Yancheng

Yancheng (Simplified Chinese: �城; Traditional Chinese: 鹽城; Hanyu Pinyin: Yánchéng; lit. "Salt City") is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. The largest city in Jiangsu in terms of physical size, 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 the Yellow Sea to the east.

Yancheng, literally "Salt City", is named after the many sea salt harvest fields around the city. According to historical records, collection and production of sea salt in the region began as early as 119 BC during the Western Han Dynasty, when the settlement on the current location of Yancheng was named Yandu County (�渎县).

Yancheng has a history of 2,100 years since the first canton was founded here in Han Dynasty at year 119 BC. Yancheng was in the limelight during the Chinese Civil War from the 1930s to 1940s. The New Fourth Army (N4A) led by the Chinese Communist Party was reestablished in Yancheng after being ambushed and battered by the enemy. After the revival, the N4A played an very important role in the war and finally the foundation of the People's Republic of China. Many monuments in honor of N4A heros can still be found around Yancheng.

There has been a number of notable people born in Yancheng. Qiao Guanhua (1913-1983) was the Chinese Foreign Minister during the 1970s and he was the first top Chinese diplomat at the UN after the legitimate position of China was restored during the Cold War. Hu Qiaomu (1912-1992) served as a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, Director of the Party Literature Research Centre of the Central Committee, Director of the Party History Research Centre of the Central Committee and President of the Chinese Academy of Social Science in the 1980s. Two of them are always referred to "Two Qiao" of Yancheng.