Taizhou is located in the central part of Jiangsu, bordering the Yangtze River in the south, Yancheng in the north, Nantong in the east and Yangzhou in the west. It covers a total area of 5,787 square kilometers and has a registered population of 4.52 million.

The city administrates three county-level cities, namely Jingjiang, Taixing and Xinghua, three districts of Hailing, Gaogang and Jiangyan, and Taizhou Pharmaceutical High-tech Zone.

Taizhou is a famous historical and cultural city with a 2,100-year-long history. For thousands of years, Taizhou has been in good weather and peace environment, and was dubbed an auspicious land. Plenty of celebrities were born here, such as Shi Nai'an, Zheng Banqiao and Mei Lanfang.

The city has several famous scenic spots such as Guangxiao Temple, Chongru Temple, Anding Academy, and the Sea-watching pavilion. In addition, Gingko Forests, Qinhu Wetland, Waterfront Forests and Tiande Lake Park are also attractive natural scenic spots.

Taizhou is located in the central part of Jiangsu, bordering the Yangtze River in the south, Yancheng in the north, Nantong in the east and Yangzhou in the west. [Photo/taizhou.gov.cn]

Economy

Taizhou has seen solid recent economic growth and its gross domestic product or GDP hit 673.17 billion yuan ($93.26 billion) in 2023.

That performance represented a year-on-year increase of 6.8 percent, according to the economic and social development report released by the city's bureau of statistics on March 18.

Throughout the year, the value-added output of industrial enterprises above a designated size – those with an annual revenue from their main business of 20 million yuan or more – increased by 7.1 percent year-on-year.

The agricultural sector in particular demonstrated resilience, with a total output value of 57.4 billion yuan, showing 4.3 percent year-on-year growth. Notably, the grain yield per hectare maintained its leading position in the province for the seventh consecutive year at 7,494 kilograms per hectare.

Fixed asset investment jumped by 9.4 percent compared with the previous year. A total of 433 new projects with an investment of over 100 million yuan each began construction, marking a 7.7 percent increase year-on-year.

Elsewhere, the year-end saw a total of 715,100 market entities registered by the market supervision department, indicating a growth of 5.7 percent, with 81,500 newly registered entities during the year. Of these, 178,700 were private enterprises, recording a growth rate of 6.4 percent.

Urban employment experienced an increase of 63,900 million people, reflecting 5.1 percent growth. Additionally, 22,000 individuals were supported in successful entrepreneurial endeavors.

Retail sales of consumer goods reached 170.97 billion yuan, exhibiting  7.6 percent year-on-year growth.

The biggest star of the year was tourism – with the sector posting a whopping 117 percent increase in the number of domestic tourists, reaching 35.63 million trips.

The total value of imports and exports, meanwhile, rose to 134.44 billion yuan, up 2.8 percent compared with the previous year.

In all, the city welcomed 67 new foreign-invested enterprises and approved 36 new overseas investment projects – including 20 projects involved in the Belt and Road Initiative – marking an increase of 15 projects on the previous year.

The general public budget revenue amounted to 43.97 billion yuan, for a 5.5 percent gain.

Per capita disposable income for residents rose to 49,255 yuan, reflecting a 6.2 percent jump on the previous corresponding period.

A cultural celebration preserved by Taizhou residents [Photo/taizhou.gov.cn]

Culture & History

In ancient times, Taizhou was called Haiyang or Hailing. In the early period of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220), Taizhou was established as a county; in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420), it became a prefecture, and then in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), it was a state, whose name means "the country is prosperous and the people live in peace".

Taizhou has many famous food, such as sesame oil, sesame cake, wine preserved crab, dried pork slices, crab dumplings in soup, noodle, globe fish, and dried tofu.

Dried pork slices is a specialty of Taizhou. [Photo/taizhou.gov.cn]