Changshu (Chinese:常熟; pinyin:Chángshú; Wade-Giles:Ch'ang-shu; lit."a place of all time harvest") is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Suzhou,and is located in the south-eastern part of eastern-China’s Jiangsu Province as well as the Yangtze River Delta.Due to the mild climate and terrain there,it has enjoyed a high level of agriculture civilization since ancient times,and is named after this,for in Chinese Chang (常) means “always,often” and Shu (熟) has the meaning of “crop harvest”.Not surprisingly,there is a town nearby called Taicang which means “Greatest Granary”.
Changshu comprises 12 towns and two provincial economy and technology development districts.As a historically and culturally famous city,Changshu is known for its long history,beautiful scenery and prosperity.It is one of the most well developed counties in China:its GDP reached 97.2 billion yuan in 2007,and GDP per capita reached 91,846 yuan (ca.US$12,000),ranking among the top 10 counties within China.
Changsu has experienced economic growth of 15–20 percent for the last 20 years.In 2007,Changshu had a GDP of RMB97.6 billion,an increase of 18 percent from 2006.Of this,only 1.8 percent comes from the primary industry,whereas 59.18 percent is derived from the secondary industry and the tertiary industry makes up the remaining 39 percent.[2]
The city’s major industries include textiles,paper-making,fine chemicals,machinery,steel and forestry products.The city has more than 4,000 textile and apparel companies with combined annual sales of RMB50 billion.The paper-making industry has attracted more the US$15 billion of FDI.By the end of 2007,this industry exceeded 2.4 million tons.[3]
More than 2,000 foreign enterprises have invested in Changshu including big names such as Sharp and Dunlop.Of the contracted investment at least one-third has come from Taiwan – more than 500 Taiwan enterprises have invested more than US$100 million in the city.UMP-Kymmene from Finland has been running a paper mill in the city since 1999 and now has an annual capacity of 200,000 tons of coated and 600,000 tons of uncoated fine paper.Changshu’s import and export rate has also increased in recent years with imports going up by 88.4 percent to US$3.89 billion and exports rising 60.4 percent to US$6.74 billion in 2007
Changshu first became an independent county in 540 AD,but in 581 was made subordinate to Suzhou.It was promoted to seat of a full prefecture in 1295,was rebuilt and fortified in the 1300s,but in 1370 was reduced again to the level of a county.In the 15th and 16th centuries Changshu was several times attacked by Japanese pirates.
Changshu has traditionally been a market town for locally-produced rice,corn,wheat,tea,and mulberry leaves,and since the 13th century has been a major cotton-producing district.Although administratively still a subordinate city to Suzhou,it is a provincial base of foreign trade.Currently a harbour is being developed on the Yangtze River near Changshu to service Suzhou and Wuxi.