Changzhou

Human activity in the Changzhou region can be traced back more than 6,000 years to the Neolithic Majiabang culture. The Weidun (previously known as Yudun, 圩墩) site, located in the region, is one of the northernmost major sites of that culture and contains a large cemetery whose use continued into the subsequent Songze culture. By the Liangzhu period, the region was characterized by the Sidun (寺墩) site, a polity covering approximately 900,000 square meters. The settlement was organized around a central earthen altar, roughly 100 meters in diameter and 20 meters high, surrounded by multiple moats and distinct cemetery clusters. Notably excavations of a high-status burial at the site yielded an assemblage of 57 jade artifacts, including bi discs and cong tubes. During the late Spring and Autumn period, the walled site of Yancheng (淹城) was constructed in the region. …

Changzhou is located in the Yangtze Delta region, in the northwestern part of the Taihu Lake Plain. It is bordered by the Yangtze River in the north, Taihu Lake in the south, Anhui province and Nanjing in the southwest, Wuxi in the east and Zhenjiang in the west. It is equidistant from Shanghai and Nanjing, and 144 kilometres from the provincial capital Nanjing. Southwest of the Yili mountains, mountain peaks have Maoshan. Changzhou has Tao Lake and Ge Lake. Rivers are Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal, Wuyi Canal, Tai Ge Canal, Jingxi, South Canal and so on. Changzhou has a dense network of waterways, and in the 1930s, when flooding broke out in the southern part of the Yangtze River, Zhou Chen went to the southern part of the Yangtze River to control the water, he greatly promoted the enclosure of lakes to create fields. …

Changzhou is the home of the China Dinosaurs Park located in the Xinbei District of the city. The 5A rated Dinosaur Park has a collection of dinosaur bones and fossils from all over China. The park has 50 various fossils and more than 30 amusement programs including the Brontosaurus Roller Coaster and the Whirling Dinosaur Carriage. The fossils are located in a museum housed in a single building and the amusement rides are spread throughout the park which is categorized into six themed areas. Besides fossils and family oriented rides, Dinosaur Park is home to a giant panda and sea lions. The city is also home to the Tianning Temple—one of the largest Zen Buddhist temple and monasteries in China. The city recently rebuilt the Tianning pagoda in the temple grounds, which is adjacent to Hongmei Park. …