Kunshan
Encyclopedia
Kunshan(also named Lucheng ) is a satellite city in the greater Suzhou
Suzhou
Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
region. Administratively, it is a county-level city within the prefecture-level city
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
of Suzhou. It is located in southeastearn part of Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
Province, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, adjacent to Jiangsu's border with the 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...
Municipality.
The total area of Kunshan is 921.3 square kilometers. The population of Kunshan is 1.647 million(by 2010). The household population is 730 thousand.
Kunshan is currently regarded as one of the most economically successful county-level administrations in China. The GDP has grown substantially from around 20 billion yuan in 2000 to 210.028 billion yuan (approximately 31.958 billion in USD) in 2010, becoming the first county-level city with gross domestic products exceeding 200 billion yuan. The GDP per capita reached US$45,000 based on the permanent residential population account. It was ranked first in the "25 Best County-level Cities in China" study by Forbes China in 2010. With an immigrant population larger than the number of its permanent residents, Kunshan is the winner of the UN-HABITAT Scroll of Honour Award 2010 along with Singapore and Vienna, the most prestigious award given by the United Nations in recognition of work carried out in the field of human settlements development, for its innovative approach to granting migrants the right to essential services in the city. It also carries titles such as the National Hygiene City, the Excellent Tourism City of China, and the National Garden City, as well as the National Model City of Environment Protection and the National Model Zone of Ecology.
Economy
Kunshan has a capital-intensive and export-oriented economy. Its growth has been heavily relying on foreign direct investment and exporting. As of 2006 the city is locally known as "Little TaipeiTaipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
" due to the influx of businessmen from the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
. The pros and cons of it economical success has been the controversial subject of a nationwide debate as against an internal-driven mode of economical development pioneered by Shunde
Shunde
Shunde District is a district of Foshan prefecture-level city in the Pearl River Delta, Guangdong Province, southeast China.-Administration:Shunde was a county-level city until December 8, 2002, when it became a district of Foshan prefecture-level city...
, Guangdong.
An incomplete list of firms/factories in Kunshan
- AMI China, a subsidiary of American MegatrendsAmerican MegatrendsAmerican Megatrends Incorporated is an American hardware and software company that specializes in PC hardware and firmware. The company was founded in 1985 by Pat Sarma and S. Shankar, who was chairman and president...
, is headquartered in Kunshan. - ShimanoShimanoShimano, Inc. is a Japanese multinational manufacturer of cycling components, fishing tackle, and rowing equipment.In 2005, the company had net sales of US $1.4 billion. Bicycle components provided 75% of its sales income...
, the Japanese cycling, fishing and rowing equipment manufacturer has one of its major plants in Kunshan. - Giant Bicycles, the cycling equipment manufacturer, which bills itself as the world's largest bicycle manufacturer, established its mainland subsidiary in Kunshan in 1992 as the Giant Co. Ltd., China.
- Snap-on toolsSnap-onSnap-on is a leading US designer, manufacturer and marketer of tools and equipment to professional tool users. It was founded in 1920. Snap-on is located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and employs approximately 11,500 people worldwide...
also has a presence within China through Kunshan. - Avery DennisonAvery DennisonAvery Dennison Corporation is a global manufacturer and distributor of pressure sensitive adhesive materials , office products, and various paper products....
, a manufacturer of specialty tapes, engineering films, and other items, has a factory base in Kunshan. - Olivet International, a manufacturer of luggage, has a factory, warehouse, and showroom in Kunshan.
- Take A Bath Center, has a large multi-storied building in Kunshan.
- CompalCompal ElectronicsCompal Electronics is a Taiwanese original design manufacturer , handling the production of notebook computers, monitors, and televisions for a variety of clients around the world, including Acer Inc., Dell, Toshiba, Hewlett-Packard, and Fujitsu Siemens Computers...
has its major notebook manufacturing factories in Kunshan that takes OEMOEMOEM means the original manufacturer of a component for a product, which may be resold by another company.OEM may also refer to:-Computing:* OEM font, or OEM-US, the original character set of the IBM PC, circa 1981...
orders from ToshibaToshibais a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
, DellDellDell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
, FujitsuFujitsu Siemens ComputersFujitsu Siemens Computers B.V. was a Japanese and German IT vendor. The company was founded in 1999 as a 50/50 joint venture between Fujitsu Limited of Japan and Siemens AG of Germany...
, and Hewlett-PackardHewlett-PackardHewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
. - FoxconnFoxconnThe Foxconn Technology Group is a multinational business group anchored by the Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. , a Taiwan-registered corporation headquartered in Tucheng, Taiwan...
, a subsidiary of Hon Hai Precision Industry in the Mainland China and a contract manufacturer that makes iPodIPodiPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
, iPadIPadThe iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
and iPhoneIPhoneThe iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, has its production facilities in Kunshan. - Wistron CorporationWistron CorporationWistron Corporation is a major original design manufacturer in Taiwan. It was the manufacturing arm of Acer Inc., which was spun off in 2000....
, the world's second laptop contractor and the manufacturing arm of AcerAcerAcer may refer to:* Acer , the genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as Maple, from the Latin word ācer meaning sharp* Acer Inc., a Taiwan-based international computer company...
Inc., which was spun off in 2000, has one branch of its research, manufacturing and service centres established in Kunshan. - Swissotel has a five-star hotel in Kunshan.
- Marriott InternationalMarriott InternationalMarriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
, the international luxury hotel chain, is now also operating in Kunshan.
Kunshan's current economy is in a phase of transition from "Capital-driven" to "Innovation-driven", and from "Made in Kunshan" to "Designed in Kunshan". This is reflected in the Synthesised Evaluation of Innovative Competence of County-level Cities co-organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the PRC and the Chinese Academy of Science, in which Kunshan has topped out for four consecutive years by 2010.
Ranks among other county-level economies in China
The National Statistics Bureau of China published the league table for "Top 100 Best Developed County-Level Economies in China" (中国县域经济百强县) annually from 2001 to 2006 (also in 1992, 1994, and 1996), which terminated in 2007. Kunshan consistently climbed up the ladder (24th in 1992, 11th in 1994, 9th in 1995, 3rd in 2001 and 2003, 4th and 2nd in 2002 and 2004 respectively), and settled on the top of the table ever since. (2005 and 2006).The China County-level Economy Research Institute (中郡县域经济研究所) has been publishing the ranking table "Evaluative Report of the Basic Comptetiveness and Scientific Development for Nationwide County-level Economies" (全国县域经济基本竞争力与科学发展评价报告) annually since 2001. Kunshan is constantly ranked tied-first in this table from 2007 onwards till 2010 .
Industrial zones
- Kunshan Economic & Technical Development Zone
Kunshan Economic & Technical Development Zone (KETD) was founded in 1985, and was upgraded by the State Council to a State-level development zone in 1992. KETD located in the south of Yangtze River Delta, with Shanghai to its east and Suzhou to its west. KETD has spent over RMB 13 billion on the public infrastructure in terms of roads, telecommunication, water supply, energy and environmental protection. Distance to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport is 20 - 50 km away and is located less than 10km from national highway G312.
- Kunshan Export Processing Zone
Kunshan Export Processing Zone was established on April 2000 upon approval from the state government. It is located in Kunshan Economic and Technological Development Zone and it has a planned area of 2.86 square km. In the zone, there are electronic information, optical, precision machinery industry and bonded logistics industry clusters. It enjoys convenient transportation: it is located 45 km from Shanghai Pudong Airport and 60 km from Shanghai Port.
Culture and arts
Kunshan is culturally significant as the origin of Kunshan diao, the melody which ultimately evolved into Kunqu
Kunqu
Kunqu , also known as Kunju , Kun opera or Kunqu Opera, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from the Kunshan melody, and dominated Chinese theatre from the 16th to the 18th centuries. The style originated in the Wu cultural area...
, one of China's eldest extant theatre arts, which has been listed as one of the World Intangible Culture Heritages by UNESCO .
Education
Duke UniversityDuke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
and the city of Kunshan have partnered to build a campus scheduled to be completed in 2011. Duke's Fuqua School of Business will lead the first phase, which will focus on executive MBA and non-degree executive education programs, a pre-experience management training master’s degree, training of Ph.D. students and the recruitment of top faculty .
Airport
- The nearest airport is the Hongqiao Airport, around 55 km away in west Shanghai, with a driving distance of 45 mins from the YushanYushan-Mainland China:* Yushan County , a county of Shangrao City in the northeast of Jiangxi* Yushan District , Ma'anshan, AnhuiTowns* Yushan, Jinxiang County , in Jinxiang County, ShandongWritten as "玉山镇":* Yushan, Jian'ou, in Jian'ou City, Fujian...
town centre. - The Pudong International Airport is 105 km away in east Shanghai, accessible via motorways within 90 mins.
Road
- China National Highway 312China National Highway 312China National Highway 312 , also referred to as Route 312 or The Mother Road, is an important highway that runs east-west across the breadth of People's Republic of China. It begins at the port city Shanghai and ends at Khorgas in the Ili River valley, on the border with Kazakhstan. In total it...
, or G312, runs through Kunshan from Shanghai, stretching all the way to XinjiangXinjiangXinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
with a total length of 4967 kilometres. - Shanghai-Nanjing ExpresswayShanghai-Nanjing ExpresswayThe Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway is a fully enclosed, high grade and multifunctional modern highway. The highway has two-way four lanes. Each lane is 3.75m. And the main highway's roadbed is 26 meters. There sets a 3-meter-wide dividing strip in the center of the highway and a 2.5-meter-wide...
joins Kunshan to ShanghaiShanghaiShanghai 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...
, SuzhouSuzhouSuzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
, WuxiWuxiWuxi is an old city in Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. Split in half by Lake Tai, Wuxi borders Changzhou to the west and Suzhou to the east. The northern half looks across to Taizhou across the Yangtze River, while the southern half also borders the province of Zhejiang to the south...
, ChangzhouChangzhouChangzhou is a prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It was previously known as Yanling, Lanling, Jinling, and Wujin. Located on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, Changzhou borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the west, Zhenjiang to the...
, ZhenjiangZhenjiangZhenjiang is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Jiangsu province in the eastern People's Republic of China . Sitting on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the west, Changzhou to the east, and Yangzhou across the river to the north.Once...
and NanjingNanjing' 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...
.
Railway
- Jinghu RailwayJinghu railwayThe Beijing–Shanghai Railway or Jinghu railway is a railway line in China between Beijing and Shanghai. The line has a total length of 1,462 kilometres and connects the municipalities of Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai, as well as the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu...
that starts from BeijingBeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
and ends at ShanghaiShanghaiShanghai 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...
crosses Kunshan at the Kunshan Railway Station. - The Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway and the Shanghai–Nanjing Intercity High-Speed Railway both pass through Kunshan. The former stops by the Kunshan South Railway StationKunshan South Railway StationThe Kunshan South Railway Station is a railway station on the Jinghu High-Speed Railway and the Huning Intercity Rail...
, while the latter stops by Yangcheng Lake Railway StationYangcheng Lake Railway StationYangcheng Lake Railway Station or Yangchenghu Railway Station is a railway station of Shanghai-Nanjing Intercity Railway. It is located on the west side of Kunshan City, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.-References:...
, the Kunshan South Railway StationKunshan South Railway StationThe Kunshan South Railway Station is a railway station on the Jinghu High-Speed Railway and the Huning Intercity Rail...
and the Huaqiao Railway StationHuaqiao Railway StationHuaqiao Railway Station is a railway station of Shanghai-Nanjing Intercity Railway located in Kunshan, People's Republic of China....
. Kunshan is the only county-level city where the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed trains stop.
Underground
- A motion made to construct two metro railways running through the city centre was passed by the Jiangsu provincial government. Kunshan is hence expected to become the first county-level city with public rail transporting system running underground. According to the proposal, the lines to be constructed will connect the metro railway systems in Suzhou (Line 3) and Shanghai (Line 11).
Renowned figures
It is known as the birthplace of Fei JunlongFei Junlong
Colonel Fei Junlong is a Chinese military pilot and an astronaut. He flew on the second manned spaceflight of the Shenzhou program....
(one of the two Chinese astronauts on the 6th mission of the Shenzhou space program ) and IT entrepreneur, An Wang
An Wang
Dr. An Wang was a Chinese American computer engineer and inventor, and co-founder of computer company Wang Laboratories.-Early life and career:...
. In history, famous figures include Zu Chongzhi
Zu Chongzhi
Zu Chongzhi , courtesy name Wenyuan , was a prominent Chinese mathematician and astronomer during the Liu Song and Southern Qi Dynasties.-Life and works:...
,Gong Xian
Gong Xian
Gong Xian was a Chinese painter, the most important of the Eight Masters of Nanjing and the leading painter of the Nanjing school....
, Gu Yanwu
Gu Yanwu
Gu Yanwu , also known as Gu Tinglin , was a Chinese philologist and geographer. He spent his youth in anti-Manchu activities at a time when the Ming Dynasty had been overthrown. He never served the Qing Dynasty...
, Gui Zhengchuan, and Zhu Bailu.
Literature
- Einar Tangen: Cities of China – Kunshan. The Kunshan Way. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 2010; ISBN 978-7-119-06432-1.