Wuxi, city in eastern China, in Jiangsu (Chiang-su) Province, near Shanghai. It is a transportation, industrial, and resort center on Tai Hu (Lake T'ai) and on the Grand Canal and other canals. Manufactures include machinery, machine tools, motor vehicles, silk and cotton textiles, and processed food. Landmarks are Tai Hu, one of China's largest lakes, and Xihui Park, both with many gardens and historic temples; the Grand Canal; and Li Garden. Wuxi is also famous for the production of Huishan clay figurines of animals and of opera and play characters.
The city is among the oldest in China. It was initially called Yaosih, meaning “with tin,” when first mentioned in the 3rd century BC and was renamed Wuxi, meaning “without tin,” during the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) when local tin ores were depleted. It developed as a transportation and market center for rice after the Grand Canal was opened in AD609. Industrialization, begun in the 1890s with an early emphasis on silk and cotton textiles, expanded into the manufacture of precision and high-technology items after 1949. Population (1991) 972,616.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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