Yangtze River Delta
The
Yangtze River Delta (Chinese 长江三'洲/長江三'洲 chángjiāng sānjiǎozhōu) or
Yangtze Delta, generally comprises the triangular-shaped territory of
Shanghai, southern
Jiangsu province and northern
Zhejiang province. The area lies at the heart of the region traditionally called
Jiangnan (江南, literally: "south of the
Yangtze River"). The Yangtze river drains into the
East China Sea.
The area near the Yangtze River Delta was the location of the
Majiabang neolithic culture from around 5000-3000 BC. In late
Neolithic times, the delta was the site of the
Liangzhu culture (3400-2250 BC). In the
Spring and Autumn period, it was occupied by the
State of Wu, which was annexed by the
State of Yue in
473 BC, in turn conquered by the
State of Chu in
334 BC. In
223 BC the area became part of the unified empire under the
Qin Dynasty.
Since the
Tang Dynasty, the Yangtze Delta has been an area of intense agrarian
agriculture and high population density. It is criss-crossed with canals for
transportation and
irrigation. Since the
Northern and Southern Dynasties period, the Yangtze Delta has been a main cultural and economic center of China. Key cities of the region in pre-modern times include
Suzhou (Wu),
Nanjing,
Hangzhou and
Shaoxing.
In modern times, the Yangtze Delta, led by
Shanghai, is the center of Chinese economic development, and surpasses all other regions (including the
Pearl River Delta) in the
People's Republic of China in terms of economic growth, productivity and per capita income.
The delta is one of the most densely populated regions on earth, and includes one of the world's largest cities on its banks"
Shanghai, with a density of 2,700 inhabitants/km². Because of the large population of the delta, and factories, farms, and other cities upriver, the
World Wildlife Fund says the Yangtze Delta is the biggest cause of marine pollution in the
Pacific Ocean.
Most of the people in this region speak
Wu Chinese (sometimes called
Shanghainese, although Shanghainese is actually one of the dialects within the Wu group of Chinese) as their
mother tongue), in addition to
Mandarin. Wu is
mutually unintelligible with other varieties of Chinese including Mandarin.
 |
Average temperatures (red) and precipitation (blue) in Shanghai |
The Yangtze Delta has a
marine monsoon subtropical climate, and the weather is generally warm and humid. Winter temperatures can drop as low as -10°C (a record), however, and even in springtime, large temperature fluctuations can occur.
The Yangtze River Delta contains the most fertile soils in all of China.
Rice is the dominant crop of the delta, but further inland fishing rivals it. In Qing Pu, 50 ponds containing five different species of
fish produce 29,000 tons each year. One of the biggest fears of fish farmers in this region is that
toxic water will seep into their man-made
lagoons and threaten their livelihood.
*
Pearl River Delta*Asia Times Online, June 2, 2005 - [
1]
*PBS.org, Journey to Planet Earth, Yangtze River Delta, China - [
2]
*United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) - [
3]
