Our Friendship City
City of Linyi, China
In November 2015, the City of Salisbury and the City of Linyi (Shandong Province, the People’s Republic of China), entered into a Friendship City Agreement to enhance mutual understanding, friendship, trade and investment between the Chinese and Australian peoples and to further develop the cooperation between the two cities.
About the City of Linyi
The City of Linyi is located in the south of Shandong province, and is a prefecture-level city. Linyi is located southeast of Shandong Province, bordered by Jiangsu Province to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the east. It has 9 counties, 3 districts and 3 economic development zones with a total population of 10,810,000 and a total area of 17,200 square kilometres. Both its population and area rank the first in Shandong Province. Linyi means, close to the Yi River.
History
Tracing back to 2500 years ago, Linyi City was first built during the Spring and Autumn Period, named Qiyang at that time. In Qin Dynasty, it came into the domain of Langya County. The Emperor of Han Dynasty made it Linyi County for the first time. Qing Dynasty witnessed the foundation of Yizhou Prefecture. Endowed with a long history and rich culture, Linyi has bred many outstanding cultural celebrities at all times.
It is home to many historical figures, notably Zhuge Liang and Wang Xizhi. In 1972, the Sun Bin's Art of War was first discovered here, along with other classics on hand written bamboo slips. Sun Bin's Art of War is currently in display at Shandong Provincial museum.
In the spring of 1938, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the city was the scene of fierce fighting between Chinese and Japanese troops. The civilians were encouraged by army victory in the Battle of Tai'erzhuang, which was nearby, defended Linyi fiercely, but Japanese soldiers breached the walls on April 19, 1938. The defenders withdrew the next day to another contested area 30 miles away.
In 1946, during the Chinese Civil War, the communist Directorate General of Shandong Wartime Posts was moved from the Yimeng Mountains to Linyi and renamed the Shandong Provincial Postal Administration.
After the People's Republic of China was founded in October 1949, the administrative division was adjusted.
Economy
Subsidiary agricultural products in Linyi are known for their wide varieties, high yield, and good quality. Specialty products like peanut, tobacco, silkworm, wicker, ginkgo, honeysuckle, Chinese chestnut, and tea are grown in eight major agricultural bases. Vegetable and fruit industries are also predominant. Linyi is also abundant in mineral resources. A total of 78 kinds of minerals with huge proven reserves have so far been discovered.
There are 101 various wholesale markets covering diversified goods of more than 60,000 kinds and 27 categories including petty commodities, hardwares, building materials, plates etc. Nearly everything from production materials to living necessities can be found here. It has become a trade center for people from more than 30 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. The commodities are sold to more than 20 countries and regions, with a total annual turnover of RMB 150 billion yuan in 2013.
Achievements
Recently, Linyi has won many honorary titles such as “National Civilized City”, “A National Double-Support Exemplary City”, “China Tourist City”, “National Garden City”, “National Exemplary City for Environmental Protection”, “National Sanitation City” and “National Forest City”. It is also named as “China Calligraphy City”, “China Geothermal City”, “China Market Town” and “China Capital City of Logistics”. What’s more, it was awarded one of the “60 model cities in urban development of China” by National Bureau of Statistics on the 60th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China in 2009 and ranked second among 294 cities in urban people’s happiness index released by a survey conducted by Chinese Academy of Science in 2011.
For more information visit the City of Linyi