Brief introduction of Taizhou city in Jiangsu province

A sweeping view of Taizhou city. [Photo/WeChat ID: tzfabu]

• Geography

Taizhou city is located in the central part of East China's Jiangsu province, bordering the Yangtze River to the south, Yancheng city to the north, Nantong city to the east and Yangzhou city to the west. As such, it is one of the central cities in the Yangtze River Delta region.

• Area

The total area of Taizhou covers 5,787.98 square kilometers, of which the land area accounts for 78.19 percent and the water area occupies 22.81 percent. The urban area stretches out 1,567.75 sq km.

• Administrative divisions

As of December 2023, Taizhou administered the three county-level cities of Jingjiang, Taixing and Xinghua and it also had three districts: Hailing, Gaogang and Jiangyan. It includes 61 towns, two townships, 25 sub-district offices, 1,165 village committees and 543 neighborhood committees.

• History

Taizhou, known as Haiyang in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), Hailing in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) and Taizhou during the Southern Tang Dynasty (937-975), has a recorded history of more than 2,100 years.

During the Southern Tang Dynasty, it was upgraded from a county to a state and became known as Taizhou. It is a place where the cultures of the Wu, Yue and Chu states were integrated, and customs in the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River regions combined.

• Economy

According to the 2024 Taizhou Government Work Report, the city's GDP is projected to surpass 700 billion yuan ($95.48 billion), with total import and export volume reaching a historic high of $23 billion.

Significant strides were made in industrial development, with newly started projects valued at over 500 million yuan or $30 million increasing by 47.8 percent and completed projects rising by 37.6 percent. 

Taizhou's agricultural sector also led the way, with grain yield per unit area ranking first in Jiangsu province for the eighth consecutive year, and 80.8 percent of farmland upgraded to high standards.

In retail, sales of new energy vehicles and green home appliances surged by 43.1 percent and 19.5 percent, respectively, reflecting the city's shift toward sustainable consumption. On the social front, 67,000 new urban jobs were created, and 24.6 million elderly residents benefited from government-subsidized home care services.

• Transportation

Taizhou city in Jiangsu province is an important transportation hub connecting the north and south and is the gateway to central Jiangsu.

It is also an important node city for the Shanghai metropolitan area, the Nanjing metropolitan area and the Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou metropolitan area.

The Xinyi-Changxing Railway, Nanjing-Qidong Railway, Beijing-Shanghai Expressway, Nanjing-Nantong Expressway, Yancheng-Jingjiang Expressway and Qidong-Yangzhou Expressway run across the entire city. Five railway lines starting from Taizhou Railway Station connect the city with  hundreds of other cities throughout the country.

Taizhou also boasts the Yangzhou Taizhou International Airport, as well as the Jiangyin Yangtze River Bridge and the Taizhou Yangtze River Bridge.

An enchanting view of Taizhou Port at dusk. [Photo provided to etaizhou.gov.cn]

The State-level open port Taizhou Port is an influential logistics facility with an annual throughout capacity of 100 million metric tons. It also has six major riverside port areas.

The superior location and the integrated structure of the roads, railways, water and air underscores the important position of the northern wing of the Yangtze River Delta.