Dafeng
Encyclopedia
Dafeng a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Yancheng
Yancheng
Yancheng is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. The city with the largest jurisdiction area in Jiangsu, Yancheng borders Lianyungang to the north, Huai'an to the west, Yangzhou and Taizhou to the southwest, Nantong to the south, and looks out to...

 which is one of 13 prefecture-level cities in Jiangsu province. Dafeng is located in Jiangsu North Plain with a coastline of 112 km. In its history, Dafeng was one of the largest salt-making areas in China and now is famed for its well preserved eco-system and numerous national conservation parks. The city has the largest national nature reserve for a rare deer species, Père David's Deer
Père David's Deer
Père David's Deer, Elaphurus davidianus, also known as the Milu , is a species of deer known only in captivity. It prefers marshland, and is believed to be native to the subtropics of China. It grazes on a mixture of grass and water plants. It is the only extant member of the genus Elaphurus...

 or Milu
Milu
-People:*Milú , Portuguese actress and singer*miLù German singer who has worked with Schiller -Other uses:*The Chinese name for Père David's Deer*Milü, an approximation for pi by Zu Chongzhi...

 (麋鹿) in Chinese.

Geography, resources, and climate

Dafeng borders four counties including Dongtai
Dongtai
Dongtai is a city under the jurisdiction of Yancheng, Jiangsu, in the People's Republic of China, located on the west coast of the Pacific ocean and 190 kilometers north of Shanghai. It has a population of roughly 1,170,000 estimated for 2007...

, Sheyang, Yancheng
Yancheng
Yancheng is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. The city with the largest jurisdiction area in Jiangsu, Yancheng borders Lianyungang to the north, Huai'an to the west, Yangzhou and Taizhou to the southwest, Nantong to the south, and looks out to...

 and Xinghua
Xinghua
This article is about the city. For other uses, see Xinghua.Xinghua City is a county-level city in Taizhou, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China...

. The county has a coastline of 112 km and a magnificent size of the wetland along its coastline, which is around near 800,000 hectares, sheltering enormous numbers of species of insects, fish, wild animals, and millions of migrating birds.

Upon the completion of Sutong Bridge, the city will significantly reduce the driving time to two hours to Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

 and the south of Jiangsu.

Dafeng has a warm and wet subtropical climate and is influenced by the East Asian monsoon
East Asian monsoon
The East Asian monsoon is a monsoonal flow that carries moist air from the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean to East Asia. It affects approximately one-third of the global population, influencing the climate of Japan , the Koreas, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and much of mainland China...

. It has distinct seasons and an abundant sunshine. The average annual temperature is close to 15°C and the normal precipitation is over 1,000 mm yearly.

Administration and jurisdiction

Under the jurisdiction of Yancheng, Dafeng comprises 12 towns and townships and two provincial economical zones.

Area and population

Dafeng occupies a physical land mass of 2,370 square kilometers and the city’s population is 0.7 million. In order to boost its economic development, the city contracts the government of Shanghai and Jiangsu provincial government in which the city rents out a part of its coastal territory to two governments in exchange for more investment and cooperation.

Economy, industry, and environment

Traditionally, Dafeng heavily depended on its agriculture income and its principal agricultural products include rice, cotton, oil seed, cocoon, fruit, livestock and aquatic products. In 2006, its agricultural earning occupied half of the total GDP of the city.

The city has been designated by the national government as one of ecology-pioneering cities and a comprehensive experimental zone in China. Its industrial sectors, including machinery, foods, light and chemical industries, have been developing in a good shape and fast. The incoming investment funds are further improving the city’s economic capability.

Dafeng Port is a sea-orientated port and has been listed by the state government as one of important ports in the east coastline of China. The city has been included in the Shanghai Economical Zone and the Yangtze Delta Economical Circle.

Regardless of its success in rapid industrial growth, Dafeng still emphasizes its eco-balanced development. The city drafted the first comprehensive protocol in China to highlight its ecologic priority in the city’s development scheme and has been selected by the Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...

 of the United Nations as an experimental area of the Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development program. In addition, the city has been working hard to establish its national reputation in produce of diverse organic food, vegetables, fruits, etc.

Dafeng maintains the largest national nature reserve for the unpolluted wetland in China and the reserve has been recognized as a fabulous conservation land for an endangered deer species, Père David's Deer
Père David's Deer
Père David's Deer, Elaphurus davidianus, also known as the Milu , is a species of deer known only in captivity. It prefers marshland, and is believed to be native to the subtropics of China. It grazes on a mixture of grass and water plants. It is the only extant member of the genus Elaphurus...

 or Milu
Milu
-People:*Milú , Portuguese actress and singer*miLù German singer who has worked with Schiller -Other uses:*The Chinese name for Père David's Deer*Milü, an approximation for pi by Zu Chongzhi...

 (麋鹿) in Chinese. The wild deer perished in the early 19th century in China but was re-introduced to the national park in 1985. The immense coastline and wetland is a paradise as well for other species of insects, fish, animals, and millions of migrating birds.

Culture and folklore

Early settlers of Dafeng were migrants from either the north of and the south. While the north migrants were from the neighboring areas, those from the south had their ancestry in the south of Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...

. In early days, the two migrant groups primarily lived in their respective communities and that forms the foundation of today’s two distinct dialects. The local dialect (also known as Benchang dialect, 本场话) and the Haimen
Haimen
Haimen is a county-level city in the southeast of Jiangsu province of Eastern China. It is located at the opposite side of the Yangtze River to Shanghai. Chonghai Bridge links the city to Chongming County.The county has a seat named Haimen Township...

 dialect (海门话). The local dialect is a version of the language popular in the northern China--north of Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...

. The Haimen
Haimen
Haimen is a county-level city in the southeast of Jiangsu province of Eastern China. It is located at the opposite side of the Yangtze River to Shanghai. Chonghai Bridge links the city to Chongming County.The county has a seat named Haimen Township...

 dialect is overwhelmingly popular in Haimen county (Jiangsu province), which is a version of Wu language that is whidespread in the southern Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. Nowadays, with frequent and much easier travel and communications, the spoken language (dialect) diversity has been diminishing and a mixture of the two (dialect) vocabularies and accents has gradually takes its form.

Transportation and tourism

Dafeng has an hour of driving distance to its neighbors including Yancheng
Yancheng
Yancheng is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. The city with the largest jurisdiction area in Jiangsu, Yancheng borders Lianyungang to the north, Huai'an to the west, Yangzhou and Taizhou to the southwest, Nantong to the south, and looks out to...

, Dongtai
Dongtai
Dongtai is a city under the jurisdiction of Yancheng, Jiangsu, in the People's Republic of China, located on the west coast of the Pacific ocean and 190 kilometers north of Shanghai. It has a population of roughly 1,170,000 estimated for 2007...

, Sheyang and Xinghua
Xinghua
This article is about the city. For other uses, see Xinghua.Xinghua City is a county-level city in Taizhou, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China...

, about three hours to the provincial capital, Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...

, and two hours to Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

. The city is connected by railways and highways, plus recently constructed expressways. For air passengers, Nanjing Lukou International Airport
Nanjing Lukou International Airport
Nanjing Lukou International Airport is the main airport of Nanjing, the capital of China's Jiangsu province. The airport is located in the suburban Jiangning District, over 35 km to the south from Nanjing's downtown area....

 and Yancheng Airport
Yancheng Airport
Yancheng Nanyang Airport is an international airport serving Yancheng, a city in Jiangsu Province, China.The airport is located in the town of Nanyang, from the city center. Commercial flights started in 2000, and international flights started in 2008....

 are two options. Upon completion of Sutong Bridge, Shanghai and the southern Jiangsu would be accessible within two hours of driving distance.

Dafeng Port is a sea-orientated cargo port and has been listed by the national government as one of important port in the middle of the east coastline of China. It handles ocean-going vessels and containers to or from South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong.

In the inner city, the public transportation including bus, taxi and cargo transport, long distance buses to near cities or towns, provides convenience to commuters and visitors even if the system still needs a major improvement.

Dafeng is one of 15 eco-orientated touring cities in China, designated by the central government. Over years, the city has been becoming an attractive tourist paradise for its marvelous natural resources including the reservation parks and the diverted wildlife.

Education

Dafeng has well instituted compulsory primary education system. The secondary schools including high schools achieves significant graduate rate. Dafeng does not have higher learning institutions available in the city.

Notable personage

Shi Naian
Shi Naian
Shi Nai'an , was a Chinese writer from Suzhou. He was attributed as the first compiler of the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.Not much biographical information is known about him...

 (施耐庵), a most well-known novelist in China’ history, attributed the first compiler of the famous novel, The Water Margin (水浒传).

Zhang Jian
Zhang Jian
Zhang Jian may refer to:* Zhang Jian , Chinese middle distance runner* Zhang Jian , Chinese fencer* Zhang Jian , Chinese politician* Zhang Jian , Chinese royal figure...

(张謇), a founder of China’s modern textile industry and a prominent statesman, once established the Dafeng Salt Exploitation Limited in 1917.
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