Changzhou, city in east central China, in southern Jiangsu province, northwest of Shanghai. Located on the Grand Canal, Changzhou is connected to Shanghai and Nanjing by a railroad, built in 1908. The city is a major textile and food-processing center, and one of China's largest locomotive factories is situated nearby. Changzhou is also famous for producing beautiful combs and hair ornaments.
Founded by 500 BC, Changzhou became an administrative center in the 3rd century BC. It received the name Changzhou in AD 589. After the Grand Canal was rebuilt and expanded in the early 6th century AD, the city became a center for the shipment of products from the surrounding farmland. In the 1920s and 1930s cotton textile mills were built, and factories producing diesel engines, generators, transformers, farm machinery, and textile-making equipment have been added since 1949. Population (1996 estimate) 800,000.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Changzhou Information info
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