Jiangsu Province
Shuyang County, referred to as "Shu", is located in the northern part of Jiangsu Province. It is one of the three pilot counties directly managed by Jiangsu Province and the only one in northern Jiangsu that is included in the cultivation of a Type II large city. County[31], located at the junction of Xuzhou, Lianyungang, Huai'an and Suqian, with a total area of ??2298 square kilometers[1]. As of October 2021, Shuyang County has jurisdiction over 1 national-level economic and technological development zone, 6 streets, 23 towns, and 1 township [28], and the county people's government is located in Shucheng Street [13]. According to the seventh national census data, as of 0:00 on November 1, 2020, the permanent population of Shuyang County was 1,674,978, and the registered population was 1.9865 million [18].
Shuyang got its name because it is located on the Yang side of Shushui River. In ancient times, it was called Houqiu, Huaiwen, etc. In the Western Han Dynasty, Houqiu County was first established. In the 7th year of Jiande of the Northern Zhou Dynasty (578), Huaiwen County was changed to Shuyang County. Shuyang is the hometown of Chinese calligraphy, the hometown of Huaihai Opera in China, and the county of Chinese couplet culture. [30] The Beijing-Shanghai Expressway has four interchanges within the territory, and the Shuyang River network is densely covered with 32 rivers such as the Xinyi River and Huaishu Xin River. [39] By 2021, Shuyang's urban built-up area has reached 85 square kilometers and its population is 717,800. It is the county with the largest built-up area and the largest concentrated population in the country. [37]
Shuyang County has national and provincial intangible cultural heritages such as Huaihai Opera, Gonggu and Gong. The main specialties include Miaotou Qianzhang, Yanji Chaopai, etc. The main tourist attractions include Nanhu Park, Hanshan Scenic Area, etc. [1]. It is well-known throughout the country for its reform and innovation, and has created remarkable "Shanyang Speed" and Shuyang experience. The county economy and basic competitiveness of the county have been ranked among the "Top 100 Counties in the Country" for nine consecutive years, and it has been selected as one of the Top 100 National Industrial Counties for six consecutive years. Shuyang Economic and Technological Development Zone is the only national-level economic and technological development zone located in a county-level city in northern Jiangsu.
Shuyang is a national ecological demonstration zone, a national sanitary county, a provincial garden city, a provincial excellent management city, and has been selected as a national civilized city nominee [31]. In 2021, Shuyang County achieved a regional GDP of 116.21 billion yuan and a general public budget revenue of 6.201 billion yuan [22].