Chinese Cities with Over a Million Population
217. Suzhou, Jiangsu - 10,465,994 Suzhou, the cradle of Wu culture, is one of the oldest towns in the Yangtze Basin. 2500 years ago in the late Zhou Dynasty, local tribes who named themselves Gou Wu lived in the area which would become the modern city of Suzhou. These tribes formed villages on the edges of hills above the wetlands around Lake Tai. In 514 BC, during the Spring and Autumn Period, King Helü of the State of Wu established his capital at Helü City on the site of present-day Suzhou. In 496 BC, King Helü was buried in Huqiu (Tiger Hill). In 473 BC Wu was defeated by Yue, a kingdom to the east which was eventually annexed by the State of Chu in 306 BC. Remnants of this culture include remainders of a 2,500 year old city wall and the gate through it at Pan Gate. By the time of the Qin Dynasty, the city was known as Wu County and was part of Guiji Commandery. Xiang Yu there staged his historical uprising of 209 BC, which contributed to the overthrow of Qin City Area Location Next City ⇨ Hi Res Pic (244K)Return to City List Page 22 |
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Suzhou Industrial Park - West Bank of Jin Ji Lake, Jiangsu Province |