Province · East China
Jiangsu
江苏
Land of water, canals and gardens on the lower Yangtze
Jiangsu is a province on China's east coast, spanning the lower Yangtze and the Huai River plain, and one of the country's most populous, prosperous and densely urbanised regions. Its capital is Nanjing, capital of several dynasties; the province is known for the classical gardens of Suzhou, the Grand Canal, Kunqu opera and Huaiyang cuisine.
Key facts
- Capital
- Nanjing
- Abbreviation
- 苏 (Sū)
- Area
- about 107,200 km²[1]
- Resident population
- 85.18 million(as of end of 2025)[2]
- Gross regional product
- CNY 14.24 trillion(as of 2025)[2]
- Census population
- 84.75 million(as of 2020 census)[3]
- Divisions
- 13 prefecture-level cities[1]
- UNESCO World Heritage sites
- 4, three of them shared (1997–2019)[4]
Profile
- Chinese name
- 江苏
- Abbreviation (简称)
- 苏
- Type
- Province
- Region
- East China
- Capital
- Nanjing
- Area
- about 107,200 km²
- Divisions
- 13 prefecture-level cities
- Ethnic groups
- Han, Hui, Manchu, Miao, Tujia
- Languages
- Wu (Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou), Jianghuai Mandarin, Central Plains Mandarin
Languages
Wu (Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou)
吴语
Spoken south of the Yangtze; the Suzhou dialect is the language of pingtan storytelling and is often called the softest of Chinese speech.
Jianghuai Mandarin
江淮官话
The Mandarin of Nanjing, Yangzhou, Huai'an and Yancheng, which keeps the entering (checked) tone lost in northern Mandarin.
Central Plains Mandarin
中原官话
Spoken in the far north around Xuzhou, closer to the speech of Shandong and Henan.
Name and abbreviation
The name joins the first characters of two Qing prefectures, Jiangning (江宁, today's Nanjing) and Suzhou (苏州). It dates from 1667, when the Qing split the Ming-era Southern Metropolitan Region (Jiangnan) into Jiangsu and Anhui. The abbreviation 苏 comes from Suzhou.
Historic names
吴
The Zhou-era state of Wu, centred on Suzhou, and later the Three Kingdoms state ruled from Nanjing; still the name of the region's Wu culture and dialects.
南直隶
The Ming Southern Metropolitan Region around Nanjing, which covered today's Jiangsu, Anhui and Shanghai.
江南省
The early Qing province that succeeded the Southern Metropolitan Region until it was divided in 1667.
鱼米之乡
“land of fish and rice”
Epithet for the fertile lake and canal country of southern Jiangsu.
Land and climate
Jiangsu is the flattest province in China: plains cover most of its territory and the highest point, Mount Yuntai near Lianyungang, reaches only about 625 metres. The Yangtze crosses the south, dividing Sunan (southern Jiangsu) from the rest of the province. The land is laced with lakes, rivers and canals — Taihu in the south, Hongze and Gaoyou in the centre — and the long, low coast on the Yellow Sea is lined with tidal flats that are still growing.
Landforms
Yangtze River Delta
长江三角洲
The low water country of southern Jiangsu, shared with Shanghai and Zhejiang.
Jianghuai Plain
江淮平原
The plain between the Yangtze and the Huai, crossed by the Grand Canal.
Mount Yuntai
云台山
Coastal hills at Lianyungang, the highest ground in the province; linked by legend to Huaguo Shan in Journey to the West.
Purple Mountain
紫金山
The wooded hill east of Nanjing with the Ming Xiaoling mausoleum and Sun Yat-sen's tomb.
Yancheng coastal wetlands
盐城湿地
Tidal flats and reed beds on the Yellow Sea, a wintering ground of the red-crowned crane.
Rivers and lakes
Yangtze River
长江
Flows past Nanjing, Zhenjiang, Yangzhou and Nantong to the sea; crossed by a series of bridges and tunnels.
Grand Canal
京杭大运河
Runs the length of the province from Xuzhou through Huai'an, Yangzhou, Changzhou, Wuxi and Suzhou.
Huai River
淮河
Traditional dividing line between northern and southern China; its lower course ends in Hongze Lake.
Lake Tai
太湖
China's third-largest freshwater lake, shared with Zhejiang, around which Suzhou, Wuxi and Huzhou grew.
Hongze Lake
洪泽湖
Formed as the Yellow River's shifting course blocked the Huai in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Climate
The south has a humid subtropical climate and the north a warm temperate one, the Huai River marking the transition. Summers are hot and humid with plum rains in June and July; winters are cool to cold and damp, with some snow in the north. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons, and Suzhou's gardens are at their best in April and in October–November.
History
Jiangsu's south belonged to the state of Wu, whose king Helü founded Suzhou in 514 BCE, while the north around Xuzhou was the homeland of Liu Bang, founder of the Han dynasty. Nanjing became the capital of the Eastern Wu, the Eastern Jin and the Southern Dynasties, making the lower Yangtze a refuge of Chinese culture while the north was ruled by nomadic dynasties. The Sui Grand Canal turned Yangzhou into the richest city of the Tang, and in the Song and Ming the Taihu region became the economic heart of the empire, famous for silk, rice and scholars. Nanjing was the first capital of the Ming, the Taiping Heavenly Capital and the capital of the Republic of China; the 1937 massacre there is one of the darkest episodes of the Second World War. Since 1978 southern Jiangsu has become one of the most industrialised regions in China.
514 BCE
King Helü of Wu founds Suzhou
Wu Zixu laid out the city of Helü, whose site and name (Gusu) Suzhou has kept ever since.
486 BCE
The Han Gou canal
King Fuchai of Wu dug a canal linking the Yangtze at Yangzhou with the Huai — the oldest dated section of what became the Grand Canal.
206–202 BCE
Liu Bang of Pei rises to found the Han
The founder of the Han dynasty and his rival Xiang Yu both came from the Xuzhou region, which is still called the homeland of the Han emperors.
229–589
Jiankang (Nanjing) capital of the Six Dynasties
Eastern Wu, Eastern Jin and the four Southern Dynasties ruled from Nanjing, which became a centre of Buddhism, literature and calligraphy.
605–610
Sui completes the Grand Canal
Linked the Yangtze with the north and made Yangzhou the great transhipment and salt-trade city of the Tang.
1368
Nanjing becomes the Ming capital
Zhu Yuanzhang built the largest city wall in China around Nanjing; the capital moved to Beijing in 1421.
1667
Jiangsu province created
The Qing divided the Jiangnan province, giving Jiangsu roughly its present shape.
1842
Treaty of Nanjing
Signed aboard a British warship off Nanjing, it ended the First Opium War and opened five treaty ports.
1853–1864
Taiping Heavenly Capital
The Taiping rebels made Nanjing their capital; the war devastated the cities of southern Jiangsu.
1912 and 1927–1949
Nanjing capital of the Republic of China
Sun Yat-sen was inaugurated there as provisional president in 1912; the Nationalist government ruled from Nanjing from 1927, apart from the war years.
December 1937
Nanjing Massacre
Japanese troops killed large numbers of civilians and prisoners after taking the city; a memorial hall stands at Jiangdongmen.
1980s
The Sunan model
Township and village enterprises in Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou made southern Jiangsu a pioneer of rural industrialisation.
World heritage
World Heritage sites
Cultural · inscribed 1997
苏州古典园林
Nine scholars' gardens from the eleventh to the nineteenth century, among them the Humble Administrator's Garden and the Lingering Garden; four were inscribed in 1997 and five added in 2000.
Cultural · inscribed 2000 · shared
Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties
明孝陵
Jiangsu's component is the Xiaoling mausoleum of the Ming founder in Nanjing, added to the serial site in 2003.
Cultural · inscribed 2014 · shared
大运河
Canal sections, locks, granaries and towns across eight provincial-level divisions; the Jiangsu components include Yangzhou, Huai'an's Qingkou hub and the Suzhou city canals.
Natural · inscribed 2019 · shared
Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China
中国黄（渤）海候鸟栖息地
The Yancheng tidal flats, the largest intertidal wetland on the East Asian–Australasian flyway; a second phase in 2024 extended the site along the coast to the north.
Intangible cultural heritage (UNESCO lists)
Inscribed 2001
Kun Qu opera
昆曲
The refined opera of Kunshan, proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001 (Representative List 2008); it shaped most later Chinese opera forms.
Inscribed 2009
Craftsmanship of Nanjing Yunjin brocade
南京云锦
“Cloud brocade” woven on large draw looms by two weavers working together, once reserved for imperial robes.
Inscribed 2009
Sericulture and silk craftsmanship of China
中国蚕桑丝织技艺
Mulberry cultivation, silkworm rearing and weaving in the Taihu region, including Suzhou's silk and Song-brocade traditions (shared with Zhejiang and Sichuan).
Inscribed 2009
China engraved block printing technique
雕版印刷技艺
Woodblock printing as practised at the Guangling Book Society in Yangzhou and the Jinling Scriptural Press in Nanjing.
Inscribed 2009
Chinese paper-cut
剪纸
Yangzhou's delicate floral paper-cuts are one of the regional traditions in the national inscription.
Inscribed 2022
Traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China
中国传统制茶技艺及其相关习俗
Includes the pan-firing of Biluochun green tea on the Dongting hills by Lake Tai.
Culture
Southern Jiangsu is the core of Jiangnan (江南), the lower-Yangtze region that stood in Chinese imagination for refinement: scholars' gardens, silk, lacquer, fine calligraphy and painting, and the highest share of successful imperial examination candidates of any region. The north is plainer and closer in speech and custom to Shandong and Henan. The province is also one of the great literary landscapes of China: Journey to the West, The Water Margin and parts of Dream of the Red Chamber were written or set here.
南朝四百八十寺，多少楼台烟雨中。Nán Cháo sìbǎi bāshí sì, duōshǎo lóutái yānyǔ zhōng.
“Four hundred and eighty temples of the Southern Dynasties — how many towers and terraces stand in the misty rain?”
— Du Mu, “Spring in Jiangnan” (江南春), Tang dynasty, 9th century
Opera, music and dance
Kunqu opera
昆曲
Sung to the bamboo flute in the refined style developed at Kunshan in the sixteenth century; The Peony Pavilion is its best-known play.
Suzhou pingtan
苏州评弹
Storytelling and ballad singing in the Suzhou dialect, accompanied by sanxian and pipa.
Yangzhou opera
扬剧
Local opera of Yangzhou, drawing on the city's folk songs and flower-drum dances.
Xi opera
锡剧
Wu-language opera of Wuxi and Changzhou.
Crafts
Su embroidery
苏绣
One of the Four Great Embroideries, renowned for fine silk threads split many times and double-sided pieces.
Yixing zisha teapots
宜兴紫砂
Unglazed teapots of purple clay from Yixing near Lake Tai, prized since the Ming dynasty.
Huishan clay figures
惠山泥人
Painted clay figures from Wuxi, the plump “A-Fu” children being the most familiar.
Yangzhou lacquer
扬州漆器
Carved and inlaid lacquer with mother-of-pearl and jade, a Yangzhou speciality since the Tang.
Taohuawu New Year prints
桃花坞木版年画
Coloured woodblock prints made in Suzhou's Taohuawu quarter since the Ming dynasty.
Festivals and customs
New Year bells at Hanshan Temple
寒山寺听钟
Crowds gather at the Suzhou temple on New Year's Eve to hear the bell struck 108 times.
Qinhuai lantern fair
秦淮灯会
Lantern displays along the Qinhuai River in Nanjing at Spring Festival and the Lantern Festival, a custom dating back to the Ming.
Yangzhou morning tea
早茶
Long breakfasts of tea, dumplings and fine-cut dried tofu in Yangzhou's teahouses.
Cuisine
Jiangsu cuisine (苏菜) is one of the Eight Great Cuisines. Its most celebrated branch is Huaiyang (淮扬菜) from Yangzhou and Huai'an, known for precise knife work, clear soups and the natural flavour of fresh ingredients; it has been served at state banquets since 1949. The Suzhou–Wuxi style is sweeter and richer, the Nanjing style is famous for duck, and the Xuzhou style in the north is saltier and closer to Shandong cooking.
Signature dishes
Squirrel-shaped mandarin fish
松鼠鳜鱼
A Suzhou banquet dish: mandarin fish scored, fried until it fans out and glazed with sweet-sour sauce.
Lion's head meatballs
清炖狮子头
Large, tender pork meatballs stewed in clear broth, a Yangzhou classic.
Braised shredded tofu
大煮干丝
Pressed tofu cut into hair-thin strands and simmered in chicken stock — a test of Huaiyang knife skill.
Salted duck
盐水鸭
Nanjing's pale, brined and poached duck, served cold.
Crab soup dumplings
蟹粉汤包
Large soup-filled dumplings from Jingjiang and Huai'an, drunk through a straw.
Wuxi spare ribs
无锡酱排骨
Pork ribs braised in soy sauce and sugar until dark and sticky.
Specialities
Biluochun tea
碧螺春
Tightly curled green tea from the Dongting hills on Lake Tai, one of China's most famous teas.
Yangcheng Lake hairy crab
阳澄湖大闸蟹
Mitten crab from the lake north-east of Suzhou, the most prized in the autumn crab season.
Zhenjiang vinegar
镇江香醋
Dark, aromatic black rice vinegar, eaten with crab and dumplings across China.
Yuhua pebbles
雨花石
Colourful agate pebbles from the Yuhuatai hills of Nanjing.
Yanghe baijiu
洋河大曲
Mellow strong-aroma liquor from Suqian in northern Jiangsu.
Notable people
Liu Bang (256 or 247–195 BCE)
刘邦
Founder of the Han dynasty, from Pei county near Xuzhou.
Fan Zhongyan (989–1052)
范仲淹
Song statesman and reformer from Suzhou, author of the line on worrying before the world worries.
Wu Cheng'en (c. 1500–1582)
吴承恩
Scholar from Huai'an traditionally credited with Journey to the West.
Gu Yanwu (1613–1682)
顾炎武
Philologist and critic of late-Ming learning from Kunshan.
Zhou Enlai (1898–1976)
周恩来
Premier of the People's Republic from 1949 until his death, born in Huai'an.
Xu Beihong (1895–1953)
徐悲鸿
Painter from Yixing who combined Western academic training with Chinese ink, famous for his horses.
I. M. Pei (1917–2019)
贝聿铭
Architect from a Suzhou family who spent childhood summers in the Lion Grove Garden and designed the Suzhou Museum.
Economy
Jiangsu has the second-largest provincial economy in China after Guangdong and the highest income per head among the provinces. Manufacturing is its backbone — electronics, chemicals, machinery, textiles, steel and new-energy equipment — concentrated in the southern cities of Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou and Nanjing, which are closely tied to Shanghai. The province has a dense network of development zones, including the China–Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park, and the gap between the rich south and the poorer north is a long-standing policy concern.
Main industries
- Electronics and integrated circuits
- Chemicals and new materials
- Machinery and equipment manufacturing
- Photovoltaics, wind power and batteries
- Textiles and garments
- Biomedicine
- Shipbuilding along the Yangtze
Zones, ports and hubs
China–Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park
苏州工业园区
Joint development begun in 1994 with Singapore, east of old Suzhou around Jinji Lake.
Nanjing Jiangbei New Area
南京江北新区
National-level new area on the north bank of the Yangtze (2015), focused on integrated circuits and life sciences.
China (Jiangsu) Pilot Free Trade Zone
中国（江苏）自由贸易试验区
Established in 2019 with areas in Nanjing, Suzhou and Lianyungang.
Port of Lianyungang
连云港港
Seaport at the eastern end of the Eurasian land bridge railway to Central Asia.
Cities
- Nanjing南京Capital · Historic city · Cultural centreSouthern capital of six dynasties, the Ming and the Republic
- Suzhou苏州Historic city · Cultural centre · Industrial centreCanal city of classical gardens, silk and Kunqu
- Wuxi无锡Industrial centre · Scenic area · Historic cityLake Tai city of silk, industry and clay figures
- Yangzhou扬州Historic city · Cultural centreGrand Canal city of salt merchants, gardens and Huaiyang food
- Xuzhou徐州Historic city · Industrial centreHomeland of the Han emperors at the crossroads of the north China plain
Getting there
- Nanjing Lukou International Airport and Sunan Shuofang International Airport (Wuxi) are the main airports; much of southern Jiangsu is also served by Shanghai's airports.
- The Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway passes through Xuzhou, Nanjing, Zhenjiang, Changzhou, Wuxi and Suzhou; further lines link Nanjing with Hefei, Hangzhou and the north of the province.
- The Yangtze and the Grand Canal still carry heavy barge traffic; Lianyungang, Nantong and Taicang are the main seaports.
Entry rules for foreign visitors are on the visa and entry pages.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Jiangsu Provincial People's Government — Jiangsu Provincial People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- 2025年江苏省国民经济和社会发展统计公报 (Statistical Communiqué of Jiangsu on the 2025 National Economic and Social Development) — Jiangsu Provincial Bureau of Statistics (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- World Heritage List: China — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Intangible Cultural Heritage: China — UNESCO (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Jiangsu — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)
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