Jiangsu

Jiangsu ({{zh-stpw |s=江苏 |t=江蘇 |p=Jiāngsū |w=Chiang-su}}; Postal System Pinyin: Kiangsu) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country.

Culture

There are wide disparities in culture in Jiangsu. North Jiangsu is closer to Shandong and Henan provinces in culture while south Jiangsu is more similar to Zhejiang and Shanghai.

Related Topics:
Shandong - Henan - Zhejiang - Shanghai

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Two main subdivisions of the Chinese language, Mandarin and Wu, are spoken in different parts of Jiangsu. Dialects of Mandarin are spoken over most of northern Jiangsu and central Jiangsu, as well as parts of southern Jiangsu, such as in the provincial capital, Nanjing; a more detailed classification would put dialects of northern Jiangsu (such as in Xuzhou) under "Zhongyuan dialects" and those of central and southern Jiangsu (such as in Yangzhou or Nanjing) under "Jianghuai dialects". Dialects of Wu are spoken in the southernmost parts of Jiangsu, such as in Suzhou, Wuxi, and Changzhou. Mandarin and Wu are not mutually intelligible and the dividing line is sharp and well-defined. (See also: Nanjing dialect, Xuzhou dialect, Yangzhou dialect, Suzhou dialect, Wuxi dialect, Changzhou dialect.)

Related Topics:
Chinese language - Mandarin - Wu - Dialects of Mandarin - Nanjing - Xuzhou - Yangzhou - Suzhou - Wuxi - Changzhou - Nanjing dialect - Xuzhou dialect - Yangzhou dialect - Suzhou dialect - Wuxi dialect - Changzhou dialect

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Jiangsu is rich in cultural traditions. Kunqu, originating in Kunshan, is one of the most renowned and prestigious forms of Chinese opera. Pingtan, a form of storytelling accompanied by music, is also popular: it can be subdivided into types by origin: Suzhou Pingtan (of Suzhou), Yangzhou Pingtan (of Yangzhou), and Nanjing Pingtan (of Nanjing). Xiju, a form of traditional Chinese opera, is popular in Wuxi, while Huaiju is popular further north, around Yancheng. Jiangsu cuisine is one of the eight great traditions of the cuisine of China.

Related Topics:
Kunqu - Kunshan - Chinese opera - Pingtan - Suzhou Pingtan - Suzhou - Yangzhou Pingtan - Yangzhou - Nanjing Pingtan - Nanjing - Xiju - Wuxi - Huaiju - Yancheng - Jiangsu cuisine - Cuisine of China

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Suzhou is also famous for its embroidery, silk, jasmine tea, stone bridges, pagodas, and its classical gardens. Nearby Yixing is famous for its teaware, and Yangzhou is famous for its lacquerware and jadeware. Nanjing's yunjin is a famous form of woven silk, while Wuxi is famous for its peaches.

Related Topics:
Suzhou - Embroidery - Silk - Jasmine tea - Bridges - Pagodas - Gardens - Yixing - Teaware - Yangzhou - Lacquerware - Jadeware - Nanjing - Yunjin - Woven - Wuxi - Peach

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Since ancient times, south Jiangsu has been famed for its prosperity and opulence, and simply inserting south Jiangsu place names (Suzhou, Yangzhou, etc.) into poetry gave an effect of dreaminess, as was indeed done by many famous poets. In particular, the fame of Suzhou (as well as Hangzhou in neighbouring Zhejiang province) has led to the popular saying: 上有天堂，下有蘇杭 (above there is heaven; below there is Suzhou and Hangzhou), a saying that continues to be a source of pride for the people of these two still prosperous cities. Similarly, the prosperity of Yangzhou has led poets to dream of: 腰纏十萬貫，騎鶴下揚州 (with a hundred thousand strings of coins wrapped around the waist, riding a crane down to Yangzhou).

Related Topics:
Suzhou - Yangzhou - Hangzhou - Zhejiang - Strings of coins - Crane

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Famous people

This is a list of famous people from Jiangsu in chronological order. Note that modern-day Jiangsu province dates from the 17th century, so most of the people in this list would not know what "Jiangsu" is.

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• King Helu of Wu (? - 496 BC), king of the state of Wu
• Gan Jiang
• Mo Xie
• Xiang Yu (232 BC - 202 BC), warlord at the end of Qin Dynasty
• Emperor Gao of Han (256 BC - 195 BC), first emperor of Han Dynasty
• Han Xin, Han Dynasty general
• Xiao He, Han Dynasty general
• Cao Shen, Han Dynasty general
• Zhang Zhao, Three Kingdoms era strategist
• Lu Xun, Three Kingdoms era strategist and general
• Ge Hong
• Tao Hongjing
• Gu Kaizhi (348 - 409), painter
• Lu Ji
• Lu Yun
• Emperor Wu of Song (363 - 422), first emperor of Song Dynasty (420-479)
• Zhang Xu (? - ?), Tang Dynasty calligrapher
• Li Houzhu (937 - 978), last emperor of Later Tang Dynasty, poet
• Fan Zhongyan (989 - 1052), Song Dynasty politician, poet
• Fan Chengda
• Gu Xiancheng
• Xu Xiake (1586 - 1641), travel writer
• Shen Zhou
• Wen Zhengming
• Dong Qichang
• Zhu Yunming
• Wu Cheng'en (? - 1582), author of Journey to the West
• Gui Youguang
• Feng Menglong
• Zheng Banqiao (1693 - 1765), poet, painter, scholar
• Jin Shengtan (1608 - 1661), writer, critic
• Gu Yanwu
• Zhao Yi
• Liu E
• Xu Beihong (1895 - 1953), painter
• Mei Lanfang (1894 - 1961), Beijing opera actor
• Jiang Zemin (1926 - ), President of the People's Republic of China