Yancheng
Yancheng (Mandarin: "盐城") is a city located in northern Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China (Postcode: 224001) with an area of 15,000 square kilometres and a population of 8,100,000.
In Mandarin, "yan" refers to salt while "cheng" refers to city, and "Yancheng" could be interpreted as "City of Salt". Lying along the China Yellow Sea, Yancheng has the longest coastal line in Jiangsu, which made it a perfect place for salt production in the past. Yancheng is also a preferred habitat of rare species "red-crowned crane" and "elk".
Yancheng was in the limelight in the civil war during 1930s to 1940s. The New Fourth Army (N4A) led by the China Communist Party was reestablished in Yancheng after being ambushed and thrashed by the enemy. After the revival, the N4A played an very important role in the war and finally the independence of China. Many monuments in honor of N4A heros can still be found in the Yancheng region.
Yancheng has a history of 2,100 years since the first canton was founded here in Han Dynasty at year 119 BC. Currently Yancheng has nine prefectures, namely Binhai, Funing, Xiangshui, Sheyang, Jianhu, Dongtai, Dafeng, Tinghu, and Yandu.
Yancheng's financial income used to rely heavliy on agricultural industry. Recently, Yancheng's economy has been boosted by the automobile industry. The joint venture between local Yueda Corporation and the multinational company Hyundai has set up car factories in Yancheng and the car production is expected to reach 50,000/year.
