Zhejiang

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Location of Zhjiang Province
Location of Zhjiang Province
Zhejiang Province
Zhejiang Province

[edit] Overview

Zhejiang (浙江) province is located on China's southeast coast, south of the Yangtze River Delta. It borders other provinces in East China (华东): Shanghai and Jiangsu to the north, Anhui to the northwest, Jiangxi to the west, and Fujian to the south; to the east is the East China Sea.

Zhejiang is widely known as a "land of fish and rice" (鱼米之乡) because of the abundance of natural water resources, and its location close to the sea. The whole province is also noted for its picturesque scenery, as well as for its numerous historical and cultural relics of interest to tourists (文物之邦). Other well-known products from this province include silk and tea (丝茶之府).

Zhejiang covers an area of 101,800 sq km with a population of 47,200,000 (per 2004 census).

Zhejiang has a humid subtropical climate. Average annual temperature is around 15°C to 18°C with high of 33~43°C and extreme low of -2.2~-17.4°C and annual precipitation is about 980 to 2000 mm. Spring is usually rainy and windy (late spring and early summer is 梅雨 season); summer is hot and humid, and often threatened by typhoons from the Pacific; fall is dry, warm and sunny; and winter is cold and short.

[edit] History

Zhejiang was controlled by the state of Yue (越) during the Spring and Autumn Period, and later by the state of Chu (楚) in 333 BC before the state of Qin (秦) established a unified Chinese empire in 221 BC.

In the tenth century, rapid social and economic development transformed Zhejiang into one of the richest and most populous regions in China. It led the country in the silk, porcelain, aquaculture and papermaking industries.

Zhejiang was one of the cradles of ancient Chinese civilization. So far over 100 neolithic sites belonging to the Hemudu (5,000 BC) (河姆渡), Majiabang (4,000 BC) (马家浜) and Liangzhu (3,000 BC) (良渚) cultures so far have been discovered.


[edit] Geography

The name Zhejiang, literally crooked river, was the old name of its biggest river, Qiantang River, which flows through Hangzhou, the provincial capital.

Zhejiang is one of the smallest provinces (25th) in China covering an area of 101,800 sq km, of which 70.4% is hill area. Plains and basins make up 23.2%, and the rest 6.4% is covered by rivers and lakes. Areas under cultivation total only about 2.08 million ha. Hence comes with the saying "七山一水两分田".

The whole province tilts from the higher southwest to the lower northeast, and is broadly divided as six areas: northern plain, western hills, eastern hills, middle basin, southern mountain, southeastern coastal plain, and coastal islands.

[edit] Cities

• Haining (海宁) • Hangzhou (杭州) • Huzhou (湖州) • Jiaxing (嘉兴)
• Jinhua (金华) • Lishui (丽水) • Ningbo (宁波) • Pinghu (平湖)
• Quzhou (衢州) • Rui'an (瑞安) • Shangyu (上虞) • Shaoxing (绍兴)
• Taizhou (台州) • Wenzhou (温州) • Yiwu (义乌) • Yongkang (永康)
• Zhoushan (舟山)

[edit] Other Places

[edit] Video

Zhejiang

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[edit] Attractions

Location of major attractions in Zhejiang
Location of major attractions in Zhejiang

[edit] Culture

[edit] Language

Today Mandarin is the standard language spoken by most people. But Zhejiang has many dialects, including Ningbo dialect, Hangzhou dialect, Shaoxing dialect, Wenzhou dialect, Taizhou dialect, Jinhua dialect, Quzhou dialect, Mandarin and Hui dialects (in areas close to Anhui), and Min dialects (in areas close to Fujian). To make matter more complex, these dialects are very different from each other, and in some cases one is completely unintelligible to another.

[edit] Cuisine

Zhejiang cuisine (浙菜) is one of the eight main regional Chinese cuisines. Longjing tea (龙井茶) from Hangzhou, is one of the most prestigious tea in China.

[edit] Music

Zhejiang is the home of Yueju (越剧), which is traditionally performed by actresses only, in both male and female roles. Other important opera traditions include Yongju (of Ningbo) (宁波甬剧 or 宁波滩簧), Wuju (of Jinhua) (金华婺剧), Shaoju (of Shaoxing) (绍兴绍剧), Ouju (of Wenzhou) (温州瓯剧), Zhuji Luantan (of Zhuji) (诸暨乱弹) and Taizhou Luantan (of Taizhou) (台州乱弹).

[edit] Notables

[edit] Ethnic Groups

Han Chinese make up the vast majority of the population. The She and Hui nationalities are the two largest minorities.

[edit] Colleges and Universities

[edit] Area and Postal Codes

Area Code and Postal Code -- Zhejiang Province (浙江)
City Area Code Postal Code City Area Code Postal Code
Haining (海宁) 573 314400 Hangzhou (杭州) 571 310000
Huzhou (湖州) 572 313000 Jiaxing (嘉兴) 573 314000
Jinhua (金华) 579 321000 Lishui (丽水) 578 323000
Ningbo (宁波) 574 315000 Pinghu (平湖) 573 314200
Quzhou (衢州) 570 324000 Rui'an (瑞安) 577 325200
Shangyu (上虞) 575 312300 Shaoxing (绍兴) 575 312000
Taizhou (台州) 576 318000 Wenzhou (温州) 577 325000
Yiwu (义乌) 579 322000 Yongkang (永康) 579 321300
Zhoushan (舟山) 580 316000

[edit] Tips & Practical Info

[edit] See also

Provinces and Cities

Wikipedia:Zhejiang

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