Zhejiang Province, China

Zhejiang Travel Guide - Jinhua City

Meaning of the name "Jinhua"
"Golden Brilliance"

Population
323,000 in Jinhua City, with another 4,063,000 people living in the surrounding districts. Some of the inhabitants of Jinhua are of the She ethnic minority.

Location
In west-central Zhejiang Province, about 130 km (80 miles) south of Hangzhou.

History
The history of Jinhua goes back to the 2nd century BC, when it was a county subordinate to Shaoxing. It was given the name Jinhua under the Sui Dynasty in 598, and later became the seat of a prefecture. The present city and its walls date to the time of the time of the Mongol emperors in 1352.

The most famous native of Jinhua is the Immortal Huang, a Daoist holy man of the 4th century AD, whose descendants still live in the area.

Economically Jinhua has always prospered from its position as the collecting and processing center for agricultural and forestry products (chiefly rice and bamboo). It is currently the second most important grain producing area in Zhejiang Province. In 1985 Jinhua was promoted to City status, and now is responsible for administering four cities, four counties and a district. Animals raised there include dairy cattle, lean-meat hogs (for the production of Jinhua Ham), and honey bees. Jinhua's industrial sector has developed more recently, producing machinery, metallurgy, pharmaceuticals, building supplies and electrical and electronic equipment.

Language
Jinhua, along with almost all of Zhejiang Province, lies within the area of Wu dialects, which are similar to the Shanghai dialect.

Culture
The Tang Dynasty painter Guanxiu (Kuan-hsiu) was born at Jinhua. He is known for his paintings of Buddhist holy men. There are numerous scenic and historical sites in the Jinhua region, including many places associated with the Immortal Huang, and a palace of the Dukes of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Food
The famous Jinhua Ham has been made here for 900 years.

Folklore
Wuyang Shan (Reclining Sheep Mountain) is said to be a sheep which was turned to stone by the Immortal Huang, a trick which he learned through his years of diligently studying Daoism.

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