Jiaxing

Jiaxing, city, northern Zhejiang sheng (province), eastern China. Jiaxing is a communications centre in the southern Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) delta, situated to the southeast of Lake Tai on the Grand Canal, north of the port of Hangzhou and on the railway between Hangzhou and Shanghai. It is joined to the dense waterway network that serves the northern Zhejiang plain.

The city was founded in the 3rd century bce when the Qin dynasty (221–207 bce) established Youquan county. In 231 ce the city’s name was changed to Hexing (meaning “Flourishing Grain”), for the rich rice production in the area, and shortly afterward to Jiaxing. From the late 3rd century ce until 589 it was the seat of the commandery of Wu; it was then reduced to the status of a county seat and placed under the jurisdiction of Suzhou in Jiangsu province. In 608, when the Grand Canal was constructed, it joined Jiaxing to the Yangtze at Zhenjiang (northwest) and to Hangzhou (south). In 938 Jiaxing became the seat of a prefecture and was called Xiuzhou. In 1195 it was made a superior prefecture because it had been the birthplace of the Song emperor Xiaozong (reigned 1163–89). The Yuan (Mongol) dynasty (1279–1368) renamed it Jiaxing, and from 1368 to 1911 it was the superior prefecture of Jiaxing. The city suffered considerable damage during the latter stages of the Taiping Rebellion, when for a time (1862–63) it was occupied by the rebels.

Jiaxing was a commercial centre of modest importance from the 11th century onward, and that role has grown since the mid-20th century. From the 15th century it has been, with Wuxing (now Huzhou), a major centre of silk production. Silk reeling and weaving remains a major handicraft industry in the rural villages of the surrounding area. Although the city produces silk textiles, it does not rival Huzhou or Hangzhou. Jiaxing also has a woolen industry (producing textiles and knitted goods) and rice-polishing and oil-extracting plants. Another old, established industry is papermaking—the city produces most of China’s cigarette paper. In addition to its roles as a commercial and industrial centre, Jianxing is also a hub of regional land and water communications. Pop. (2002 est.) 312,846.