Qidong 启东市 Chitung | |
|---|---|
 Looking southeast on the city, with downtown at the upper left (2007) | |
  Qidong Location in Jiangsu | |
| Coordinates:31°52′12″N121°42′11″E / 31.870°N 121.703°E /31.870; 121.703[1] | |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Province | Jiangsu |
| Prefecture | Nantong |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,208 km2 (466 sq mi) |
| Population (2020 census) | |
• Total | 967,313 |
| • Density | 800/km2 (2,100/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
| Postal Code | 226200 |
| Qidong | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 启东 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 啓東 | ||||||
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Qidong is acounty-level city under the administration of theprefecture-level city ofNantong in southeasternJiangsu province, China. It is located on the north side of theYangtze River oppositeShanghai and forms a peninsula jutting out into theEast China Sea. It has a population of 967,313 in 2020.[2]
The center of the city is named Huilong Township. It also has a well-known fishing port called Lüsi town, named afterLü Dongbin, one of the eight immortals, who is said to have visited the place four times. Qidong'sQilong township was formerly a separate island in the Yangtze calledYonglongsha but now forms apene-enclave onChongming Island, most of which belongs toShanghai.
The area of present-day Qidong was part of theEast China Sea until theHan dynasty, whendeposition from theYangtze River began to form islands, notably includingDongbuzhou (t 東布洲,s 东布洲,p Dōngbùzhōu) at the site of present-day Lüsi.
In theTang Dynasty, prisoners were sent to Qidong and worked on salt production.
During theFive Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, the first official government, called Lüsi chang, was established.
During the transition period of theYuan Dynasty andQing Dynasty, the Yangtze River's main waterway moved northward and resulted in a large area of land loss in Lüsi chang. Lüsi chang was merged intoTongzhou.
Increasing sediment accumulation bordered Qidong with themainland during theQing dynasty.
In the first year of theRepublic of China,Tongzhou was renamed toNantong. Later, Qidong was governed byNantong,Haimen, andChongming.
On March 1, 1928, Qidong County was established with a population of around 330,000 residents.
By November 1989, significant progress was made inurbanization and theChinese State Council permitted the promotion of Qidong from a county to acounty-level city.
At November 16, 2021, there female secondary students committed suicide, the current circumstances of three girls are not certain.
At present, Qidong City has 11 towns and 1 township.[3]
There are four distinct seasons: spring, summer, fall, and a mild winter. During the summer, monsoon lasts for weeks, and there is plenty of rain.
| Climate data for Qidong, elevation 3 m (9.8 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 20.3 (68.5) | 24.8 (76.6) | 31.6 (88.9) | 32.5 (90.5) | 35.8 (96.4) | 36.0 (96.8) | 38.3 (100.9) | 37.6 (99.7) | 37.1 (98.8) | 33.2 (91.8) | 27.2 (81.0) | 21.6 (70.9) | 38.3 (100.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.7 (45.9) | 9.4 (48.9) | 13.4 (56.1) | 19.0 (66.2) | 24.2 (75.6) | 27.0 (80.6) | 31.3 (88.3) | 31.0 (87.8) | 27.4 (81.3) | 22.7 (72.9) | 17.1 (62.8) | 10.6 (51.1) | 20.1 (68.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.8 (38.8) | 5.3 (41.5) | 9.0 (48.2) | 14.2 (57.6) | 19.5 (67.1) | 23.3 (73.9) | 27.5 (81.5) | 27.4 (81.3) | 23.6 (74.5) | 18.4 (65.1) | 12.7 (54.9) | 6.3 (43.3) | 15.9 (60.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.7 (33.3) | 1.9 (35.4) | 5.4 (41.7) | 10.1 (50.2) | 15.6 (60.1) | 20.3 (68.5) | 24.7 (76.5) | 24.7 (76.5) | 20.5 (68.9) | 14.6 (58.3) | 8.9 (48.0) | 2.8 (37.0) | 12.5 (54.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −9.0 (15.8) | −7.3 (18.9) | −3.9 (25.0) | −0.7 (30.7) | 6.4 (43.5) | 12.0 (53.6) | 17.1 (62.8) | 16.7 (62.1) | 10.9 (51.6) | 2.8 (37.0) | −3.4 (25.9) | −8.2 (17.2) | −9.0 (15.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 60.7 (2.39) | 55.6 (2.19) | 80.4 (3.17) | 78.2 (3.08) | 80.6 (3.17) | 199.5 (7.85) | 137.0 (5.39) | 187.3 (7.37) | 108.6 (4.28) | 68.9 (2.71) | 57.0 (2.24) | 43.0 (1.69) | 1,156.8 (45.53) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 9.9 | 9.4 | 11.6 | 10.4 | 10.9 | 13.7 | 11.5 | 12.1 | 10.1 | 7.7 | 8.7 | 7.9 | 123.9 |
| Average snowy days | 2.3 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 5.8 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 78 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 79 | 84 | 84 | 84 | 81 | 76 | 77 | 75 | 79 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 124.6 | 126.3 | 153.7 | 177.5 | 184.5 | 133.7 | 197.2 | 209.2 | 181.4 | 176.4 | 141.0 | 138.8 | 1,944.3 |
| Percentagepossible sunshine | 39 | 40 | 41 | 46 | 43 | 32 | 46 | 51 | 49 | 50 | 45 | 44 | 44 |
| Source:China Meteorological Administration[4][5] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Lüsigang Town (Lvsigangzhen), Qidong, elevation 4 m (13 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 19.8 (67.6) | 25.1 (77.2) | 26.3 (79.3) | 31.7 (89.1) | 33.9 (93.0) | 36.9 (98.4) | 37.5 (99.5) | 37.5 (99.5) | 37.6 (99.7) | 32.3 (90.1) | 27.7 (81.9) | 21.2 (70.2) | 37.6 (99.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.1 (44.8) | 8.7 (47.7) | 12.8 (55.0) | 18.5 (65.3) | 23.6 (74.5) | 26.6 (79.9) | 30.9 (87.6) | 30.5 (86.9) | 26.9 (80.4) | 22.1 (71.8) | 16.5 (61.7) | 10.0 (50.0) | 19.5 (67.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.9 (39.0) | 5.2 (41.4) | 8.9 (48.0) | 14.0 (57.2) | 19.3 (66.7) | 23.1 (73.6) | 27.4 (81.3) | 27.4 (81.3) | 23.9 (75.0) | 18.8 (65.8) | 13.0 (55.4) | 6.5 (43.7) | 16.0 (60.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.2 (34.2) | 2.5 (36.5) | 5.8 (42.4) | 10.4 (50.7) | 15.8 (60.4) | 20.5 (68.9) | 24.7 (76.5) | 24.9 (76.8) | 21.3 (70.3) | 15.8 (60.4) | 9.8 (49.6) | 3.5 (38.3) | 13.0 (55.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −8.6 (16.5) | −6.7 (19.9) | −3.8 (25.2) | 0.2 (32.4) | 6.8 (44.2) | 12.3 (54.1) | 17.9 (64.2) | 16.5 (61.7) | 11.3 (52.3) | 2.1 (35.8) | −2.4 (27.7) | −8.1 (17.4) | −8.6 (16.5) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 53.9 (2.12) | 48.7 (1.92) | 73.3 (2.89) | 68.1 (2.68) | 77.4 (3.05) | 193.1 (7.60) | 165.1 (6.50) | 170.8 (6.72) | 119.4 (4.70) | 61.4 (2.42) | 57.1 (2.25) | 39.4 (1.55) | 1,127.7 (44.4) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 9.1 | 9.1 | 10.6 | 9.9 | 10.4 | 11.9 | 11.6 | 11.2 | 9.5 | 7.4 | 8.5 | 7.6 | 116.8 |
| Average snowy days | 2.2 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 6 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 77 | 77 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 84 | 84 | 84 | 79 | 74 | 76 | 74 | 79 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 140.0 | 142.0 | 170.7 | 195.4 | 205.1 | 161.5 | 215.2 | 231.2 | 197.7 | 192.6 | 155.7 | 152.8 | 2,159.9 |
| Percentagepossible sunshine | 44 | 45 | 46 | 50 | 48 | 38 | 50 | 57 | 54 | 55 | 50 | 49 | 49 |
| Source:China Meteorological Administration[6][7] | |||||||||||||
Qidong is famous for its high school. Students from middle schools in Qidong usually get higher grades on theGao Kao, China's national college entrance examination. Qidong has five public middle schools: Qidong Middle School,Huilong High School, Dongnan Middle School, Shiyi Middle School, and Lüsi Middle School. Among these schools, Qidong High School is the most prestigious. Qidong High School was established in 1928 and has been one of the best middle schools in Jiangsu province ever since. Over ninety percent of graduates from Qidong Middle School attend first-class universities every year.
People living in Lüsi town (Lusze) speak a differentdialect—known as the Lüsi (吕四话;呂四話;Lǚsì Huà) or Tongdong dialect (通东话;通東話;Tōngdōng Huà)—from most other residents, who generally speak Qidong Dialect (启东话;啓東話;Qǐdōng Huà). The two dialects are considerably different, and thus they are notmutually intelligible. Because most economical, educational, and governmental activities are held in the city capital Huilong, where Qidong Dialect is prevalent, many residents of Lüsi have learned to understand and even speak the majority dialect.
Qidong Dialect is a dialect ofWu Chinese. Some people consider it similar toShanghainese, also a dialect of Wu Chinese. It is almost the same asthe dialect spoken in Chongming District, which is under the administration of Shanghai.
Both of the two dialects belong to the Northern Wu. However, because of cultural differences between the two places, there still exist non-intelligible usage mostly in vocabulary.
Qidong Grand Theater: Qidong Grand Theater is located on the east side of Jianghai South Road and both sides of Qiantang River Road. It has a 1200-seat grand theater and a 408-seat small theater. The stage process design and mechanical equipment configuration of the grand theater can meet the requirements of various large-scale operas, dances, ballets, concerts, large-scale comprehensive literary and artistic performances while taking into account the conference function. The small theater can meet the needs of various purposes, such as small art performances, small drama performances, conferences, and so on.[8]
Ningqi Railway: The railway is 365 km long, connectingNanjing to Qidong. It connects theXinchang Railway andNingxi Railway, and strengthen the cargo transportation capacity between East China and West China.Qidong railway station has passenger services.
Chongqi Bridge:Chongqi Bridge is a river crossing channel connecting China to Shanghai and Jiangsu Province, located at theYangtze River estuary. It was completed in 2011.Chongqi Bridge links Qidong withChongming County and also downtown Shanghai, reducing the driving time from three hours to one hour. Qidong can be reached fromShanghai Pudong Airport within 45 minutes without traffic congestion.[9]
Yuan Tuo Corner: It is China's largest freshwater wetland reserve. TheYangtze River entered the sea from here, and theEast China Sea and theYellow Sea are also Separate here.
Local industry focuses on pharmaceutical production, computer accessory production, and chemical fertilizer production.
Qidong is an offshore engineering & construction hub hosting companies like COSCO, SINOPACIFIC, Specialty Process Equipment Corporation (SPEC), Shanghai Zhen Hua Heavy Industries (ZPMC) Qidong Marine Engineering Company Limited (formerly DAODA Heavy Industry) and several other heavy industry, shipyard & fabrications facilities.
Major agriculture crops produced in the area include wheat, corn, soybeans, peanuts, yams, and cotton. The climate is suitable for pears, peaches, oranges, and watermelons.
Fishing is a major source of income for some rural residents.
TheQidong protest happened in July 2012. It was a violent environmental protest against an industrial waste pipeline.[10] A Japanese company called Oji Paper Company constructed a paper mill in the city ofNantong, Jiangsu. The wastewater from the factory would be emitted to the coast of Qidong. The rumors said that the Japanese company bribed the mayor, and the wastewater was going to pollute the drinking water of Qidong. In 2012, the Chinese have anti-Japanese sentiment because of theSenkaku Islands dispute, and theanti-Japanese demonstrations were breaking out country-wide. About 10,000 Qidong citizens ran out to the street and joined the protest, they crashed the cars and threw stones into the government building. Then approximately 1,000 protestors rushed into government buildings and smashed everything they could see. They also found fine liquors, condoms, and expensive watches in the building. The protest ended after a few days because of government intervention.Riot police were called in, and they stopped the demonstration in one day. In the following days, the organizers of the demonstration were arrested.