.
- ^ De Crespigny, Rafe (1990). Generals of the south: the foundation and early history of the Three Kingdoms state of Wu. Faculty of Asian Studies monographs / The Australian National University. Canberra: Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-7315-0901-0.
- ^ Harrist, Robert E. (2008). The landscape of words: stone inscriptions from early and medieval China. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 235. ISBN 978-0-295-98728-6.
- ^ Dien & Knapp 2019, p. 100.
- ^ a b Jiang, Zanchu (2001). "关于宜兴陶瓷发展史的几个问题" [Several Problems on the Development of Yixing Ceramics]. 长江中下游历史考古论文集 [Treatises on the Archaeology and History of the Middle & Lower Regions of Yangtze River] (in Chinese). Beijing: Science Press. pp. 217–22. ISBN 978-7-03-009510-7.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Dien & Knapp 2019, p. 349, 423.
- ^ a b c d e f g h 建置沿革 [Organizational History]. www.yixing.gov.cn (in Chinese). Yixing Municipal People's Government. 2021-08-25. Archived from the original on 2021-10-30. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ^ 江苏省志·地理志 [Provincial Gazetteer of Jiangsu: Geography] (PDF) (in Chinese). 江苏古籍出版社. 1999. p. 80. ISBN 9787806432662. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2018-08-18.
- ^ a b Clunas, Craig (2004). Superfluous things: material culture and social status in early modern China. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. pp. 116–40. ISBN 978-0-8248-2820-2.
- ^ Roberts, A. D. S. (1987). "Civil Disturbance in I-hsing in 1633". Ming Studies. 1987 (1): 58–72. doi:10.1179/014703787788760601.
- ^ Sakai, Tadao (2012). 増補 中国善書の研究 (上) [Research on Chinese Morality Books, Enlarged Edition (Vol. 1)] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Kokusho Kankokai. p. 126. ISBN 978-4-336-05496-8.
- ^ Ge, Qinghua (2002). 近代苏浙皖交界地区人口迁移研究 (1853–1911) [Research on Population Migration in the Border Areas of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui in Modern Times (1853–1911)] (in Chinese). Shanghai: Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Press. p. 102. ISBN 978-7-80618-972-6.
- ^ Wu, Tao (2024). 农政与财政：明清社会经济 [Agricultural Administration and Finance: Ming and Qing Social Economy] (in Chinese). Beijing: Zhonghua Book Company. ISBN 978-7-101-16324-7.
- ^ Ocko, Jonathan K. (1983). Bureaucratic Reform in Provincial China: Ting Jih-Ch'ang in Restoration Kiangsu, 1867-1870. Harvard East Asian Monographs. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-674-08617-3.
- ^ "江蘇宜興的農村經濟與共產黨暴動的真相" [The rural economy of I-hsing and the truth of the Communist Party uprising] (PDF). 村治 [Rural Administration] (in Chinese). 2 (11–12): 40–46. 1932.
- ^ "宜興之農民狀況" [The Condition of Peasants in Yixing] (PDF). 東方雜誌 [The Eastern Miscellany] (in Chinese). 24 (16). Shanghai: Commercial Press: 73–7. 1927.
- ^ Economic Resources Division, National Central University (1935). 田賦附加稅調查 [Investigation of Surcharges on Land Tax] (PDF). Rural Reconstruction Committee of the Executive Yuan Series (in Chinese). Shanghai: Commercial Press. pp. 70–85.
- ^ Ash, Robert (1976). "Economic Aspects of Land Reform in Kiangsu, 1949–52". The China Quarterly. 66: 261–292. doi:10.1017/S0305741000033683. ISSN 0305-7410.
- ^ a b Bernhardt, Kathryn (1992). Rents, taxes, and peasant resistance: the lower Yangzi region, 1840-1950. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press. p. 200. ISBN 978-0-8047-1880-6.
- ^ CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee Party History Work Office (1996). Chen, Hejin (ed.). 中共江苏地方史.第一卷:1919～1949 [History of the Communist Party of China in Jiangsu: Volume 1, 1919–1949] (in Chinese). Vol. 第一卷: 1919–1949 Volume 1, 1919–1949. Nanjing: Jiangsu People's Publishing House. pp. 147–50. ISBN 978-7-214-01761-1.
- ^ Chen, Hongquan; Zhao, Yuan, eds. (2011). 江苏地理 [Geography of Jiangsu]. Geography of China's Provinces, Municipalities, and Autonomous Regions (in Chinese). Beijing: Beijing Normal University Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-7-303-13168-6.
- ^ Chu, Pei-lien (1987). 江蘇省及六十四縣市志畧 [Historical Gazetteers of Jiangsu Province and its Sixty-Four Counties and Municipalities] (in Chinese). Taipei: Academia Historica. pp. 155–9. OCLC 1462458043.
- ^ a b c Nanjing Institute of Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences (1982). 江苏湖泊志 [Gazetteer of Lakes in Jiangsu] (in Chinese). Jiangsu Science and Technology Press. pp. 196–9.
- ^ a b Qin, Boqiang (2008). Lake Taihu, China: Dynamics and Environmental Change. Monographiae Biologicae Ser. Springer Netherlands. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-4020-8554-3.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Xue, Bin; Yao, Shuchun (2018). 长江中下游湖泊沉积地球化学与环境演变 [Geochemistry and Environmental Evolution of Lake Sediments in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River] (in Chinese). Nanjing: Nanjing University Press. ISBN 978-7-305-21381-6.
- ^ Fu, Hong; Gaüzère, Pierre; García Molinos, Jorge; Zhang, Peiyu; Zhang, Huan; Zhang, Min; Niu, Yuan; Yu, Hui; Brown, Lee E.; Xu, Jun (2021-10-01). "Mitigation of urbanization effects on aquatic ecosystems by synchronous ecological restoration". Water Research. 204: 117587. doi:10.1016/j.watres.2021.117587. ISSN 0043-1354.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link) - ^ 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ^ 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d 2020年统计用区划代码（宜兴市） [2020 Statistical Division Codes (Yixing)] (in Chinese). National Bureau of Statistics of China. 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-10-30. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ^ a b c d e f 经济社会发展 [Economic and Social Development]. www.yixing.gov.cn (in Chinese). Yixing Municipal People's Government. 2021-08-25. Archived from the original on 2021-10-30. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ^ 从太湖到西湖 宁杭高铁将刷新中国经济发展版图 [From Lake Tai to West Lake, Nanjing-Hangzhou high-speed rail will refresh China's economic development map] (in Chinese). State Council of the People's Republic of China. 2013-06-30. Archived from the original on 2021-10-30. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ^ Sun, Yeguo; Zhu, Mingxuan (2021-05-07). 白货稳占“半壁江山”的背后 [White goods are firmly behind the "half of the country"]. People's Railway (in Chinese). China Railway. Archived from the original on 2021-10-30. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- Wang, Zhongluo (2020). 魏晋南北朝史 [History of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties] (in Chinese). Shanghai: Shanghai People's Publishing House. ISBN 978-7-208-16483-3.
- Dien, Albert E.; Knapp, Keith N., eds. (2019). The Cambridge History of China: Volume 2, The Six Dynasties, 220–589. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-02077-1.
External links
[edit]- Yixing Municipal Government website (In Simplified Chinese characters)
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