Zhejiang

From Wikinfo

Zhejiang (浙江, pinyin Zh�jiāng Shěng) is a southeast coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Zhejiang means winding river in Chinese.

浙江省
Zh�jiāng Shěng
Province Abbreviation(s): &#27993 (Zh�)
Capital	Hangzhou
Area - Total - % water	Ranked 24th 101,800 km² xx%
Population - Total (2000) - Density	Ranked 10th 46,770,000 459/km²
Administration Type	Province
File:China provinces zhejiang.png

History

Geography

Zhejiang is on the south side of the Yangtze river delta and is close to Shanghai (which is located north of the province).

The southern end of the Grand Canal of China is located in Hangzhou.

Zhejiang is divided into ten prefecture-level cities and one prefecture at the sub-provincial level: Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Jiaxing, Huzhou, Shaoxing, Jinhua, Quzhou, Zhoushan, Taizhou, and Liushui Prefecture. There are also 39 counties, 25 cities, and 24 districts at the county level.

Economy

The province is also known as the "Land of Fish and Rice", and also produces silk and tea. Significant mechanical manufacturing happens there as well.

Commercial ports, by order of importance: Ningbo, Wenzhou, Zhoushan.

Demographics

The She and Hui nationalities are the two largest minorities.

Culture

Like Fujian, Zhejiang is extremely linguistically diverse. The inhabitants of Zhejiang speak Wu dialect but with the dialect becoming unintelligible every few kilometers.

Tourism

Tourist destinations in Zhejiang include:

Baoguo Temple, the oldest intact wooden structure in Southern China, 15km north of Ningbo.
Qita Temple, Ningbo.
The ancient capital of Hangzhou.
Shaoxing and other waterway towns.
Tiantai Shan, a mountain important to Zen Buddhism.
Putuo Shan, one of the most famous Buddhist mountains of China. Chinese Buddhists associate it with Guan Yin.
Yandang Shan, a scenic area north of Wenzhou.