Wenzhou[a] is aprefecture-level city in China'sZhejiang province. Wenzhou is located at the extreme southeast of Zhejiang, borderingLishui to the west,Taizhou to the north, and the province ofFujian to the south. The area consists of mostly mountainous terrain, as well as hundreds of islands off theEast China Sea coast, which is nearly 355 kilometres (221 miles) in length. It is said that the city's land is 70% mountains, 20% farmland, and 10% water.[3] At the time of the2010 Chinese census, 3,039,500 people lived in Wenzhou's urban area.[4] The greater Wenzhou prefecture, which also includes threesatellite cities and six counties, had a population totalling 9,122,100, of which 31.16% areresidents originally from outside of Wenzhou.[5]
During the 19th century, the progenitor city of modern Wenzhou was known asYungkia (Chinese:永嘉,Yǒngjiā),[6] a prosperousforeign treaty port that remains well-preserved today. Being situated in the mountains, it has been isolated for most of its history from the rest of the country, making its local culture and language, known asWenzhounese, particularly distinct, even from its direct neighbours. The city is also the native land of many emigrants to Europe and the United States, with many Wenzhounese immigrants abroad becoming entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, and retail and wholesale businesspeople in their adopted countries.[7]Wenzhou people make up a large proportion of theChinese residents in Italy, constituting approximately 90% ofTuscany's Chinese population.[8] Significant concentrations of Wenzhounese also live inNew York City, as well as acrossFrance andSpain.[9]
The area that would become Wenzhou has archeological artifacts tracing back to around 2500 BC, when it became known for itspottery production, and as one of the origins ofceladon in ancient China. The Ouyue culture developed into theKingdom of Dong'ou, with a history dating back more than 2,200 years.[10] Due to its relatively isolated geography, the culture of Dong'ou tended in ancient times to often at first develop according to local patterns.
In the early second century BC, shortly after the destruction of theQin dynasty, military and political leader Zou Yao (驺摇) of Wenzhou helped EmperorGaozu of Han, the first emperor of the Han Dynasty, defeat the prominent Chu warlordXiang Yu. After the victory, Gaozu's sonHui named Zhou Yao as the king of theDong'ou kingdom, with its new capital near present-day Wenzhou. This polity would last from 191 BC until it was conquered by theMinyue kingdom in 138 BC.
Wenzhou's present name is due to the city's mild weather.
The city walls were built in the 10th century, and its seven gates were erected in 1598.[11]
Throughout its history, Wenzhou's traditional economic role has been as a port giving access to the mountainous interior of southernZhejiang Province. In early European sources, the name Wenzhou-Fu or -Foo was often transcribedOuen-tcheou-fou orWen-tcheou after the accounts of French-speaking missionaries.[12] In 1876, Wenzhou opened for tea exports, which led to a significantWenzhounese diaspora of merchants in France, but no foreign settlement was ever established there.[11] Between 1937 and 1942, during theSecond Sino-Japanese War (i.e.,World War II), Wenzhou achieved importance as one of the few ports still under Chinese control. It declined in the later years of the war, but began to recover after coastal trade along the Zhejiang coast was re-established in 1955.
Wenzhou is the only city in China designed byGuo Pu (郭璞), the father of theFengshui philosophical system.[13][14] During theJin Dynasty,Guo Pu organised Wenzhou on the basis of theFengshui philosophical system along with theTwenty-Eight Mansions, and theFive Elements. These philosophies develop and manage architecture and geography as a whole in metaphoric terms of "invisible forces" that unite the universe, earth, and humanity together.[13][15][16][17]
Believers in Fengshui consider Wenzhou to possess the bestFeng Shui conditions and nature of all the Chinese cities.[citation needed] Other cities considered to possess excellent Fengshui nature areBeijing,Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture,Kunming,Hengyang, andShenzhen. However, none of these cities is designed entirely on the basis of philosophy ofFengshui or designed by the father ofFengshui,Guo Pu.[citation needed] People from all over China usually refer to the accomplishments and influence of Wenzhounese as a result of Wenzhou'sFengshui development by Guo Pu.[citation needed]
When Guo Pu climbed to the top of West Guo Mountain (西郭山) in Wenzhou,[clarification needed] he saw the range of mountains of Wenzhou shaped as a dipper and the city itself shaped as a key. Wenzhou is still nicknamed the "Dipper city" based on the popular geographical saying "mountains as dipper, city as key" (山如北斗城似锁).[18] Legend has it that during the time when Wenzhou was being established and developed, a white deer was seen in the city with a flower in its mouth, therefore Wenzhou is also known as "Deer City" (鹿城;Lùchéng).[11] Today, theLucheng District is the name of downtown Wenzhou and the White Deer theater located at downtown is the most popular theater among the locals .[13]
Guo Pu is honoured today by the renaming of West Guo Mountain, where he stood to observe the city, into Guo Gong Mountain. At the bottom of Guo Gong Mountain, a temple was also built and named Guo Gong Temple. In 2003, the local government constructed a statue of Guo Pu in downtown Wenzhou.
Wenzhou (labelled as YUNG-CHIA (WENCHOW)永嘉) (1953)On the coast of the Dayu Bay inCangnan County
With jurisdiction over four districts, two county-level cities and five counties, Wenzhou covers a land area of 11,784 km2 (4,550 sq mi) and sea area of 11,000 km2 (4,200 sq mi). The population of the prefectural level city is 9.12 million including 2.30 million urban residents, divided among 3 county-level cities and 4 districts.
Most of Wenzhou's landscape is mountainous, with many mountain tops reaching altitudes in excess of 1,000 m (3,300 ft), for example in theYandang Mountains, a coastal mountain range dominating the eastern part of prefecture. Another dominating landscape element is theOu River, the largest river in Wenzhou prefecture. There are some coastal plains, notably around the mouth of the Ou (where the city proper of Wenzhou is located), theNanxi River, a tributary of the Ou, and further south, around the mouth of theFeiyun River (inRui'an, a county-level city). Coastal plains are used intensively for agriculture but also host much of the population and industry.
The 339 kilometres (211 mi) long coastline gives the city abundant marine resources and has many islands.[citation needed] Dongtou, one of the districts in Wenzhou, has also been called the "County of One Hundred Islands." Dongtou County was renamed as Dongtou District in September 2015 following the State Council-sanctioned administrative region adjustments.
Wenzhou boasts wonderful landscapes with rugged mountains and tranquil waters, including three state-level scenic spots, namely theYandang Mountains, theNanxi River and the Baizhangji Fall-Feiyun Lake, and two national nature reserves, theWuyanling Ridge and theNanji Islands. Yandang Mountain has been named as a WorldGeopark, while the Nanji Islands are listed a UNESCO Marine Nature Reserve ofWorld Biosphere Reserves. Scenic areas account for 25% of the city's land space.
Wenzhou derives its present name from its climate, and has ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen:Cfa) with short winters and long, hot, humid summers. Summers are similar to the remainder of the province (albeit slightly cooler during the daytime as compared to inland areas), but winter is much milder, partly due to the southerly location and partly due to the sheltering effect of the surrounding mountains. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 8.7 °C (47.7 °F) in January to 28.7 °C (83.7 °F) in July and August, while the annual mean is 18.9 °C (66.0 °F). Heavy rainfalls occur in late spring and early summer due to theplum rains of the East Asianmonsoon, whiletyphoons are commonly a threat in the second half of summer causing considerable damage and destruction. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 26% in March to 53% in August, the city receives 1,706 hours of bright sunshine annually. Extremes since 1951 have ranged from −4.5 °C (24 °F) (though an unofficial record low of −5.6 °C (22 °F) was recorded on 17 January 1893)[19] to 41.8 °C (107 °F).
Climate data for Wenzhou, elevation 28 m (92 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present)
Wenzhou exports food,tea,wine,jute,timber,paper andalunite (a non-metallic mineral used to make alum and fertilizer). Alunite is abundant and Wenzhou claims to be the "Alunite Capital of the World". Its 10 main industries each exceeding 1.5 billion dollars are electrical machinery, leather products, general equipment, power supply, plastic manufacturing, textile and garment, transport equipment, chemical products, metal products and metal processing.
From the 1990s, low-voltage electric appliances manufacturing became one of the major industries in Wenzhou, with some of the large private enterprises setting up joint ventures withGE andSchneider.
In 1994, exploration foroil andnatural gas commenced in theEast China Sea 100 km (62 mi) off the coast of Wenzhou. Companies such asTexaco,Chevron,Shell andJAPEX have started to drill for oil but the operations have been largely unsuccessful.
Wenzhou is a city full of vibrant business activities. When China beganeconomic reforms in 1978, Wenzhou was the first city in China to set up individual andprivate enterprises as well as shareholder cooperatives. It has also taken the lead in carrying out financial system reform and structural reform in townships. Being a pioneer in utilizingmarketing mechanism to develop urban constructions, Wenzhou has won a number of firsts in China and set many national records.
From 1978 through 2016, the GDP of Wenzhou, a third-tier city in China, has increased from 1.32 billion RMB to 504.54 billion RMB with the gross fiscal revenue increasing from 0.135 billion RMB to 72.4 billion RMB, and the disposable net per capita income for rural residents increasing from 113.5 RMB to 22,985 RMB. The per capita disposable income for urban residents increased from 422.6 RMB in 1981 to 47,785 RMB in 2016, which is among the highest in China.
This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(June 2024)
In late March 2012, China'sState Council announced that Wenzhou would be the site of a pilot project for the reform of private investment rules. The city had been a significant source of illegal loans, and this project would legalize and provide a regulatory framework for such activities. It has been seen not only as an attempt to legitimize Wenzhou's private finance market, but also as a model for cleaning up underground lending in China as a whole.[25]
In the early days of economic reforms, local Wenzhounese took the lead in China in developing acommodity economy, household industries and specialized markets. Many thousands of people and families were engaged in household manufacturing to develop individual and private economy (private enterprise). Until now,[when?] Wenzhou has a total of 240,000 individually owned commercial and industrial units and 130,000 private enterprises of which 180 are group companies, four among China's top 500 enterprises and 36 among national 500 top private enterprises. There are 27 national production bases such as "China's Shoes Capital" and "China's Capital of Electrical Equipment", China's 40 famous trademarks and China's famous-brand products and 67 national inspection-exempt products in the city.[citation needed] The development of private economy in Wenzhou has created the "Wenzhou Economic Model", which inspires the modernization drive in China.[citation needed]
The city of Wenzhou is a world leader inlighter manufacturing with over 500 such companies in the city.[26] The plastic weaving cluster in Wenzhou comprised 1600 enterprises in 2001, employing 42,000 people with an annual output value of 20 billion Yuan. The Local cluster comprised 400 manufacturers in 2001 with a total output of 5 billion Yuan, representing 65 percent of the domestic market share. The cluster is the first in China in terms of market share and sold it products to 60 countries.[27]
There are many areas in which people of Wenzhou opened the first example of private economy in post-1949 China. For instance, Juneyao Airlines started in July 1991, which is the first private airline company in China. Jinwen Rail Way is also the first rail way company which is built with private capital.
This zone was established and approved by state council in 1992. The main traffic system around the zone include No.104 National Highway, Ningbo-Wenzhou Expressway and Wenzhou Bridge. It is located near to Wenzhou International Airport and Wenzhou Port. Industries encouraged in the zone include electrical equipment, electronic information, chemical medicine, building materials, and textiles.[28]
This zone is in the east of the city proper, with industrial focuses mainly on logistics, cultural and tourism industry, smart manufacturing, information technology, as well as electronics andpetrochemical industry near the coastal area of Dongtou. The traffic system around the zone include theOujiang Beikou Bridge.
In 2014, the Oufei Project (Chinese:欧飞工程) was initiated as a land reclamation project in Wenzhou. The original targeted area upon completion was20.3×104mu (124 sq km), with an estimated construction cost of 60 billionRMB (c. US$8bn).[29] The aim of the project is to promote economic development, and it would serve as the largest land reclamation project in China as of 2020.[30] In 2015 the project secured an 4.5 billion RMB in a low-interest long-term loans, receiving provincial-level support.[31] The tideland reclamation was accomplished using avacuum preloading method, with a planned size of 323.4 square kilometers.[32] There was some academic criticism of the project's potential damage to waterbird coastal habitats.[33]
TheWenzhou Longwan International Airport serves the Wenzhou area, with scheduled flights to major cities in mainland China as well asHong Kong andMacau. New direct air routes to Taipei and Cheju Island of South Korea were introduced in 2012. The airport is situated on the southeast of the city (approximately 20 km (12 mi) away). It's been graded as Category B civil airport, serving a population of 20 million spanning areas of Wenzhou, Taizhou and Lishui of Zhejiang and Ningde of the neighbouring Fujian. The correlated GDP of the area reaches 300 billion RMB.
The Airport started opening up in 1995 and direct flight to Macau was approved. Air route to Hong Kong was open in 1996. Linking 65 cities in the country with 34 permanently operating air routes, the Airport is among the fastest-growing and profitable among its peers in China.
The Airport ranks first in terms of passenger transit among cities of same level in China. In 2004, the Airport handled 29,700 landings, a passenger transit of 2.439 million, cargo throughput of 38,500 tons.
The new Terminal 2 was launched on 1 June 2018, which handle all domestic flights. The Terminal 1 was changed to international terminal that handles all international and regional (specifically from Wenzhou to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) flights. The Terminal 2 is equipped with 21 boarding bridges, 22 security check passages, 52 check-in counters (four check-in zones, A, B, C, and D) and 6 luggage claim systems. The launch of Terminal 2 is a huge milestone in the history of Wenzhou air traffic development.[34]
Because of Wenzhou's geographic location, it is difficult to build a railway to connect it with other cities. Wenzhou's first railway, theJinhua–Wenzhou railway, opened on 11 June 1998. The railway runs fromWenzhou railway station northwest toJinhua and is operated by the Jinwen Railway Company. The railway has a total length of 251 km (156 mi), including 135 bridges of 14 km (8.7 mi) in length 96 tunnels of 35 km (22 mi) in length. The Jinwen Railway was the first in China to be built with local capital, and gave birth to China's first standardized joint-stock enterprise: Zhejiang Jinwen Railway Development Co., Ltd.[35]
In September 2009, two high-speed railways opened in Wenzhou. TheNingbo–Taizhou–Wenzhou railway runs north to Hangzhou, and theWenzhou–Fuzhou railway, runs south toXiamen.[36] Both lines accommodate high-speedCRH (China Railway High-speed) trains running at speeds of up to 200 km/h (120 mph) and have dramatically shortened rail travel time to neighboring cities. TheJinhua–Wenzhou high-speed railway was opened on 26 December 2015.[37]
Wenzhou Mass Transit Railway Investment Group was launched in February 2011 with registered capital of 2 billion RMB, sole purpose being in the design, investment, construction and operation of the Wenzhou Mass Transit Rail Corporation, which will consist of regional (S-series lines) and localrapid transit lines in Wenzhou. The S-Lines serve regional transportation among Wenzhou's Counties and Districts. The first line, Line S1 stretching 53.5 kilometers, opened on 23 January 2019. Construction of Line S2 started on 30 December 2015. A preliminary application with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is underway for the initiation of the construction of metro lines M1 and M2, with a total length of 60.4 km (37.5 mi).
There are four main characteristics and aspects of the Yongjia School.First, it emphasizes the significance ofpractice over puretheory. Second, it proposes thatchivalry should not be divorced fromwelfare. Third, it promotes theconglomeration ofagriculture andcommerce. Fourth it underscores the significance of powerfulmilitary and economic prosperity.[39][40]
During theNorthern Song Dynasty in the 12th century, Nan Opera, also called as the Wenzhou Opera and Yongjia Opera, was produced in Wenzhou as the earliest form of traditionalChinese Opera in the history of China.[41][42][43] In its early stage of development, Nan Opera developed and matured rapidly along with the prosperous economic activities that were taking place in Wenzhou influenced byYongjia School of Thought. Wenzhou as a prosperous treaty port back inSouthern Song Dynasty expanded the influence of Nan Opera greatly. Since then, Nan Opera gained its great influence in China and reached its peak inYuan Dynasty and remained its prominent status inMing Dynasty.
In the time period of lateYuan Dynasty, the original rulers of the country significantly lost their political power and that gave Nan Opera of Wenzhou a period of time in which it faced almost no resistance in development. Therefore, in lateYuan Dynasty, Nan Opera of Wenzhou reached its highest peak historically and later inMing Dynasty, its original Wenzhou tone of Opera sung inWenzhounese lost its influence and was mostly replaced by Kun Shan tone of Opera. Later on, because of the replacement in tone, Nan Opera gradually transcended into its later formchuanqi, and remained its influence and became one of the major forms of drama inMing Dynasty.[44]
On the stage setting of a Nan Opera performance, there are generally seven role distribution elements, Life (生), Denier (旦), Ugliness (醜), Clarity (淨), Finale (末), Exterior (外), Attachment (貼), with the main drama plot developed around Life (生) and Denial (旦) complemented usually by Ugliness (醜), Clarity (淨), and Finale (末). This stage setting system of Nan Opera invented in Wenzhou with seven-element role distribution principle is the earliest complete on-stage role distribution principle system in the history ofChinese Opera.[45][46][47]
Although Nan opera is the first mature form of traditionalChinese opera, throughout its history of development unlike that of many other later forms of Chinese opera, Nan opera was generally disregarded and repelled by the officials in earlyYuan Dynasty who held great contempt for the Southern Chinese people.
Despite the great resistance, local Wenzhounese that kept on developing Nan Drama still managed to compose extraordinary works respectively named as the "Jing Cha Tale", "Bai Tu Tale", "Bai Yue Ting", and "Sha Gou Ji", which were later known as the "Four Miracles" ofYuan Dynasty.[citation needed] According to modern studies, at least half of the Four Miracles were entirely created by localWenzhounese artists with no non-local supplements and the other two consisting of some non-local supplements.[42]
It is called the connecting bridge of the time of Nan opera and the time ofchuanqi. The creation ofTale of the Pipa is among the greatest achievements ofChinese Opera and has had an enormous impact on composition of traditional Chinese opera, and therefore, it is usually called as the "Ancestor of all Plays" in China along with Nan drama being called as the "Ancestor of all Operas" in China. In the 19th century,Tale of the Pipa was translated into English, French, German and Latin.[48][49][50] Ever since it was published in modern era, theLute Song has been significant in the history of Western appreciation of Chinese literature.
Tale of the Pipa is also the only Broadway appearance of then-futureFirst Lady of the United StatesNancy Reagan.[53] In the play of Lute Song,Nancy Reagan "dyed her brown hair black and slanted her eyes like a real oriental girl",[54] and the show's producer told her, "You look like you could be Chinese".[55]
Like all the other Nan Opera plays written by localWenzhounese artists majorly in the original language ofWenzhounese, the Lute Song is known for its complex linguistic demands which has caused international scholars to mainly focus on the shorter, and more accessible version as to their own concepts of the opera.[56]
After the invention of Nan opera in Wenzhou in the 12th century, Nan Opera soon after started to spread its influence all across China as the first-ever mature form of Chinese opera. At the time inMing Dynasty, the original form of Nan Opera sung inWenzhounese lost its influence because of its universality and evolved into 4 different forms that were sung in four different tones(melodies). However, some scholars today argue that Nan Opera inMing Dynasty were sung in five different tones (melodies).[57]
Wenzhou has a long history of mathematics and many mathematical records in modern China are made by localWenzhounese mathematicians and scholars. In 1896, the father of oracle bone script decipherment,Wenzhounese scholarSun Yirang, founded the first-ever mathematics academy in the history of China, Ruian Mathematics Academy (瑞安學計館) in Wenzhou. A year later, in 1897, localWenzhounese Huang Qingcheng founded the first-ever periodical of mathematics in China, "Journal of Arithmetic" (算学報). In 1899, a mathematical association was established in Wenzhou, named "Ruian Heaven Calculation Association" (瑞安天算學社), making the history of being the very first regional mathematical association in the history of China.[59][60][61][62][63][64]
Wenzhou is renowned as the cradle of mathematicians in the Greater China Region; it has given births to over 200 mathematicians known both internationally and domestically in the past 100 years. According to numerous reports, in the 20th century, over one-fourth to one-third of chairs of mathematics department of colleges and mathematical associations all over China were localWenzhounese mathematicians and scholars. During 2002International Mathematical Union conference inBeijing, a case study named "analysis of vast communal formation of Wenzhounese mathematicians" (温籍数学家群体成因分析) was discussed by mathematicians from all over the world. The goal of analyzing the case study was to understand and acknowledge the significance of the cultural influence of Wenzhounese mathematicians and their contributions to mathematics. The case study was also brought up during the conference to analyze the future trend of cultivating a new generation of mathematicians in China and around the world. Such a rare phenomenon has never existed in the history of the world as throughout the history of the city, Wenzhou has given births to more mathematicians more than any other city in the world.[65][66]
In an interview with local Wenzhounese mathematician, one of the pioneers of mathematics in modern ChinaSu Buqing,[67] conducted by Wenzhounese science fiction writerYe Yonglie, many unknown details of the local Wenzhou mathematics culture were revealed.Ye Yonglie was told bySu Buqing that "many of the chairs of math departments of major universities in China were local Wenzhounese and in the conferences ofInternational Mathematical Union, the local language ofWenzhounese is the unofficial and second language of the union besides official language English." Moreover, when Ye Yonglie asked Su Buqing whether "the commonly shared Wenzhounese cuisine culture of consumingLarge yellow croaker was one of the major reasons of the vast formation of local mathematicians", Su Buqing answered "No, no, no. It's rather because the entire area of Wenzhou is too poor to do science, and it only takes the cost of a pencil to do math, therefore, most of the Wenzhounese people just started to do math, and then, generations of local mathematicians just kept coming out of the city."[68]
Wenzhounese mathematicianJiang Lifu is commonly considered as the father of mathematics and pioneer ofgeometry in modern China. Jiang was the second person in modern China's history to obtain a PhD in mathematics and the first to do so in Wenzhou. In 1920, he returned to China and founded the Department of Mathematics atNankai University, the second-ever mathematics department in the history of modern China. He was the only professor and teacher in the department for the first four years and was very strict with his teaching and students.[69][70][71]
In 1940, Jiang became the chairman of the "Neo-China Mathematics Society." In 1947, Jiang founded the Institute of Mathematics ofAcademia Sinica and was the institute's founding director. He appointed his student, one of the most influential mathematicians of the 20th century,Shiing-Shen Chern to become the institute's acting director in Shanghai. Jiang also played a pioneering and fundamental role in encouraging and arranging foreign studies of mathematics for Chinese students in modern China in the early 20th century.[72]
MathematicianShiing-Shen Chern once noted that "for many years, Mr. Jiang was the foremost leader in the field of mathematics in China"(在许多年的时间里，姜先生是中国数学界最主要的领袖).Su Buqing also noted that "his influence and contribution to mathematics in modern China is so grand that without him, mathematics in China would have been completely different"(他对中国现代数学事业功劳重大，影响至深，没有他，中国数学面貌将会是另一个样子).[71]
In October 2003, mathematicianShiing-Shen Chern visited Wenzhou as invited by Wenzhounese mathematicianGu Chaohao. During his visit, Chern wrote five words in Chinese calligraphy, "Home of Mathematicians," as he was marveled by the large number of prominent mathematicians and mathematical scholars from the city of Wenzhou.[71][73] Throughout Chern's life, he developed many close and meaningful relationships with mathematicians from Wenzhou.
For instance, Chern's first mathematics teacher, mentor, and professor in life isWenzhounese mathematician,Jiang Lifu. Jiang was the second person in modern China's history to obtain a PhD in mathematics and founded the Department of Mathematics atNankai University, Chern's alma mater. Chern once noted that "I specialize ingeometry because of my professor in college, Dr. Jiang"(我从事几何大都亏了我的大学老师姜立夫博士) and "my fundamental mathematical education was all given by Mr. Jiang through dictation"(我的基本数学训练都是姜先生口授的).[73][74]
After Siu's revolutionary proposal, rounds of debate about the location ofHsinchu Science and Industrial Park unfolded.Chiang Ching-kuo argued that the park should be built inLongtan District inTaoyuan considering the potential benefits that could be drawn fromNational Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology and future relationship between the military field and the park. However,Shu Shien-Siu argued that the park should be built inHsinchu because whatTaiwan and the park needed was creativity and private economic power that would stem from the people instead of the government and the military. Therefore, Siu said that it was not a wise decision to draw too much relation between the military and the science and industrial park. Also,Longtan District was a relatively remote place as compared toHsinchu and thus, the potential of the park would be greatly diminished if it were to be built inLongtan District.
In 1961,Shu Shien-Siu founded the Department of Mathematics atNational Tsing Hua University, one of the most prestigious universities inTaiwan. A year later in 1962, Siu founded the Summer Mathematics Conference, the first-ever mathematical conference in the history of Taiwan.[76]
When Siu became the president ofNational Tsing Hua University in 1970, there were only 3 academic departments and no college on campus and the university only held a population of over 660 people including faculty members. In order to expand the size of the university and contribute to the growth ofTaiwan, Siu organized to establish the college ofengineering that consists of five departments and expanded the Institute of Nuclear Engineering and Science by transforming it into the college ofnuclear science which consists of two departments and one institute. From 1971 to 1973, Siu managed to employ a total of 165 professors withdoctoral degrees. Also, during his presidency, Siu carried out the 15-year strategic plan for the university and placed heavy emphasis on the construction of buildings on campus such as the Department of Chemistry, the auditorium, the gymnasium and dormitories for students and housing buildings for academic staff as Siu sought to increase the bond between the academic staff and the students.[76][77][78]
By the time he leftNational Tsing Hua University in 1975, the university had a total of nine departments, three colleges, and 13 institutes with a student population of over 2200 (including graduate students) and academic staff population of over 160. In 1975, after Siu's five years of presidency,National Tsing Hua University placed first in all three fields ofMathematics,Physics, andChemistry in Taiwan.[78]
As Siu was deeply influenced by theYongjia School of Thought when he grew up in Wenzhou, during his presidential career at the university, Siu placed heavy emphasis on the idea of practicality instead of the traditional Chinese belief of the importance of theory, and also made it clear that as students, the interaction with the society will always be more important than that within the campus. One of the most influential quotes of Siu is "What we need the most are the practitioners, who directly involve, but not the theorists" (我们最需要的是实行家，直接的参与，而非理论家). That main idea held by Siu to build the university in its early stage of development is almost identical as one of the central philosophies ofYongjia School of Thought, the cultural gene of the city of Wenzhou. Such a unique form of philosophy of Siu would later be proven to have a tremendous impact on the school and Taiwan's history as today,National Tsing Hua University is known for its emphasis on practicality inTaiwan.[76][77][78]
In 1995, Wenzhou was given the title of "City of Chess" byChina Qiyuan, the official agency responsible for allboard games andcard games in mainland China.[79][80][81] In 2020, Wenzhou celebrated its 25th anniversary of being the "City of Chess" in China. President ofFIDEArkady Dvorkovich sent a congratulatory letter to Wenzhou remarking that "Wenzhou has given births to many genius chess players,Ye Rongguang,Zhu Chen,Ding Liren, congratulate the 25th anniversary of Wenzhou being titled the "City of Chess" in China.[80]
Wenzhounese chess practitioner and grandmasterZhu Chen is the first and currently, the only, chess player in the history of the world to win all youth, junior, and adult world championships. In August 1988, Zhu placed first and won the World Girls Under 12 Championship in Romania. In September 1994, Zhu placed first and won the World Girls Junior Chess Championship inMatinhos, Brazil. In November 1996, Zhu placed first and won the World Girls Junior Chess Championship inMedellin,Colombia. In December 2001, Zhu placed first and won the World Women's Individual Championship inMoscow, Russia.[82]
In March 2002, during theFIDE Grand Prix inDubai, Zhu defeatedRuslan Ponomariov, the World Chess Champion from 2002 to 2004, and knocked him out of the tournament, making her the first and only female world champion and athlete to defeat a male world champion in any competitive sport in the history of the world.[83]
Zhu is the currenttreasurer ofFIDE Management Board andFIDE Council as well as Vice President ofFIDE Zonal Council.[84][85]
The esoteric Wenzhounese language is reputed to have been used during theSecond Sino-Japanese War during wartime communication and in theSino-Vietnamese War for programming military ciphers (code).[86][87] Due to its unique grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, the language is basically impossible for any non-local to understand.
There is a common "fearing" rhymed saying in China that reflects the extreme comprehension difficulty of Wenzhounese: "Fear not the Heavens, fear not the Earth, but fear the Wenzhou person speaking Wenzhounese." (天不怕，地不怕，就怕温州人说温州话)
Prior to 1949 there were 2,000 registered places of worship and 4,500 priests, pastors and monks in the city. But, the state officially designated Wenzhou as an experimental site for an "atheistic zone" (无宗教区) in 1958 and during theCultural Revolution (1966–1976), religious buildings were either closed or converted for other uses.[88] Religion revived quickly since the 1980s, and today there are more registered places of worship than before.[89] Specifically, as of 2015[update] the city has 8,569 registered folk religious temples and 3,961 registered places of worship of the five institutional religions (Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism).[90] The city was the forefront in the registration and management of folk religious temples which was started in January 2015 and later extended to all Zhejiang.[90]
The city has been for centuries a hub of Christian missionary activity; prior to 1949 it was home to 115,000 Christians, more than one-tenth of the total Christians in China at that time.[89] Today it remains an important center of Christianity in China. In 2006, it was reported that between 15 and 20% of the city's population was Christian.[91] In 2012, according to official data the city's Christians were at least one million (about 11% of the 2010 population).[92] Because of its large concentration of Christians, the city has been dubbed the "Jerusalem of the East" or "China's Jerusalem" in some media reports.[88]
In recent years, the prominence of Wenzhou's Christian community has made it the target of some controversial government action. In 2014 CNN reported that local Communist Party authorities had demolished scores of churches and forcibly removed more than 300 church crosses.[93] More recent reports have updated the numbers to over 200 churches destroyed and 2,000 crosses removed.[94] The Chinese government denies that the demolition of churches constitutes persecution of Christians, pointing instead to violations of land-use regulations as the reason for its actions. However, independent human rights groups and news agencies have met this denial with skepticism.[95] TheNew York Times, for example, reported that internal government documents the newspaper had obtained revealed that these demolitions represented part of a deliberate strategy to reduce the public profile of Christianity in the region. Specifically, theTimes cites a nine-page statement of provincial policy, singling-out the Christian community as targets for the regulation of "excessive religious sites" and "overly popular" religious activities. "The priority," the document states, "is to remove crosses at religious activity sites on both sides of expressways, national highways and provincial highways," as well as to, "Over time and in batches, bring down the crosses from the rooftops to the facade of the buildings."[96] The provincial policy has met with some resistance. A Christian pastor who protested the removal of the crosses and the beating of 50 Christians was also jailed in 2015.[97]
With a history of over 120 million years,Yandang Mountains orYandangshan Mountains, literally the wild goose pond mountain(s) is known for its natural environment, arising from its many vertical rock faces and pinnacles, mountain slopes with forests and bamboo groves, streams, waterfalls and caves.[citation needed]
Nanxi River located inYongjia County,Nanxi River was famous for its 36 bends and 72 beaches. The main scenic spots of the Nanxi River area include the Furong Triangle Rock, the Waterfall of Tengxi Pool, the Twelve Peaks, the Taogong Cave, the Warehouse Under The Cliff, the Furong Ancient Hamlet and the Lion Rock.[101] It was named as one of the National Tourist Scenic Spots by the State Council and has been listed in Tentative Lists of UNESCO World Heritage.[102]
A covered bridge.
Covered bridges,Taishun County has more than 900 covered bridges,Wuyanling National Nature Reserve in the west of the county represents significant natural values as well as being a touristic attraction.
Due to the variety and diverseness of local tourism attractions, Wenzhou was voted as the venue for the 2016 Annual Convention of Society for American Travel Writers (SATW) in October 2016, after beating contenders including Israel, the State of Texas, and Royal Caribbean International, the world leading cruise operator.
Wenzhou is 1682 years old with a profound and brilliant cultural background. It has given birth to many outstanding people and great scholars. Among them wereWang Shipeng,Chen Fuliang,Ye Shi,Huang Gongwang andLiu Ji during the South Song Dynasty, as well asSun Yirang,Xia Nai,Xia Chengtao andSu Buqing and others of the modern era. All of them have exerted significant influence in the history of Chinese philosophy, literature and science. Wenzhou is also the origin of China's landscape poetry, the founder of which,Xie Lingyun, was the chief of Wenzhou's Yongjia Prefecture in theNorthern and Southern dynasties period. InSong Dynasty, there were 4 distinguished poets from Yongjia representing the River and Lake Poetry. Moreover, Wenzhou is the birthplace of Nan Drama of China, which is the origin of Chinese traditional drama of which includes drama forms such asPeking Opera and Yue Opera.[103] "The Romance of a Hairpin", a tale about Wang Shipeng and Qian Yulian, is well known among locals and serves an inspiration for many who have endured life pains but still have faith in love. For instance, "Tale of Lute", a play byGao Zecheng of Ming Dynasty, is renowned abroad as one of the most outstanding works of Chinese drama along withKun Opera of Yongjia which is recognized as the verbal and non-material human heritage.Dancing in public is also part of the Wenzhou culture. Wenzhou, the birthplace of China'sprivate economy, likewise is the birthplace of China'sexport-oriented industrialization. From theSouthern Song Dynasty, in contrasted to theConfucianism represented byZhu Xi andLu Jiuyuan in China urging people to study to be officials in the future, the theory of Wenzhou's Yongjia School represented byYe Shi, emphasized the importance of business. The theory has an enduring impact on the mindset of Wenzhou natives and has become the "cultural gene" in the economic development of Wenzhou ever since.
Due to both Wenzhou's cultural and geographical remoteness and its lack of natural resources (land, minerals, etc.), the Chinese central government has left the people of Wenzhou relatively autonomous. Away from the center of the political and economic stage, its people are more independent, self-reliant, and generally more business and family oriented. Numerous books have been published about the business sense of people from Wenzhou. Hence, when China switched from itsplanned economy to its so-calledcapitalist economy with Chinese (socialist) characteristics in the late 1980s, its people adjusted well to the new system and took advantage of it. A popular common saying calls Wenzhounese the "Jews of the Orient" (东方的犹太人).[citation needed] Wenzhounese have been stereotyped by other Chinese[which?] as real estate speculators.China Daily notes that investments from Wenzhounese buyers play a disproportionately large role in the increased property prices all over China.[104]
The people of Wenzhou are thought to be equipped with business sense and a commercial culture more dominant than anywhere else in China. Wenzhou has two economic characteristics: it was the first to launch amarket economy, and it continues to have an active and developedprivate economy.[105]
Wenzhou has one of the largest education sector, constituting 1/6 of the total in Zhejiang Province. As of the end of 2016, Wenzhou has 2368 schools of various kinds (from pre-school to higher education), with number of students stands at 1.4814 million and faculty number of 127,200.
With most of its universities and colleges established after 1949, before 1949, there was not one single university or college in Wenzhou. The highest educational institution in Wenzhou at the time was senior high school.[106][107][108][109]
There are three major universities in Wenzhou:Wenzhou University,Wenzhou Medical University and Wenzhou-Kean University.Wenzhou University resulted from the merger of the former University of Wenzhou, Wenzhou Normal College and other various normal colleges in the rural towns of Wenzhou. Its main campus is situated in the University Town, Cha Shan (茶山). The former campus of Wenzhou Normal College on Xueyuan Road (学院路) is still in use, while the former main campus of the University of Wenzhou now serves as the campus of the Wenzhou Foreign Language School and the Second Experimental Middle School of Wenzhou (No.13 Middle School).[citation needed]
Wenzhou Medical University is well-known globally in specializing in ophthalmology (national level key discipline), as well as provision of other medical courses. Several of Wenzhou's major hospitals are affiliated to this university, with Wenzhou No.1 Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University being the largest in floor space in Asia. The combined population of medical service covered by all the affiliated hospitals of Wenzhou Medical University is said to be over 20 million.[citation needed]
The Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China approved the establishment ofWenzhou-Kean University on 16 November 2011. It is one of the first two Chinese-American cooperatively run universities with legal person status, the other one being NYU Shanghai inaugurated on 15 October 2012.[citation needed]
Official websites of universities and colleges in Wenzhou
Sun Yirang (孫诒让; 1848–1908), pioneer oforacle bone script decipherment, founder of the first mathematical academy in the history of China, mentor of Huang Qingcheng
Huang Qingcheng (黄庆澄; 1863–1904), founder of the first periodical of mathematics in the history of China, student ofSun Yirang, uncle of Jiang Lifu
Jiang Lifu (姜立夫; 1890–1978), father of mathematics in modern China, first director ofAcademia Sinica Institute of Mathematics, mentor ofShiing-Shen Chern,Su Buqing, father of Jiang Boju, nephew and student of Huang Qingcheng
Su Buqing (苏步青; 1902–2003), honorary chairman of Chinese Mathematical Society, first geometer in theOrient, renowned as "King of Math" in China, student ofJiang Lifu
Li Ruifu (李锐夫; 1903–1987), prominent mathematician and astronomer, former vice chairman of Shanghai Mathematical Society and Shanghai Astronomical Society
Fang Dezhi (方德植; 1910–), former chairman of the Department of Mathematics atXiamen University
Xu Guifang (徐桂芳; 1912–), former chairman of the Department of Mathematics atXi'an Jiaotong University, honorary director of Chinese Society of Computational Mathematics
Wu-Chung Hsiang (项武忠; born 1935), chairman of the Department of Mathematics atPrinceton University from 1982 to 1985, one of the most influentialtopologists of the second half of the 20th century
Hu Yuda (胡毓达; born 1935), former vice-chairman of executive council of Shanghai Mathematical Society, former executive director of Operations Research Society of China
Jiang Boju (姜伯驹; born 1937), first dean of School of Mathematical Sciences atPeking University, former chairman of Beijing Mathematical Society, son ofJiang Lifu
Zhu Chen (諸宸; born 1976), first person to win all youth, junior, adult World Championships, female chess international grandmaster and Women's World Champion
Ding Liren (丁立人; born 1992), chess grandmaster, youngest-ever winner ofChinese Chess Championship at age 16, ranked first nationally and third internationally as of December 2024[update], highest-everElo rated Chinese chess grandmaster, World Chess Champion 2023
Jin Henghui (金恒炜; 1944), journalist, author, pundit, former vice president of Taiwan Society
Shen Zhixun (沈志勋; 1962), experimental solid state physicist and a professor atStanford University, one of the pioneers in materials physics, winner of E.O. Lawrence Award, Advisor for Science and Technology of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
Liu Ji (刘基; 1311–1375), one of the greatest military strategists and statesmen in the history of China, founding father ofMing Dynasty alongside founding emperorZhu Yuanzhang, renowned as the Divine ChineseNostradamus, author ofShaobing Song
Sheun Mingling (林训明; born 1921), billionaire, founder of Evora SA, one of the world's biggest nonwoven manufacturer, biggest aluminum can manufacturer in Brazil
Nina Wang (龚如心; 1937–2007), billionaire, businesswoman, former Asia and Hong Kong's richest woman, founder ofNina Tower, wife ofTeddy Wang
Kung Yan-sum (龚仁心; born 1942), billionaire, brother ofNina Wang, chairman ofChinachem Group, one of the biggest property developers in Hong Kong
Jason Chang (张虔生; born 1944), billionaire, founder and president ofASE Group, the world's largest provider of independent semiconductor manufacturing services
Winwin (Dong Si Cheng) (董思成; born 1997), known professionally as WINWIN (윈윈), is a lead dancer of K-pop groupNCT (band) ofSM Entertainment andWayV of Label V.
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^电视文学艺术片《绿》在仙岩梅雨潭景区开机 [TV Literary Art Documentary 'Green' starts filming in Xianyan's Meiyutan Scenic Area] (in Simplified Chinese). Ouhai District People's Government. 3 December 2014. Archived fromthe original on 27 April 2018. Retrieved27 April 2018.1923年朱自清先生来温州执教，同年先后两次来到仙岩梅雨潭景区，被仙岩浓厚的人文气息和那醉人的女儿绿深深吸引，于是就写下了脍炙人口的美文名篇《绿》。
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