Area: 94sq.km/36sq.mi. Population: 500,000
Changzhou lies on the Nanjing-Shanghai rail route.
The town has been in existence for more than 2500 years. Thanks to its situation on the Grand Canal - the extremely important transportation and trade route which was first constructed in the 5th C. BC and has been extended several times since -
Changzhou has enjoyed periods of rapid and thriving expansion.
Today it is one of the major industrial towns in Jiangsu province, especially in the spheres of food production, textiles and machinery.