Yangtze Delta

TheYangtze DeltaorYangtze River Delta(YRD,Chinese:Vùng tam giác Trường Giangor simplyTrường tam giác), once known as theShanghai Economic Zone,is amegalopolisgenerally comprising theWu-speaking areas ofShanghai,southernJiangsu,northernZhe gian g,southernAnhui.The area lies in the heart of theJiangnanregion (literally, "south of the Yangtze" ), where theYangtzedrains into theEast China Sea.Historically the fertile delta fed much of China’s population, and cities and commerce flourished. Today, it is one of China’s most important metropolitan area and is home to China’s financial center, tourist destination and hub for manufacture ranging from textile to car-making. In 2021, the Yangtze Delta had aGDPof approximatelyUS$4.3 trillion,about the same size asJapan.

Yangtze Delta Vùng tam giác Trường Giang thành thị đàn
Megalopolis
Map of Yangtze Delta city belt
Coordinates:32.1759°N 119.4307°E/32.1759; 119.4307
Provincial	Shanghai Jiangsu Zhe gian g Anhui Jiangxi
Major cities	Shanghai,Nanjing,Hangzhou,Suzhou,Ningbo,Wuxi,Nantong,Shao xing,Changzhou,Jinhua,Jia xing,Taizhou,Yangzhou,Yancheng,Taizhou,Zhen gian g,Huzhou,Huai'an,Zhoushan,Quzhou,Jiu gian g,Hefei
Government
•Shanghai	Gong Zheng
•Jiangsu	Xu Kunlin
•Zhe gian g	Wang Hao
•Anhui	Wang Qingxian
Area
• Total	350,000 km2(140,000 sq mi)
Population (2020)
• Total	c. 240,000,000
• Density	700/km2(2,000/sq mi)
GDP
• Shanghai-Jiangsu—Zhe gian g-Anhui	CN¥27.765 trillion (US$4.303trillion) (2021)
Time zone	UTC+8(CST)

Yangtze Delta
Simplified Chinese	Vùng tam giác Trường Giang
Traditional Chinese	Vùng tam giác Trường Giang
Hanyu Pinyin
Romanization	Zankaon Saekohtseu

Yangtze River Delta Economic Region

The urban build-up in the area has given rise to what may be the largestconcentration of adjacent metropolitan areasin the world. It covers an area of around 350,000 square kilometres (140,000 sq mi) and is home to over 240 million people. With about a sixth of China's population and a fourth of the country's GDP, the YRD is one of the fastest growing and richest regions in East Asia.

History

Further information:Jiangnan

The Neolithic Liangzhu culture was based in this region, and in the Eastern Zhou period it was home to the powerful states ofWu,based in Suzhou, andYue,based in the Shao xing area. Nanjing first served as a capital in theThree Kingdomsperiod as the capital ofEastern Wu(AD 229–280). In the fourth century CE theEastern Jin dynasty(AD 317–420) moved its capital here after losing control of the north and its capitalJiankang(present-dayNanjing) became a major cultural, economic, and political centre. During the mid to late period of theTang dynasty(618-907), the region emerged as an economic centre, and the Yangtze Delta became the most important agricultural, handicraft industrial and economic centre for the late Tang dynasty.

Hangzhouserved as the Chinese capital during theSouthern Song dynasty(1127–1279). Then called Lin'an, it became the biggest city in East Asia with a population more than 1.5 million, and one of the most prosperous cities in the world, which it remained after the Mongol conquest. At the same time,Ningbobecame one of the two biggest seaports in East Asia along withQuanzhou(inFu gianprovince). Nanjing was the early capital of theMing dynasty(1368–1644) and the region remained the most important economic region of the empire even after theYongle Emperormoved the capital toBeijingin 1421.

During the mid-lateMing dynasty(1368–1644), the first bud of capitalismof East Asia was born and developed in this area, although it was disrupted by theManchu invasionand controlled strictly and carefully by the Confucian central government inBeijing,it continued its development slowly throughout the rest of theQing dynasty(1644-1911). During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the delta became a large economic centre for the country, and also played the most important role in agriculture and handicraft industry.

During theQianlong era(1735-1796) of the Qing dynasty,Shanghaibegan developing rapidly and became the largest port in the Far East. From late 19th century to early 20th century, Shanghai was the biggest commercial centre in the Far East. The Yangtze Delta became the first industrialized area in China.In the middle and late feudal society of China, the Yangtze River Delta region initially formed a considerable urban agglomeration.

After theChinese economic reformprogram, which began in 1978, Shanghai again became the most important economic centre inmainland China,and is emerging to become one of Asia's centres for commerce. In modern times, the Yangtze Delta metropolitan region is centred at Shanghai, and also flanked by the major metropolitan areas ofHangzhou,Suzhou,Ningbo,andNanjing,home to nearly 105 million people (of which an estimated 80 million are urban residents). It is the centre of Chinese economic development, and surpasses other concentrations of metropolitan areas (including thePearl Delta) in China in terms of economic growth, productivity and per capita income.

In 1982, the Chinese government set up the Shanghai Economic Area. BesidesShanghai,four cities inJiangsu(Suzhou,Wuxi,Changzhou,Nantong) and five cities inZhe gian g(Hangzhou,Jia xing,Shao xing,Huzhou,Ningbo) were included. In 1992, a 14-city cooperative joint meeting was launched. Besides the previous 10 cities, the members includedNanjing,Zhen gian gandYangzhouinJiangsu,andZhoushaninZhe gian g.In 1997, the regular joint meeting resulted in the establishment of the Yangtze Delta Economic Coordination Association, which included a new memberTaizhouinJiangsuin that year. In 1997,TaizhouinZhe gian galso joined the association. In 2003, the association accepted six new members after a six-year observation and review, includingYanchengandHuai'aninJiangsu,JinhuaandQuzhouinZhe gian g,andMa'anshanandHefeiinAnhui.In 2019, the area expanded to include the entirety ofAnhui,Jiangsu,Zhe gian g,andShanghai.

Demographics

The delta is one of the most densely populated regions on earth, and includes one of the world's largest cities on its banks —Shanghai,with a density of 2,700 inhabitants per square kilometre (7,000/sq mi). Because of the large population of the delta, and factories, farms, and other cities upriver, theWorld Wide Fund for Naturesays the Yangtze Delta is the biggest cause ofmarine pollutionin thePacific Ocean.

Most of the people in this region speakWu Chinese(sometimes calledShanghainese,although Shanghainese is actually one of the dialects within the Wu group of Chinese) as theirmother tongue,in addition toMandarin.Wu ismutually unintelligiblewith other varieties of Chinese, including Mandarin.

Geography

Metropolitan areas

Metropolitan area	Chinese	Cities	Population
Greater Shanghai Metropolitan Area	Đại Thượng Hải đô thị vòng	Shanghai
Suxichang Metropolitan Area	Tô tích thường đô thị vòng	Suzhou,Wuxi,Changzhou
Hefei Metropolitan area	Hợp Phì đô thị vòng	Hefei
Nanjing Metropolitan Area	Nam Kinh đô thị vòng	Nanjing
Ningbo Metropolitan Area	Ninh sóng đô thị vòng	Ningbo

Cities

See also:List of cities in Yangtze Delta

Central areas include Shanghai, Nanjing,Jiu gian g,Wuxi, Changzhou, Suzhou,Nantong,Yangzhou,Zhen gian g,Yancheng,Taizhou(Jiangsu),Hangzhou,Ningbo,Wenzhou,Huzhou,Jia xing,Shao xing,Jinhua,Zhoushan,Taizhou(Zhe gian g), Hefei,Wuhu,Maanshan,Tongling,Anqing,Chuzhou,Chizhou,Xuancheng.

City	Area km2	Population (2020)	GDP (CN¥)	GDP (US$)
Shanghai	6,341	26,875,500	CN¥ 4,465 billion	US$ 663.9 billion
Suzhou	8,488	12,748,252	CN¥ 2,396 billion	US$ 356.0 billion
Hangzhou	16,821	11,936,010	CN¥ 1,875 billion	US$ 279.0 billion
Nanjing	6,587	9,314,685	CN¥ 1,691 billion	US$ 242.7 billion
Ningbo	9,816	9,618,000	CN¥ 1,570 billion	US$ 233.5 billion
Wuxi	4,628	7,462,135	CN¥ 1,485 billion	US$ 221.0 billion
Nantong	8,544	7,726,635	CN¥ 1,138 billion	US$ 169.2 billion
Changzhou	4,385	5,278,121	CN¥ 955 billion	US$ 142.0 billion
Shao xing	8,279	5,270,977	CN¥ 735 billion	US$ 109.9 billion
Taizhou (Jiangsu)	5,787	4,512,762	CN¥ 640 billion	US$ 94.7 billion
Yangzhou	6,626	4,559,797	CN¥ 711 billion	US$ 93.4 billion
Jia xing	4,009	5,400,868	CN¥ 551 billion	US$ 73.6 billion
Zhen gian g	3,837	3,210,418	CN¥ 502 billion	US$ 72.0 billion
Taizhou (Zhe gian g)	9,411	6,662,888	CN¥ 356 billion	US$ 57.1 billion
Huzhou	5,818	3,367,579	CN¥ 272 billion	US$ 40.7 billion
Zhoushan	1,378	1,157,817	CN¥ 151 billion	US$ 20.0 billion
Yangtze River Delta Economic Region	110,755	125,300,444	CN¥ 19.493 trillion	US$ 2.869 trillion

Geology

See also:Jianghai Plain

Coastal erosion

The Three Gorge Dam has huge impacts on both upstream and downstream. Since 2003, the Yangtze River delta front has experienced severe erosion and significant sediment coarsening.

Subaqueous delta

The Yangtze River derived sediment has not really dispersed across the East China Sea continental shelf, instead, an elongated (~800 km) distal subaqueous mud wedge (up to 60 m thick) extending from the Yangtze River mouth southward off the Zhe gian g and Fu gian coasts into the Taiwan Strait.

Culture

The Yangtze River Delta is both a geographical and a socio-economic region, characterised by shared or similar cultural traditions and historical experiences. Distinct regional cultures, such asHui,Huaiyang,Wuyue,Shanghai-style,andChu-Han,each retain their own identities while also influencing and merging with one another, contributing to the diverse culture of the Delta. The region’s rich cultural heritage has played a role in supporting its economic development, helping it become one of China’s most economically dynamic areas, with high levels of openness and innovation.

Economy

The area of the Yangtze Delta incorporates more than twenty relatively developed cities in three provinces. The term can be generally used to refer to the entire region extending as far north asLianyungang,Jiangsu and as far south asWenzhou,Zhe gian g.

Fishing and agriculture

The Yangtze Delta contains the most fertile soils in all of China.Rice is the dominant crop of the delta, but further inland fishing rivals it. In Qing Pu, 50 ponds, containing five different species of fish, produce 29,000 tons of fish each year. One of the biggest fears of fish farmers in this region is that toxic water will seep into their man-made lagoons and threaten their livelihood.

Governance

Yangtze Delta regional cooperation requires effort from governments ofShanghai,Zhe gian g,Jiangsu,AnhuiandJiangxi.

They've gradually established a three-tier model of governance on increased regional cooperation:

• Leadership:Symposium of Governors of YRD Area ( trường tam giác khu vực chủ yếu lãnh đạo toạ đàm sẽ )
• Coordination:Joint Conference on Cooperation and Development of YRD Area ( trường tam giác khu vực hợp tác cùng phát triển hội nghị liên tịch )
• Operation:
  • Offices of the Joint Conference ( hội nghị liên tịch văn phòng )
  • Office of YRD Regional Cooperation( trường tam giác khu vực hợp tác văn phòng )
    • Specialized Task Forces ( chuyên đề hợp tác tổ )

There is also a conference with longer history for economical cooperation:

• Coordinative Conference on Economy for Cities in YRD ( trường tam giác thành thị kinh tế phối hợp sẽ, since 1992)
  • Joint Conference of Mayors ( thị trưởng hội nghị liên tịch )
  • Office of the Coordination Society ( phối hợp sẽ văn phòng )

Plans

• Outline of the Regional Integration Development Plan of the Yangtze River Delta

Transportation

The region has a well-developed transport infrastructure, with one of the highest rates of private vehicle ownership in China. Traffic regulations in Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Zhe gian g are also comparatively stricter than in other parts of the country.Major shipping and trade hubs, such as thePort of Shanghaiand the Port ofNingbo-Zhoushan,are located here; these ports are the largest in the world for container and cargo handling, respectively. The area is also home to theHangzhou Bay Bridge,the world’s longest cross-sea bridge at 36 km, and has the densest network of rapid transit railways, spanning 12 lines.

Climate

Shanghai
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D 51 8 1 57 9 2 99 13 6 89 19 11 102 24 16 170 28 21 156 32 25 158 31 25 137 27 21 63 23 15 46 17 9 37 11 3 █Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D 2 47 34 2.2 49 36 3.9 55 42 3.5 66 52 4 75 61 6.7 82 69 6.2 89 77 6.2 88 77 5.4 81 69 2.5 73 59 1.8 63 48 1.5 52 37 █Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █Precipitation totals in inches

The Yangtze Delta has a marinemonsoonsubtropicalclimate, with hot and humid summers, cool and dry winters, and warm spring and fall. Winter temperatures can drop as low as -10 °C (a record), however, and even in springtime, large temperature fluctuations can occur.

External links

• Economic profile for the Yangtze River Delta—atHKTDC—Hong Kong Trade Development Council.
• Asian Times: "Growth cools in Yangtze River region"
• Golden Triangle extending to become a parallelogram?(in Chinese)(Translateto English:Google,Bing,Yandex)
• Constructing the next world megacity: The Yangtze Delta(in Chinese)(Translateto English:Google,Bing,Yandex)