Jiangsu, an eastern Chinese province, has over 1000-kilometer (620 miles) coastline along the Yellow Sea. There are two great rivers flowing through the whole province: Yangtze River from west to east and Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal from north to south. With an area of 100,000 square kilometers (38,600 square miles), Jiangsu is populated by Han, Hui, Manchu and other ethnic groups. Its population totals 73.54 millions. The neighboring areas of Jiangsu are Shandong Province in the north, Anhui Province in the west, Shanghai Municipality and Zhejiang Province in the south.

When to go

With an annual average temperature ranging from 13 C to 16 C, the climate in Jiangsu is semi-humid and subtropical. There are four distinct seasons with cold winters and hot summers. Besides, the annual average rainfall is 800 to 1,200 millimeters (31.5 to 47.2 inches), with high precipitation in the southeast and low in the northwest, and 60 percent of the rain falls during the summer. So the best time for a visit should be in spring and autumn.

What to see

Nanjing, one of the six ancient capitals of China, is also the administrative center of Jiangsu Province. Situated at the south bank of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Nanjing has numerous tourist attractions for you to access. Yangtze River Bridge in Nanjing is very famous and impressive. Opened on December 23, 1968, it is one of the greatest achievements of the Communist Party and a great source of pride to the Chinese. The Mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the mausoleum of the great revolutionary forerunner, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, is a well-preserved tourist destination. Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum built for Zhu Yuan Zhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty (1368~1644), is one of the largest ancient imperial tombs in China. Other scenic spots in Nanjing like Qinhuai River, Yu Hua Tai and Qixia Scenic Spot are also well worth a trip if you want to trace back to the long history of Nanjing. As one of the four "furnace" cities in China, tourists are advised not to visit Nanjing during summer.

Suzhou is a well-known garden city in Jiangsu Province. It's a historic city in China and also the center of cotton, silk and wool. The Humble Administrator's Garden presents a traditional Chinese ink-and-wash painting before you, and walking in the garden, you would feel you are actually walking in the paintings! The Lingering Garden is one of the best gardens in Suzhou as well as being one of the four most famous gardens in China. Zhouzhuang, a small town near Suzhou, is the China's top water town. The layout of the town and the residential areas maintains the traditional style and the old river ways and boats are very popular among the visitors. Besides, Suzhou has its unique highlights such as Kunqu Opera, Suzhou Opera and Suzhou embroidery.

Wuxi, the famous tourist city in Jiangsu Province, is one of the 15 economic central cities in China called as "homeland of fish and rice". Taihu Lake, the third largest freshwater lake in China, has many islets which have now become the main tourist destinations for visitors. The Three Kingdoms City, built in 1993 to film the famous historical TV serial - the Romance of Three Kingdoms, which is one of the four most famous novels in China, was totally in Han Dynasty style. So when you enter the Three Kingdoms City and sometimes see lots of people wearing ancient costumes, don't be so surprised, it's only a scene for filming actually.

In possession of many cultural and historic cities like Nanjing, Suzhou and Wuxi, Jiangsu has abundant tourist resources. Far beyond your expectations, Jiangsu is really an ideal tourist resort.

Nantong City is located at the estuary of the Yangtze River in the east of Jiangsu province. Bordering on the river and facing the Pacific Ocean sea , the city appears like a peninsular and stands opposite Shanghai across the river, enjoying a golden coast and waterway as well as such well-known titles as “ Pearl of the River and Sea ” and “ the First Window on the Yangtze River ” .

Nantong also boasts a long history with its Haian Qingdun Area inhabited with primitive clans more than 5000 years ago.

As one of China's first 14 coastal cities opening to the outside world, Nantong now administers 4 county-level cities (Rugao, Tongzhou, Haimen, and Qidong), 2 counties (Haian and Rudong), 2 districts (Chongchuan and Gangzha), as well as the state -level Nantong Economic and Technological Development Zone. The city covers a total land area of 8,001 sqm km2 and bordering sea area of about 10,000 sqm km2 with its population totaling to 7.8 million. The urban area occupies 381.26 sqm km2 with a population of 759.8 thousand.

Located in the warm and wet monsoon subtropics, Nantong enjoys sufficient sun shine , profuse rainfall, and warm climate with distinct seasons. Flat in terrain and covered with a dense water system, the city has more than 400 km of riverbank and coastline and extensive shallows. As one of China's national industrial cradles in modern times, Nantong has a relatively strong comprehensive economic strength and ranks among the top 50 cities with strong comprehensive strength. In 2003, the city's GDP reached RMB100.665 billion with GDP per capita breaking USD1500, ranking 32 among China's top 200 cities in general urban competitiveness.

From: www.travelchinaguide.com