Chinese Charming Cities

 

Beijing

      Beijing,"Jing" for short,is the capital of the People's Republic of China, and China's political,cultural,scientific,and international exchange center.It is the world's most populous capital and has important international influence.By the end of 2018,the resident population was 21 million.Beijing is located in North China,adjacent to Tianjin, and is surrounded by Hebei Province with Tianjin.It has jurisdiction over 14 municipal districts.Beijing is an ancient capital with a history of more than 3,000 years.In history, it was the capital of the Jin,Yuan,Ming and Qing daynasties. For most of the past eight centuries Beijing has been China's political center.Beijing is the headquarters of most of China's largest state-owned enterprises.

      Beijing is famous for its magnificentpalaces, temples, gardens, tombs, walls and gates. Beijing has the most world heritage sites in the world, inculding seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Palace Museum, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace,the Ming Tombs,Zhoukoudian and parts of the Great Wall and the Grand Canal.The Siheyuan, the most important residential building in the old Beijing city is also the main tourist attraction in Beijing.

      Many of the 92 universities in Beijing have been first-rate universities in China,such as Peking University,Tsinghua University,Renmin University of China,Beijing Normal University and other most famous universities in China.Beijing has the third largest library in the world and the largest library in Asia:the National Library of China.Beijing's Zhongguancun area is known as China's Silicon Valley and is a center for innovation and technology enterpreneurship.Beijing is also a major hub for national highways, railways and high-speed railnetworks,and is the most omportant transportation hub in North China. Beijing Daxing International Airport is one of the largest airports in the world and is the main center of AirChina.

Shanghai

    Shanghai, "Hu" for short,is one of four municipalities directly under the Central Government of the People's Republic of China.Also as a developed city in China,it is an international financial,trade and shipping center.Its port is the busiest container port in the world.Shanghai is the largest city in the world,with a resident population of 26.3 millon by 2019.It is located in the Yangtze River Delta on the southern edge of the Yangtze River estuary in the middle of China's eastern coast.Shanghai enjoys a typical subtropical monsoon climate,mild and humid,with four distinct seasons,abundant sunshine and abundart rainfall.

    ShanghaiPort was officailly opened in November 1843 under the "Treaty of Nanking" and became one of the five treaty ports that were forced to trade with foreign powers. Since then, the history of the Shanghai International Settlement has begun.In the process of its development,it constantly absorbed various cultures in the surrounding areas and gradually formed the unique Shanghai culture.In1990,through the development and opening up policy of Pudong,Shanghai's economic growth rate accelerated.After rhe approval of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone in 2013,Shanghai saw further economic development and gradually became a world-class metropolis. Shanghai is home to the Shanghai Stock Exchange,which is one of the world's largest stock exchanges.By the end of 2018,the number of listed companies in Shanghai stock market reached 1,450, with a total market value of 27 trillion yuan. In 2018,the cumulative stock turmover of the whole year was 40.3 trillion yuan,with an average daily tunover of 165.9 billion yuan.

      Shanghai is a model of China's modern and contemporary economic development. It has many famous landmarks,including Yuyuan, the City God Temple, Nanjing Road, the Bund,and Lujiazui skyscraper skyline.Mandarin is the official language of Shanghai, but in daily life,the public,speak the local language Shanghai dialect , which is completely mutually unintelligible with Mandarin.

Guangzhou

    Guangzhou,"Guang" or "Sui" for short, is the capital and most populous city of  Guangzhou Province in southern China. It has a resident population of 14.5 million. With a history of more than 2,200 years, Guangzhou is the origin of the ancient Maritime Silk Road. It is also the oldest foreign trade port in China that has never been closed.

      Guangzhou is located in the southeast of Guangdong Province in South China, the north-central margin of the Pearl River Delta, bordering the South China Sea. It faces Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions across the sea and enjoys a superior geographical position. It is known as the "South Gate" of China. The maritime climate is particularly distinctive. In ancient times, Guangzhou boasted a dense water network. The history of the water city was longer than that of Venice. After the Qing Dynasty , the river courses gradually disappeared due to the change of urban construction. Since the Qin Dynasty, Guangzhou has always been the administrative center of the country, the district, and the province as well as the political,military, economic,cultural, and scientific center of South China. It is where Lingnan culture was born and prospered. Guangzhou Port is the fifth largest port in Chinese Mainland and the eighth largest port in the world. Guangzhou, officially established as a city in 1921, is one of the nine national central cities in China. The number of foreign temporary residents and immigrants from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa has increased rapidly and the city is known as the "capital of the Third World". Together with Shanghai,Beijing and Shenzhen, Guangzhou has one of the most expensive real estate markets in China. Guangzhou is also known for its annual China Import an Export Fair(Canton Fair),which is the oldest and largest trade fair in China.

Shenzhen

      Shenzhen, "Shen" for short, is a prefecture-level city and a planned sub-provincial city in Guangdong Province, a special economic zone and a national comprehensive reform pilot zone, a Chinese securities captial market center, and an important international economic center. Shenzhen is bordered by Hong Kong on the south side. It enjoys a subtropical monsoon climate, warm and pleasant with abundant precipitation. Located in the forefront of the Pearl River Delta, Shenzhen is the only city in Chinese Mainland that borders Hong Kong, and its position makes it an important channel for Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland. It plays an important demonstration role in China's institutional innovation and further opening-up.

    Shenzhen has developed rapidly due to reform and opening up. In March 1979, Baoan County was rescinded to establish Shenzhen. In August 1980, China's first special economic zone, the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, was established here. In 2010, the scope of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone extended to the whole city. Shenzhen was one of the fastest growing cities in the world in the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2018, 40 years after China's reform and opening up, Shenzhen's GDP exceeded that of Hong Kong, and its resident population reached 13 million.

      Shenzhen ranks 14th in the 2019 Global Financial Center Index. It has one of the busiest container ports in the world. Shenzhen Baoan International Airport is the fourth largest airport in China. Besides, Shenzhen is one of the economic center cities in China, and its economic aggregate has been ranked fourth in Chinese Mainland for a long time.

      The Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) was established on December 1, 1990. In October 2009, the ChiNext Board was officially opened. By the end of March 2019, there had been over 2,100 listed companies on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange with a total market capitalization of 22 trillion yuan. Today, it has become an important financing platform for Chinese companies.

Hangzhou

      Hangzhou, "Hang" for short, is the provincial capital of Zhejiang , an important central city in the Yangtze River Delta and a transportation hub in southeastern China. By the end of 2018, the resident population was 9.8 millon. Hangzhou has a history of more than 2,200 years. Owing to its abundant products, it is known as the "Land of Fish and Rice", the "Home of Silk" and the "Paradise on Earth". Hangzhou has the longest artificial canal in the world, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and it was once an important commercial distribution center in history with its superior location. In 1896, the "Treaty of Shimonoseki" turned Hangzhou into a trading port, and the import and export trade had then become increasingly active. Since the new century, with the rise of high-tech companies such as Alibaba, the Internet economy has developed quickly in Hangzhou. Hangzhou silk has a long history and is famous both at home and abroad. As early as more than a thousand years ago, Hangzhou silk was exported to Southest Asia and the Arab countries, and several dynasties built the "Silk Road" from land and sea for it. Hangzhou is rich in Xihu Longjing Tea, which ranks among the top ten famous teas in China,so here is known as the "Chinese Tea Capital". Hangzhou is one of the first batch of China's best tourist cities, a famous historical and cultural city in China and one of the eight ancient capitals. It has national tourist attractions such as the Xihu Lake, the Qiandao Lake and the Xixi Wetland.

   There are 38 colleges and universities in Hangzhou, among which Zhejiang University is the only research-oriented comprehensive member university of Project 985 and Project 211 in Zhejiang Province, and it is operated directly under the Ministry of Education and a member of the C9 League.

Tianjin

      Tianjin, "Jin" for short, is a provincial administrative region of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the four municipalities directly ucder the Chinese Central Government, a natonal central city, and a megacity. By the end of 2018, the resident population of Tianjin was 15.6 million.

      Tianjin is located on the west bank of the Pacific Ocean and borders on the Bohai Sea in the east. The terrain is dominated by plains and depressions. It enjoys the typical warm temperate semi-humid continental monsoon climate. Tianjin is the largest coastal opening-up city in northern China. It is also the main node of the Sino-Mongolian-Russian Economic Corridor and the strategic fulcrum of the Maritime Silk Road. Tianjin started to proper because of its water transportation. In October 1860, the "Convention of Peking" opened Tianjin as a trading port. Tianjin became the second largest industrial and commercial city in China at that time and the largest financial and trade center in North China. In 1984, with the approval of the State Council, Tianjin was listed as one of the 14 coastal opining-up cities, and its economy began to develop rapidly. The coastline of Tianjin is 153 kilometers long. Tianjin Port is the largest artificial deep water port in China. At present, Tianjin has basically formed the urban pattern of "Central Urban Area-Binhai New Area" and "Tianjin Port- Tianjin Nangang".

      Many kinds of art forms have originated, prospered and developed in Tianjin, and Tianjin is known as the "Hometown of Folk Art". The crosstalk(Xiangsheng) is an important representative of Tianjin folk arts. The crosstalk in Tianjin began in the late Qing Dynasty, and now people can enjoy traditional crosstalk in theaters and tea houses. Famous crosstalk artists in Tianjin include Ma Sanli, Hou Baolin, Chang Baokun, Gao Yingpei, Ma ji, Feng Gong and so on.

Xi'an

      Xi'an, the provincial capital of Shaanxi Province, is the political, economic, and cultural center of Shaanxi Province. Xi'an is currently a sub-provincial city with jurisdiction over ten districts and three counties. By the end of 2018, the resident population reached 12 million, making it the most populous city in Northwest China and one of the three most populous cities in western China.

      Xi'an is located in the Guanzhong Basin. In the south and north are the Qinling (Qin Mountains) and Loess Plateau respectively. It is in the transition area between the temperate monsoon climate zone and the subtropical monsoon climate zone. Xi'an has a history of 5,600 years as a city and a history of 1,000 years as a capital. It is one of the four ancient capitals in the world. More than a dozen dynasties established the capital here, such as the Western Zhou Dynasty, the Qin Dynasty, the Han Dynasty, the Sui Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty. It is one of the world famous historical cities rated by UNESCO and has six world cultural heritage sites, such as the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, the Terracotta Warriors, Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Small Wild Goose Pagoda. Xi'an is known as the "Natural History Museum", and the Qin Terracotta Warriors Site is known as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". During the Western Han Dynasty, Xi'an was called Chang'an, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian to Xiyu (the Western Region), opening up the ancient Silk Road, starting from the capital Chang'an, passing through Gansu, Xinjiang, Central Asia, West Asia, and connecting the Mediterranean countries. Its initial function was to transport silk produced in China in ancient times. Xi'an has a long history of food culture, and Xi'an snacks are the most famous, such as Yangrou Paomo (Mutton and Bread Pieces in Soup), Roujiamo (Chinese Hamburger), and Liangpi.

      Xi'an has 37 colleges and universities, 8 of which are member universities of Project 211. Among them, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Northwestern Polytechnical University, and Northwest A&F University are member universities of Project 985.

Chengdu

      Chengdu, "Rong" for short, is located in the central part of Sichuan Province. It is the provincial capital, sub-provincial city and national central ciy of Sichuan Province, as well as a science and technology center, business center, financial center and transportation and communication hub in southwest China. By the end of 2018, the resident population was 16 million.

      Chengdu is located in the western part of the Sichuan Basin and on the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It enjoys the subtropical monsoon climate and forms a vertical climatic zone with distinct thermal differences, which brings extremely favorable conditions for the development of agriculture and tourism. Chengdu is one of the first national historical and cultural cities, the birthplace of ancient Shu civilization, and seven separatist regimes established their capitals here. It is one of the earliest cities in China whose prosperity has lasted the longest. Chengdu is a typical immigrant city with five largest and most influential migrations in history. In 256 BC, the county governor Li Bing presided over the construction of the Dujiangyan water conservancy project. Dujiangyan created the Chengdu Plain into a rich "land of abundance". Since the Qin Dynasty, Chengdu has become one of the most developed regions in China.

      Chengdu boasts abundant mineral and biological resources. The rare animals include giant pandas, lesser pandas and golden snub-nosed monkeys. In order to protect and save the endangered species of giant pandas, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding was especially established as an ecological breeding research base. Chengdu's delicacies are well known in China and in the whole world. That's the reason why UNESCO awarded Chengdu the first "Gourmet Capital" in Asia. Sichuan cuisine, hot pot and skewers commonly seen in the streets are very popular in Chengdu. Some well-known dishes originating in Chengdu include Mapo Tofu, Kung Pao Chicken, and Twice-cooked Pork. Famous Chengdu snacks are Dandan noodles and Fuqi Feipian (Sliced Beef and Ox Organs in Chili Sauce).

Lhasa

      Lhasa, "La" for short, is the provincial capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It is the center of Tibet for politics, economy, culture and religion. In Tibetan, "Lhasa" means "place of gods", that is, the "holy land".  By the end of 2018, the total population of Lhasa reached 980,000. Located in the middle of the Tibetan Plateau at an altitude of about 3,600 meters, Lhasa enjoys fine and pleasant weather with rare rainfall, neither too cold in winter nor too hot in summer. The annual sunshine time is over 3,000 hours, making it known as the "Sunlight City". Before the middle of the seventh century, Songtsan Gambo became the leader of the Tubo Kingdom. In 641 AD Songtsan Gambo conquered the entire Tibetan region and married Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty. The Qing government sent Resident Minister in Tibet. In 1951, Tibet was peacefully liberated. In January 1960, the city of Lhasa was established. In September 1965, the Tibet Autonomous Region was established and Lhasa became the provincial capital of the autonomous region.

      Rich resources in Lhasa have enabled its agriculture and animal husbandry to be the leading industries of Lhasa, and its main crops include barley and wheat. Lhasa is home to Tibetan, Han, Hui and many other ethnic groups, of which Tibetans make up 87% of the total population. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway is one of the four major projects in China in the 21st century. It starts from Qinghai in the east and Lhasa in the west, with a total length of about 2,000 kilometers. It is a landmark project for China to implement the strategy of developing the western region. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the longest railway at the highest altitude in the world. In July 2006, it was officially opened to traffic. Lhasa has many historic sites, and the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, etc.are listed as World Heritage Sites.

Lanzhou

      Lanzhou, "Lan" for short, is the provincial capital of China's Gansu Province, an important central city in the western region, an important node city in the Belt and Road, and one of China's important railway hubs. By the end of 2018, the total population of Lanzhou reached 3.8 million. Lanzhou is located in the center of the Chinese territory and in the upper reaches of the Yellow River. With the four distinct seasons, Lanzhou enjoys pleasant weather and the plateau warm temperate arid and semi-arid climate. It is the only provincial capital that the Yellow River travels through the urban area. Lanzhou has a long history. After Qin conquered the other six states, a county government was established here. It has a city history of more than 2,000 years. Lanzhou is one of the important birthplaces of Chinese culture. After the opening of the Silk Road in the Han Dynasty, Lanzhou became a major commercial center of the Silk Road. It has become an important regional business center and logistics base in the west of China now. In recent years, with the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China, it becomes an important strategic platform for China to open up to the west. Lanzhou is one of China's important railway hubs. The Lanzhou-Lianyungang Railway, the Baotou-Lanzhou Railway, the Lanzhou-Wulumuqi Railway and the Lanzhou-Qinghai Railway converge here. Now the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has been completed and opened to traffic.

      Additionally, hand-stretched noodles in Lanzhou are well-known in the world. The China Cuisine Association named Lanzhou city the "Hometown of Lanzhou Hand-stretched Beef Noodles" in 2010.

Luoyang

    Luoyang, "Luo" for short, is a prefecture-level and sub-central city under the jurisdiction of Henan Province in the Central Plains. By the end of 2018, Luoyang had a resident population of 6.9 million. Luoyang is located in the north of the Luo River, and the north side of the water is called "yang", hence the name Luoyang. The terrain of Luoyang is high in the west and low in the east. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides. There is abundant sunshine in Luoyang. It enjoys the continental monsoon climate, with four distinct seasons, dry spring, hot summer and rainy, mild autumn and cold winter. In April, people can enjoy the wonderful scene of blooming peonies. Peony cultivation has become one of the resources for Luoyang to develop its tourist economy.

       Luoyang is one of the four ancient capitals of China. Since the Xia Dynasty, 13 dynasties have established their capitals in Luoyang, such as the Shang, Western Zhou, Eastern Zhou, Eastern Han, Cao Wei, Western Jin, Northern Wei, Sui and Tang dynasties. Luoyang was the earliest capital city in China's history by the most regimes and for the longest time. It has a civilization history of 5,000 years,a city history of 3,000 years, and a capital history of more than 1,000 years. Throughout the ages, Luoyang has been hailed as No.1 Capital of China. Luoyang has three world cultural heritage sites, and the number of its heritage sites is second only to Beijing in cities of China. Famous attractions include Longmen Grottoes, Baima Temple and Guanlin. The food culture of Luoyang is dominated by various soups. Luoyang is also the birthplace of the famous historic wine Dukang.

Harbin

      Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province, is one of the sub-provincial cities in China and one of the central cities in the Northeast. It is also the capital city with the largest area in China and the core city of the Harbin metropolitan area. It enjoys the reputation of "Oriental Moscow" and "Oriental Little Paris". By 2018, the resident population reached 10.85 million. Harbin is located in the north of China's Northeast Plain in the south of Heilongjiang Province. It enjoys the mid-temperate continental monsoon climate. It is cold in the long winter and cool in the short summer. The average temperature in January is -20°C, and the lowest is -30°C. On January 5th every year, Harbin holds the "Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival", which started from 1985. Among the major cities in China, Harbin's urban architecture has its own charm. Deeply influenced by Russian and European styles, European architecture and traditional Chinese classical architecture coexist, which is famous throughout the country.

   Harbin is an important commodity grain production base in China, and its agriculture, animal husbandry and aquaculture are well developed. Tourism is one of the pillar industries of Harbin. The four major industries in Harbin are food industry, equipment manufacturing, petrochemicals and medicine. Harbin is an important transportation hub in northeastern China. It is the location of the Harbin Railway Bureau in the northernmost part of China's railway network and an important railway hub connecting China and Northeast Asia. Harbin, the host city of the China-Russia Expo, plays an important role in international trade. Harbin is an important hub for the first continental bridge and air corridor in Europe and Asia.

      There are 17 general undergraduate colleges in Harbin, among which Harbin Institute of Technology is one of the first-batch national key college of Project 985 and a member of the C9 League.

Hong Kong

     Hong Kong, "HK" for short, is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China. Hong Kong is an important international financial, business service and shipping center in the world. It enjoys the reputation of the Pearl of the Orient" "Gourmet Paradise" and "Shopping Paradise". By the end of 2018, the total population reached 7.5 million, and the average life expectancy is the highest in the world. Hong Kong is composed of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. It enjoys the maritime subtropical monsoon climate with four distinct seasons.

   Hong Kong has been China's territory since ancient times. In 1842, the Qing government and the United Kingdom signed the "Treaty of Nanking", the "Convention of Peking" and the "Convention between Great Britain and China Respecting an Extension of Hong Kong Territory", which ceded Hong Kong to the United Kingdom. On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong's sovereignty was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was established to implement Hong Kong people's administration of Hong Kong and a high degree of autonomy. Tung Chee-hwa is the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong. Hong Kong can participate in international events in the name of "Hong Kong, China", including the World Trade Organization and the Olympic Games.

      In the 1970s, Hong Kong's economy took off and gradually developed into one of the "Four Asian Tigers". Hong Kong is dominated by modemist architecture, with a large number of skyscrapers on both sides of Victoria Habor. The Hong Kong dollar is the legal currency of Hong Kong. Hong Kong's container port is the fifth busiest in the world. Based on passenger volume, Hong Kong International Airpor is the third busiest airport in the world, and it  ranks the first in cargo volume in the world.