What Makes Wuxi, Jiangsu So Remarkably Strong?
Amid the misty rains of the Jiangnan water towns, a succession of prosperous cities stand in enviable splendor.
Once known as "lands of gentle riches," they now form a super urban cluster contributing nearly 20% of the nation's GDP.
This region boasts an exceptionally developed economy, home to several megacities, truly a "gathering of masters."
Among these formidable contenders, the relatively low-key Wuxi stands out with a staggering per capita GDP of 165,800 yuan.
Yet Wuxi's strength extends far beyond this.
It is China's second city with an integrated circuit industry exceeding 100 billion yuan in output, and its IoT industry revenue accounts for about a quarter of the national total.
Here, the "Striver" deep-sea submersible, which set China's 10,000-meter diving record, was born, and the supercomputer "Sunway TaihuLight" operates tirelessly.
Looking back, Wuxi's rapid industrial and commercial growth once rivaled Shanghai, earning it widespread acclaim.
The 2,000-year-old Wu culture also originated here, its legacy still vibrant and radiant today.
Just how powerful is Wuxi? And where does its strength come from?
The answer lies in three eras.
In ancient times, the Taihu Basin where Wuxi is located was a wilderness of swamps, bordered by rivers and the sea to the east, south, and north, with the Tianmu Mountains and hills to the west.
Moisture from the sea brought abundant rainfall, and across the basin, mighty rivers surged freely, dotted with countless lakes and marshes.
Five thousand years ago, early settlers cultivated rice here, carving intricate designs on jade and pottery, forming the famed "Liangzhu Culture."
By the Shang and Zhou dynasties, while the Central Plains were in turmoil, the Taihu Basin saw little progress—until the arrival of one man, who ignited its glorious chapter.
The land of Wuxi marks the beginning of that chapter.
At the time, the "Zhou tribe" from the Yellow River Basin was granted land by the Shang king, and the Zhou people established their state. King Tai of Zhou wished to pass the throne to his third son, Jili, but this defied tradition.
His eldest son, Taibo, already over forty and childless, understood his father's intent and chose to renounce the throne, leaving Zhou territory.
Taibo and his younger brother Zhongyong bid farewell to their kin and fled south, stopping only when they reached Meili in the Taihu Basin.
The humid climate and abundant water made it ideal, so they settled there, spreading advanced Central Plains farming techniques, becoming the land's first pioneers.
Over several years, the collision and fusion of Central Plains culture and Jiangnan culture gave birth to a new state—Wu.
Compared to the states of the Central Plains, Wu was merely a remote and small country at this time. Throughout its nearly 700-year history, the mission of each generation of rulers was to "strengthen the state."
For Wu, a land crisscrossed with rivers and lakes, one key to "strengthening the state" was water management.
To prevent floods and irrigate farmland, the first Wu king, Taibo, led the Wu people in excavating China's first historically recorded artificial river—the Taibo Du.
The river channel provided both the convenience of farmland irrigation and served as a vital thoroughfare connecting all directions. Through the diligent efforts of generations of Wu people, a 200-kilometer-long "Ancient Wu Waterway" was formed.
The 24th Wu king, Helü, launched a campaign against Chu. The Wu navy advanced westward via this waterway, and a battle deemed "like an egg striking a stone" ended in Wu's victory.
Thereafter, more rivers were dredged, and longer channels were excavated.
In 202 BCE, Emperor Gaozu of Han established Wuxi County near Meili, and the city rose from the ground.
Over 800 years later, the Grand Canal running north-south was completed, with the ancient canal flowing through Wuxi City as a crucial part of it.
Skilled in shipbuilding, the people of Wuxi could travel to Beijing and Hangzhou along the canal or upstream the Yangtze River to reach Bashu, navigating freely across lakes and seas.
Thus, Wuxi entered the era of the Grand Canal.
With such advantages, Wuxi gradually became one of the hubs for "transporting southern grain to the north."
By the Ming and Qing dynasties, the canal banks were lined with docks, and the scale of the "rice market" continued to expand.
Some cotton from northern Jiangsu and other areas was also transported to Wuxi by rice-purchasing fleets. The rural cotton textile industry in Wuxi flourished, and the city's "cloth market" stretched for hundreds of meters.
With the rapid development of commercial trade, banks and warehouses sprang up here.
Wuxi became renowned as the "Rice Wharf," "Cloth Wharf," and "Money Wharf," earning the reputation of a "gathering place for merchants."
The cargo ships speeding across the rivers brought not only abundant wealth but also cultural prosperity.
During the Eastern Wu period, Buddhism was introduced to Wuxi. The Nanchan Temple Pagoda, built during the Liang Dynasty, features eight corners and seven tiers, with bells hanging from its eaves, presenting a magnificent sight.
The Huishan Temple, located at Huishan, often had merchants gathering at its entrance.
People invested in land, and over a hundred ancestral halls representing more than 80 surnames were built here, forming an extremely large-scale complex.
In addition, various academies, societies, private schools, and elementary schools were established, with over 800 founded during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Bathed in a scholarly atmosphere, Wuxi produced 5 top imperial examination scholars and more than 500进士 (jinshi) in history, showcasing its abundance of talent.
However, for over 2,000 years since its establishment, Wuxi remained a county, subordinate either to Changzhou or Suzhou, and its development level was incomparable to major cities like Suzhou.
It was not until modern times that the city seized its opportunity to rise. The accumulated strength of millennia was about to burst forth.
In the mid-19th century, the Opium War broke out, forcing China's long-closed doors open as Western powers established concessions. The old era declined, and a new one emerged.
Shanghai, as one of the treaty ports, became a window to the outside world.
A western wind mingled with blood and fire blew in from the sea, and the sprouts of modern industry and commerce quickly took root in the Jiangnan region.
Wuxi, adjacent to Shanghai, not only witnessed the turbulence of boats and the unrest in Jiangnan but also saw the dawn of the industrial and commercial era.
Thus, waves of Wuxi residents left their small town to learn "business" in Shanghai.
In 1867, 16-year-old Zhou Shunqing went to Shanghai to make a living, studying English while apprenticing. He later joined "Shanghai Daming Foreign Firm" and grew significantly in capability over the years.
In 1872, 17-year-old Zhu Dachun was introduced to work at "Shanghai Dacheng Hardware Store," mastering the trade of steel and hardware, and gradually accumulating wealth.
By 1900, Rong Ruixin, who had arrived in Shanghai at 18, became the manager of the British-owned Hongyuan Cotton Mill and later opened his own firm.
Meanwhile, the Rong brothers, Rong Zongjing and Rong Desheng, were only 13 or 14 when they apprenticed in Shanghai. Through years of hard work, they mastered the trade of grain and cotton.
Modern industrial and commercial economy broadened the horizons of Wuxi people, while the openness and shrewdness of Shanghainese deeply influenced them.
At this time, the wave of "saving the nation through industry" swept across the country, and those Wuxi natives who had thrived in Shanghai chose to return home to start new ventures.
Talent and capital collided here, and hundreds of factories emerged across Wuxi.
In 1895, the Yang brothers founded Wuxi's first national capitalist enterprise—Yeqin Cotton Mill. The first smokestack standing by the Wuxi Canal marked the beginning of the region's rise.
In 1902, the Rong brothers established Baoxing Flour Mill, followed by many other factories.
Two years later, Zhou Shunqing opened Wuxi's first silk filature—Yuchang Silk Mill.
Within just 30 years, industrial groups represented by the Rong, Zhou, and Yang families rapidly expanded, becoming immensely wealthy.
By the 1930s, Wuxi's total industrial output ranked third in the country.
This once-small city successfully became one of China's "Six Major Industrial and Commercial Cities," competing with metropolises like Shanghai and Guangzhou.
At that time, both banks of Wuxi's canal were lined with industrial and commercial enterprises, and its once-bustling docks regained astonishing vitality.
Meanwhile, wealthier Wuxi residents built gardens, bridges, roads, and schools, gradually transforming their hometown.
Among them, the Rong family, known as giants in China's flour and cotton yarn industries, founded Jiangnan University, one of the predecessors of today's Jiangnan University in Wuxi.
The city also nurtured numerous modern luminaries whose brilliance endures to this day.
After the founding of New China, Wuxi County was finally upgraded to a city based on its merits.
Yet, the city's journey of striving was far from over.
In the early days of the nation, all industries awaited revival. Farmers, having gained land ownership, were highly motivated to produce.
Wuxi, inheriting its entrepreneurial tradition, saw a new force surging in its rural areas.
In 1956, Dongting Town in Wuxi organized skilled farmers to establish "commune and brigade enterprises," the most famous being the Dongting Chunlei Shipyard.
Due to the dense river networks, boats were essential for daily life and production, making ship repair and maintenance a long-standing local specialty.
Time-honored expertise ensured superior craftsmanship, and with lower rural costs, urban vessels also came for repairs, boosting the shipyard's prosperity and expanding its scope.
Subsequently, numerous small factories for farm tools, fertilizers, pesticides, and cement were built, marking the first wave of Wuxi's rural development.
As history entered the 1980s, hopeful Chinese welcomed the spring of reform and opening-up, liberating vast rural surplus labor.
The increasingly open environment unleashed immense market potential, and with commune and brigade enterprises' support, Wuxi vigorously embarked on a new chapter of township enterprises.
Farmers once toiling in fields began traveling to cities like Shanghai and Beijing, bringing back projects and orders of all sizes.
Industrial products flooded urban markets, generating substantial profits that funded larger factories.
The rapid rise of township enterprises soon rivaled Wuxi's urban industries, while the city's administrative divisions underwent multiple changes.
In 1983, the prefecture-level Wuxi City was established, incorporating Jiangyin and Yixing counties, unleashing fresh vitality.
In 1984, Huangxiang Township in the suburban area of Wuxi became Jiangsu's first "100-million-yuan township."
In 1987, Xitang Village in Huishan, Wuxi, became Jiangsu's first "100-million-yuan village," while Huaxi Village, equally renowned, was hailed as the "No. 1 Village in China."
The largest rural industrial cluster in the country thus took shape, covering seven major industries such as machinery and electronics, with over 3,000 types of products. Wuxi's rural industrial economy ranked first in China for 14 consecutive years.
After shareholding reforms, these township enterprises evolved into major corporate groups like Huaxi Group, Hongdou Group, and Hailan Group.
Entering the new century, Wuxi has grown into a large-scale modern industrial city in coastal regions, with increasingly comprehensive industrial sectors.
Industrial development has spurred the upgrading of Wuxi's industrial structure, with strong promotion of industrial intelligence. "Economic and Technological Development Zones" and "High-Tech Industrial Development Zones" have been established one after another.
With strong support from the state and local government, in 2004, a $2 billion ultra-large-scale integrated circuit project settled in Wuxi, making the city one of China's hubs for the IC industry.
In 2011, Wuxi High-Tech Zone's GDP exceeded 100 billion yuan, with high-end industries dominating introduced projects. Cutting-edge sectors like the Internet of Things led the nation.
By then, Wuxi, with merely 0.05% of the country's land and 0.4% of its population, generated 1.8% of China's total economic output, surpassing many provincial capitals.
In today's Wuxi, modern bridges like Lihu Bridge, Jinkui Bridge, and Jiangyin Yangtze River Bridge span the waters.
Highways such as Beijing-Shanghai, Shanghai-Nanjing, and Shanghai-Yi crisscross the region.
Subways, high-speed rails, and airports provide seamless connectivity.
Beyond the bustle, the serene charm of Jiangnan's water towns remains, with the gentle melodies of the "Wu dialect" echoing everywhere.
In ancient towns steeped in history, blue bricks and white walls stand silently, while small rivers flow with vitality.
Above the time-worn old city, expanded roads and towering buildings present a renewed landscape.
The West Water East project, located in Guibei City of Liangxi District, sits at the heart of Wuxi.
This area, also the birthplace of the Rong family, boasts profound cultural heritage. The restoration of century-old industrial buildings has infused new life into the architecture.
Over 14 years, the project has actively created a livable environment blending Jiangnan's water town charm with urban vibrancy, becoming Wuxi's only million-square-meter central living zone.
Growing alongside the city, it has witnessed the rapid development of Liangxi District and all of Wuxi. In 2021, Greenland Hong Kong further launched the West Water East·TANG Palace project, offering 285㎡ exquisitely decorated flats as a tribute to the city's strivers.
Wuxi-style dishes like braised spare ribs, soup dumplings, plum blossom cakes, meat-stuffed gluten, and dried shrimp wontons—known for their sweet-salty flavors—tantalize the palate.
Scattered lakes, gardens, Buddhist temples, and ancient structures flood social media, captivating visitors from all corners of the world.
Through the tides of time, Wuxi has long shed its former appearance.
From Taibo's flight to Wu to conquering rivers and lakes, from industrial salvation to villagers' prosperity, this land has witnessed both royal ambitions and extraordinary feats of ordinary people.
Yet unchanged over millennia is the ceaseless striving of each generation, forever the most vivid footnote to this land.
They defy fate, thus vowing to "remake heaven and earth." They reject destiny, daring to march resolutely through raging storms.