Place:Wenzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China

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Wenzhou (pronounced ; Wenzhounese: Yuziou [ʔy^33–11 tɕiɤu^33–32]), historically known as Wenchow is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Zhejiang province in the People's Republic of China. Wenzhou is located at the extreme south east of Zhejiang Province with its borders connecting to Lishui on the west, Taizhou on the north, and Fujian to the south. It is surrounded by mountains, the East China Sea, and 436 islands, while its lowlands are almost entirely along its East China Sea coast, which is nearly in length. Most of Wenzhou's area is mountainous as almost 76 percent of its surface area is classified as mountains and hills. It is said that Wenzhou has 7/10 mountains, 1/10 water, and 2/10 farmland. At the time of the 2010 Chinese census, 3,039,500 people lived in Wenzhou's urban area; the area under its jurisdiction (which includes three satellite cities and six counties) held a population of 9,122,100 of which 31.16% are non-local residents from outside of Wenzhou.

The city, then known as Yungkia (Yǒngjiā), was a prosperous foreign treaty port, which remains well-preserved today. It is situated in a mountainous region and, as a result, has been isolated for most of its history from the rest of the country, making the local culture and language very distinct not only from the rest of China but from neighbouring areas as well. The city is also the native land of many emigrants to Europe and the United States, with many of these Wenzhounese emigrants being entrepreneurs who start restaurants, retail and wholesale businesses in their adopted countries. Wenzhou people make up a large number of ethnic Chinese residents of Italy, where in some regions such as Tuscany, they comprise 90% of all Chinese residents. Significant concentrations of Wenzhounese people can also be found across New York City as well as in France and Spain.

History

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Ancient history

Wenzhou has a history which traces back to about 2500 BC, when it became known for its pottery production as one of the cities of origin of celadon in ancient China.

Wenzhou was the capital of the ancient Dong'ou Kingdom which existed from 191 BC until it was conquered by Minyue Kingdom in 138 BC.

Imperial China

In the early 2nd century BC, shortly after the destruction of the Qin dynasty, military and political leader Zou Yao of Wenzhou helped the emperor Gaozu of Han, the first emperor of the Han Dynasty, defeat the prominent warlord Xiang Yu of the Qin Dynasty. After the victory, emperor Hui of Han, the second emperor of the Han dynasty named Zhou Yao the King of Dong'ou (Wenzhou), and under the administration of Emperor Hui, Wenzhou became the capital of the Dong'ou Kingdom in the modern-day area of southern Zhejiang.

Around 760AD, the founding emperor of the Tang dynasty, Emperor Gaozu of Tang first used the current name of Wenzhou because of the city's mild weather.

The city walls were built in the 10th century, and the seven gates were erected in 1598.

Modern era

Throughout its history, Wenzhou's traditional economic role has been as a port giving access to the mountainous interior of southern Zhejiang Province. In early European sources, the name Wenzhou-Fu or -Foo was often transcribed Ouen-tcheou-fou or Wen-tcheou after the accounts of French-speaking missionaries. In 1876, Wenzhou was opened for tea exports, but no foreign settlement was ever established there.^[1] Between 1937 and 1942, during the Second Sino-Japanese War (i.e., World War II), Wenzhou achieved importance as one of the few ports still under Chinese control. It declined in the later years of the war, but began to recover after coastal trade along the Zhejiang coast was re-established in 1955.

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