During the Xia dynasty and Shang dynasty, the area fell under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou and was known as Jingxi (荆溪; 荊溪; Jīngxī).[3] The area was subsequently known as Jingyi (荆邑; 荊邑; Jīngyì) during the Zhou dynasty.[3]
The area was first organized as a county in 221 BCE, during the Qin dynasty, under the name of Yangxian County (阳羡县; 陽羨縣; Yángxiàn Xiàn).[3] Between 303 and 310 CE, local general Zhou Qi [zh], the eldest son of General Zhou Chu, suppressed three rebellions.[3] Yangxian County was then renamed Yixing Commandery (义兴郡; 義興郡; Yìxìng Jùn), in honor of Zhou Qi.[3] Yixing Commandery remained under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou.[3] In 589 CE, under the Sui dynasty, Yixing was re-designated from a commandery back to a county, and was placed under the jurisdiction of Changzhou.[3]
In 976 CE, Yixing County (义兴县; 義興縣; Yìxìng Xiàn) was renamed to the similar sounding Yixing County (宜兴县; 宜興縣; Yíxìng Xiàn), because of the naming taboo of Emperor Taizong of Song, who went by the personal name of Zhao Guangyi.[3] The renaming perhaps to be the allusion of a sentence in Doctrine of the Mean: "Righteousness is the accordance of actions (義者宜也)".[citation needed] During this time, Yixing County remained under the jurisdiction of Changzhou.[3]
In 1725, under the Qing dynasty, the area was split into two counties: Yixing County (宜兴县; 宜興縣; Yíxìng Xiàn), and Jingxi County (荆溪县; 荊溪縣; Jīngxī Xiàn).[3]
In 1912, the Republican government abolished Jingxi County and merged it back into Yixing County.[3]
People's Republic of China
From June 1949 to January 1953, Yixing belonged to Changzhou Prefecture [zh].[3] From January 1953 to February 1956, Yixing belonged to Suzhou Prefecture [zh].[3] Following this, Yixing fell under the jurisdiction of Zhenjiang Prefecture [zh] until March 1983.[3] Beginning in March 1983, Yixing County was placed under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Wuxi, which it remains part of today.[3] In January 1988, Yixing County was abolished, and Yixing was reorganized as a county-level city, which it remains today.[3]
Geography
Yixing's area spans from 31°07′ to 31°37′ north, and from 119°31′ to 120°03′ east.[1] The city is located in the far south of Jiangsu province, lying in between the cities of Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou.[1] The city is border to the east by Lake Tai, by Changxing County in neighboring Zhejiang province to the southeast, the county-level city of Guangde in neighboring Anhui province to the southwest, the county-level city of Liyang in Changzhou to the west, Jintan District in Changzhou to the northwest, and Wujin District in Changzhou to the north.[1] To its north, situated between Yixing and Wujin District, lies Ge Lake.[1] Yixing's urban area is also rich in lakes, with the San Jiu [zh] lake formation, comprising East Lake [zh], West Lake [zh], and Tuan Lake [zh], lying in Yixing's urban core.[1]
Yixing's terrain is higher in the south, and lower in the north.[1] The city's highest point is Huangta Peak (黄塔顶; Huángtǎ Dǐng), which rises 611.5 metres (2,006 ft) above sea level.[1]
Environment
In 2020, the city's government recorded an average PM2.5 level of 30.4 micrograms per cubic meter, an 18.9% improvement from 2019.[4] 82.5% of days in Yixing during 2020 had good air quality, as judged per the government.[4]
Climate
Climate data for Yixing (2005–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010)
As of 2020, the city government estimates Yixing's registered hukou population to be 1,075,800 people.[2] Of this, 529,300 residents are male, and 546,500 are female.[2] The city saw 7,038 births in 2020, giving it a birth rate of 6.53‰ (per thousand), and 9,694 deaths, giving it a death rate of 8.99‰.[2] This gave Yixing a rate of natural increase of -2.46‰ in 2020.[2]
The city is home to 42 different ethnic minorities, who comprise a population of about 15,000 (1.39% of Yixing's total population).[2]
Economy
As of 2020, Yixing has a gross domestic product (GDP) of 183.221 billion renminbi (RMB).[4] This represented a 3% increase from the previous year.[4] The city's per capitadisposable income stands as 50,987 RMB, a 5.1% increase from the previous year.[4] This figure stands at 61,090 RMB for urban residents, and 32,430 RMB for rural residents, reflecting a 4.4% and 6.6% increase from the previous year, respectively.[4]
^ abcdefgh地理位置 [Geographic Location]. www.yixing.gov.cn (in Chinese). Yixing Municipal People's Government. 2021-08-25. Archived from the original on 2021-10-30. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
^ abcdefgh区划人口 [Divisions and Population]. www.yixing.gov.cn (in Chinese). Yixing Municipal People's Government. 2021-08-25. Archived from the original on 2021-10-30. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
^ abcdefghijklmnop建置沿革 [Organizational History]. www.yixing.gov.cn (in Chinese). Yixing Municipal People's Government. 2021-08-25. Archived from the original on 2021-10-30. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
^ abcdefgh经济社会发展 [Economic and Social Development]. www.yixing.gov.cn (in Chinese). Yixing Municipal People's Government. 2021-08-25. Archived from the original on 2021-10-30. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
^Sun, Yeguo; Zhu, Mingxuan (2021-05-07). 白货稳占“半壁江山”的背后 [White goods are firmly behind the "half of the country"]. People's Railway [zh] (in Chinese). China Railway. Archived from the original on 2021-10-30. Retrieved 2021-10-30.