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An aerial photo of Jiading district. [Photo/WeChat account: sh-jiading] |
Jiading was officially set up in 1217 during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), dating back over 800 years. As a historically famous cultural city in East China, it is known as "Enlightenment Jiading" for simple folkways, diverse styles of writing, nice scenery and talented people, leaving numerous scenic spots and cultural relics.
Located in the center of the Yangtze River Delta region, the district now covers a 464-square-kilometer area to the northwest of Shanghai, adjoining Shanghai's Baoshan and Putuo districts on the east, the city of Kunshan, Jiangsu on the west, Shanghai's Minhang, Changning and Qingpu districts on the south, and Taicang, Jiangsu on the north. The Liuhe River borders it to the north and Wusong River to the south. It has flat terrain that is slightly higher in the northeastern part.
Jiading boasts convenient and interconnected waterways, with Wenzaobang, Lianqi and Loutang rivers, which flow into the Yangtze and Huangpu rivers, running west to east across the Baoshan district, and Yantietang, Hengli, and Xinchapu rivers running from south to north into the Wusong and Liuhe rivers. The total length of Jiading's rivers is more than 1,800 km and it has a water surface ratio of 7.71 percent, storing up 180 million cubic meters.
Facing the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, Jiading district has nevertheless given top priority to steady growth and showed a great deal of resilience in seeking stable economic development. It has narrowed industrial production decline, strengthened emerging industries, promoted the development of its e-commerce, seen surging increase in service revenue, and had slightly fall on fixed asset investment.
Jiading has convenient transportation, with the district government a 60-minute drive from the Pudong International Airport and a 20-minute drive from the Hongqiao Airport and Railway Station. Passing through the district are the Shanghai-Nanjing Railway, Shanghai-Hangzhou Outer Ring Railway, Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, and the Shanghai-Nantong Railway is under construction.
Shanghai Metro's Line 11, 13 and 14, which also pass through Jiading, are open. Work on the Jiading-Minhang line has begun. The district also boasts a sound highway system, with the G15 (Shenyang-Haikou Expressway), G2 (Beijing-Shanghai Expressway), S5 (Shanghai-Jiading Expressway), S6 (Shanghai-Nanxiang Expressway), and G1501 (Shanghai Belt Highway) traveling across it.
Plans to develop Jiading into a high-tech satellite city began as early as 1958. Today, after over 50 years of development, the district has become a key supporting area for the Shanghai Technology Innovation Center and a pilot area for emerging industries.
According to Shanghai's five year plan, the city will accelerate the building of five "new cities" in its suburbs to optimize its development layout and to boost economic growth in the next five years, with Jiading being one of the five new cities. The plan said that the municipal government will support the building of major industrial projects, high-quality public infrastructure, and comprehensive transportation hubs in the five new cities.
It has 11 national scientific research institutes, three research centers affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and two scientific industrial bases. It also boasts a talent pool of over 350,000 people, over 50 of which are academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering.
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The Confucius Temple in Jiading, Shanghai [Photo/jiading.gov.cn] |
Jiading is also a Ministry of Education reform pilot for rural education, a Prairie Fire Program demonstration site, and a quality-oriented education pilot. By the end of 2019, the district had 98 pre-school places, 43 primary schools, and 45 middle schools, attending to 40,706 pre-school children, 51,477 pupils, and 33,265 middle school students. There are also seven colleges and universities based in Jiading.
As the site of the Shanghai International Automobile City, Jiading has been striving to deploy auto industry resources from manufacturing to services by leveraging resources such as SAIC Volkswagen, Tongji University and Auto Tech-Innovation Park, aiming to create a comprehensive auto industry base which integrates manufacturing, education, development, design, finance, trade, culture, tourism, and after-market.
Jiading has an abundance of historical and cultural relics, and its culture business and activities are thriving, with a cultural center, a museum, a library, a radio and TV station, the Lu Yanshao Art Gallery, and the Han Tiangeng Art Gallery. Jiading occasionally schedules cultural festivals, such as the Confucius Culture Festival, and also promotes folk arts, such as bamboo carving, Xuhang straw-weaving, and Nanxiang steamed buns. The FIA Formula One World Championship race was held every year at the Shanghai International Circuit, built in 2004.
The district also has many scenic spots, such as the Fahua Pagoda and Zhouqiao Old Street, which, built during the Song Dynasty, were the central part of the city of Lianqi, the predecessor of Jiading. The southern part of Jiading has the Confucius Temple, built in 1219, with splendid halls and corridors. On the east side of it is the Danghu Academy, Shanghai's only academy, built in the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). Huilongtan Park is also a tourist attraction in the old town, separated by water from the Confucius Temple. Qiuxiapu, a famous classical garden park, consists of private gardens belonging to the Gong, Shen, and Jin families during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). There are a pair of pavilion-style pagodas in Nanxiang, with a graceful appearance and a history of more than 1,000 years. Also situated in the town of Jiangqiao are the Huang Family Plantation (Garden), built in 1928 and famous for its rare trees.
Shanghai Volkswagen Industrial Tourist Park, the Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai Automobile Exhibition Center, and Shanghai Auto Museum all opened after 2003, in Jiading, as new Shanghai attractions. The China Imperial Exam Museum, Shanghai Auto Museum, and Shanghai Automobile Exhibition Center were completed in 2006. The Jiading Bamboo Carvings Museum opened to the public in 2007, and Waigang Guerrilla Museum, in 2008. Jiading's tourism has grown rapidly and it now has the Zhouqiao National AAAA Scenic Spot, Malu Grape Theme Park, and Huating Renjia National AAA Scenic Spot, and has held the Shanghai Auto Culture Festival and various activities for the Shanghai Tourism Festival.
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The Auto Museum of Jiading, Shanghai [Photo/jiading.gov.cn] |
