Jiangyin Travel Guide

According to some ancient Chinese documents, Jiangyin (江阴) of Jiangsu has a history of 2,500 years. It was called Jiyang (暨阳) County about 1,800 years ago. About 555 AD it was then named Jiangyin Eparchy because the location was at the southern bank of Yangtze River. The name is still being used at present. In the Mongol ruling Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368) it became Jiangyin Eparchy again. On April 22, 1949, Jiangyin City had been liberated by Communist Party of China. At this time the city belonged to Southern Jiangsu Changzhou Administration and in 1953 it was under the authority of Suzhou. It then belonged to Wuxi (无锡) in 1983. Now Jiangyin City is located in the north of Wuxi  area.

Traditionally the most famous activity in Jiangyin was the dragon boat racing, which would lively take place in the Dragon Boat Festival (端午节) on the fifth day of the fifth month in the lunar calendar. But this sport event would also be held for about two days on third or fourth month of the calendar. The dragon boats were usually from Changshu in Jiangsu Province, and the boatmen were masters in martial arts from neighboring towns and villages. About fifteen boatmen were to be hired to row a dragon boat. The racing was accompanied by many martial arts spectaculars like waving swords and knives, whipping arms and legs, thus attracted thousands of curious spectators on both side of the river. The dragon boat racing had come to a halt in the great Anti-Japanese War (1937 - 1945). The biggest and last occasion was held in 1946. 

Today the population in Jiangyin is estimated about 1.18 million. The annual growth rate is around 0.92 per cent with a low birth rate at 0.82 per cent, which is due to the effectiveness of implementation of the One Child Policy in China. Agriculture has still been going strong although the urbanization in Jiangyin. Meanwhile the hygienic conditions in rural areas are greatly improved.

Historically Jiangyin has been an important hub for water and land traffic because it situates at the south bank of Yangtze River. During the Tang Dynasty, the city has become a port for doing foreign trade. The distances from Jiangyin to Shanghai and Nanjing are both 150km. There are six airports within a 160km apart from the city, of which three of them are international airports. Since the implementation of Reform and Opening-up Policy in late 1970s, the local government has tried best to construct traffic infrastructure. The worthiest mentioned is the cross-Yangtze River steel suspension bridge which is the longest and the fourth longest in China and in the world respectively. In 1992 Jiangyin became a sea port that international freight shipping could be done. Light and heavy industries, logistics and foreign trade are hot too. 

The total land area of Jiangyin City is 811 sq. km of which the downtown area is about 49 sq. km, located at the northern part of Wuxi in Jiangsu. The climatic characteristics are quite the same as cities like Suzhou and Nantong : the temperature difference in four seasons is quite obvious, with strong sunshine, a lot of rain and high relative humidity.

The tranquil Huangshanhu Lake Park and the old Garrison Commander Headquarters are the well known tourist attractions in Jiangyin. They are all opened for visitors all year round. 

Huaxicun Village