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Zhejiang
Columbia Encyclopedia entry: Zhejiang
Zhejiangjŭ'jyäng' or Chekiangchĕ'kyăng', province (1994 pop. 43,410,000), c.40,000 sq mi (103,600 sq km), SE China, on the East China Sea. The capital is Hangzhou. The province includes many islands, notably the Zhoushan Archipelago. Known for its beauty, Zhejiang is one of China's most affluent and most densely populated provinces. It is part of the Shanghai special economic zone, and two of its cities, Ningbo and Wenzhou, have been designated open cities in order to attract foreign investment. Except for the level area in the north, which is part of the Chang delta region, Zhejiang is mountainous, with only a few breaks to the heavily indented coast, chiefly at Ningbo and Wenzhou. The province is drained by numerous rivers, including the Fuchun (the main river), the Wu, and the Ling. Over one third of the area is forested; pine and bamboo predominate. Most of Zhejiang has a wet climate, with a long frost-free period and high summer temperatures. Rice is the leading food crop and tea the major industrial crop. The plains north of Hangzhou receive less precipitation and have high cotton, wheat, and hemp production; most of the cotton is woven in Shanghai, although there are textile mills in Hangzhou. Rapeseed, corn, and sweet potatoes are also grown. There are tung and mulberry trees; Zhejiang is the the country's second leading silk-producing province. Fishing is extensive, with motorized junks now in use; the Zhoushan island area is one of the richest fishing grounds in China. The province also has a developing aquaculture industry. Machinery and agricultural tools are manufactured at Hangzhou, and tractors, electronics, and petrochemicals are manufactured at Ningbo. Coal and fluorspar are mined in the province. Zhejiang is served by the Shanghai-Hangzhou-Nanchang RR, which has a branch to Ningbo. Zhejiang, part of the kingdom of Wu, passed into the Chinese orbit in the 3d cent. B.C. It flourished in the 12th and 13th cent. as the center of the Southern Sung dynasty. Originally called Yueh for its local tribes, Zhejiang received its present name (which is the ancient name of the Fuchun River) in the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). It passed to Manchu control in 1645. Zhejiang was devastated in the Taiping Rebellion (1850–65), was partly occupied by the Japanese in the Second Sino-Japanese War, and fell to the Communists in 1949. Tianmu Mt. is a tourist and pilgrimage center, with many temples. Zhejiang Univ. is in Hangzhou.

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Wikipedia search results for: Zhejiang
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital. The name of the province is often abbreviated to "Zhe". Zhejiang borders Jiangsu province and Shanghai municipality to the north, Anhui province to the northwest, Jiangxi province to the west, and Fujian province to the south; to the east is the East China Sea, beyond which lie the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. Zhejiang was outside the sphere of influence of early Chinese civilization during the Shang Dynasty. Instead it was populated by peoples collectively...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: Zhejiang
Results 1 - 10  of 15
  • Ningbo

    Ningbo or Ningpo, city (1994 est. pop. 612,000), NE Zhejiang prov., SE China, at the confluence of the Yong (or Ningbo) and Yao rivers. Situated at the terminus of the E Zhejiang RR, it is an ...

  • Zhoushan Archipelago

    Zhoushan Archipelago, NE Zhejiang prov., China, in the East China Sea, at the entrance to Hangzhou Bay. It includes the main island of Zhoushan and about 100 lesser islands; Dinghai on Zhousha...

  • Jinhua

    Jinhua or Kinhwa, town (1994 est. pop. 164,000), central Zhejiang prov., SE China. A transportation hub on the Zhejiang-Jiangxi RR, Jinhua has been famous for two centuries for its hams. Other...

  • Jiaxing

    Jiaxing or Kashing, city (1994 est. pop. 227,600), N Zhejiang prov., SE China, at the junction of the Grand Canal, the Huangpu River, and the Hangzhou-Shanghai RR. An important marketing cente...

  • Shaoxing

    Shaoxing, Shao-hsing, or Shaohing, city (1994 est. pop. 205,300), N Zhejiang prov., SE China, on the south shore of Hangzhou Bay. It is a marketing center handling grain, fruit, and oil crops....

  • Tai, lake, China

    Tai, lake, c.1,300 sq mi (3,370 sq km), on the border between Jiangsu prov. and Zhejiang prov., E China; second largest freshwater lake in China. Dotted with islands, it is one of China's most...

  • Nanchang

    Nanchang, city (1994 est. pop. 1,168,700), capital of Jiangxi prov., China, on the Gan River, near the southern end of Poyang Lake. A major transportation center, it has a port, rail links to ...

  • Hangzhou

    Hangzhou or Hangchow, city (1994 est. pop. 1,184,300), capital of Zhejiang prov., E China. It is on the Fuchun River at the head of Hangzhou Bay and handles river traffic through its port. It ...

  • Fuchun

    Fuchun or Qiantang, river, 285 mi (459 km) long, Zhejiang prov., SE China. An important commercial artery, it flows NE to the East China Sea at Hangzhou. The tide rushing into the river from t...

  • Wenzhou

    Wenzhou or Wenchow, city (1994 est. pop. 449,700), SE Zhejiang prov., SE China. It is a small deep-sea port on the Ou River 12 mi (19 km) from the East China Sea and a major trade center for a...

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