Jiangsu Province, adjacent to China’s largest city of Shanghai, is situated in the center of the east coastal areas of China. Covering an area of 102,600 km2 and accounting for 1.06% of China’s territory, Jiangsu possesses smooth terrain, extensive plains and interconnecting watercourses. Just like two bright pearls, the Taihu Lake and the Hongze Lake, two of the five largest freshwater lakes in China, are inlaid in the land of Jiangsu Province. As the most densely populated province in China, Jiangsu has a population of 74.75 million.

With 13 cities directly under the provincial jurisdiction, Jiangsu governs 106 counties, cities and districts in total. Jiangsu, boasting a long history, has been blessed with pleasant climate, fertile land and abundant resources where merchants and travelers have passed by flourishingly since the ancient times. At the beginning of the 19th century, among the world’s cities each with a population of over 500,000, 6 were in China while Jiangsu owned 3 cities, namely, Nanjing, Suzhou and Yangzhou. Jiangsu is one of the cradles of ancient Chinese civilization. Seven of its cities are involved in the list of China’s 99 historical and cultural cities, i.e., Nanjing, Suzhou, Yangzhou, Xuzhou, Zhenjiang, Huai’an and Changshu. Jiangsu, well-known for its beautiful sceneries and graceful environment, is one of China’s seven tourist provinces. Altogether 13 cities have been nominated as “China’s Excellent Tourist Cities”, and one-third of China’s environmental protection model cities are located in Jiangsu.