Jiaxing

A prefecture-level city in the northern part of Zhejiang Province, China. It is the center of the southern Yangtze River Delta, bordering Suzhou to the north and Hangzhou to the south, Huzhou to the west, and Shanghai to the east. It has a population of 3.481 million (2014). It has jurisdiction over two city districts and two counties, and acts as the governing agent for three county-level cities (as of 2016). It is located along the Grand Canal, which has long been the main artery of north-south transportation, and is served by the Shanghai-Kunming Line (Shanghai-Kunming) and the Shanghai-Hangzhou High-Speed ​​Railway (Shanghai-Hangzhou).

During the Spring and Autumn period, it was called Li, and during the Qin and Western Han dynasties, it was the land of Youjuan County, which belonged to Kuaiji County, and during the Later Han dynasty, it was the land of Youjuan County, which belonged to Wu County. During the Three Kingdoms Wu period, Youjuan was renamed Hexing, and then Jiaxing, and it belonged to Wu County until the Tang dynasty. During the Later Jin dynasty of the Five Dynasties, Xiuzhou was established in Jiaxing County, and it remained under this name during the Song dynasty, but was later elevated to a prefecture when Emperor Xiaozong of the Southern Song was born here. During the Yuan dynasty, it was the seat of Jiaxing Road, and during the Ming and Qing dynasties, Jiaxing Prefecture was established here. In 1949, Jiaxing City was established in the county seat area of ​​Jiaxing County, and it was temporarily abolished, but was revived in 1979, and in 1981, the county seat was incorporated into the city.

It developed as a major distribution center for high-quality Zhejiang rice, which is produced in the fertile plains in the surrounding area, and from the mid-Ming dynasty onwards, together with the neighboring Huzhou, it became a center of rural handicraft industries such as silk reeling and silk weaving. Nanhu, located in the center of the city, is known as the site of the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China (Party Congress) in 1921. On the outskirts are water towns with long histories, such as Xitang and Wuzhen, which are visited by many tourists.

[Kazuo Hayashi, Editorial Department, April 18, 2017]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、浙江(せっこう)省北部の地級市。北に蘇州(そしゅう)、南に杭州(こうしゅう)を控え、西は湖州(こしゅう)、東は上海(シャンハイ)に通じる揚子江(ようすこう)デルタ南部の中心地である。人口348万1000（2014）。2市轄区、2県を管轄し、3県級市の管轄代行を行う（2016年時点）。古くから南北交通の大動脈である大運河に沿い、滬昆(ここん)線（上海―昆明(こんめい)）、滬杭高速鉄道（上海―杭州）が通じる。

　春秋時代は李(すいり)とよばれ、秦(しん)、前漢代は会稽(かいけい)郡、後漢(ごかん)では呉(ご)郡に属する由拳(ゆうけん)県の地であった。三国呉では由拳は禾興(かこう)に、ついで嘉興に改められ、唐代まで呉郡に属した。五代後晋(こうしん)では嘉興県に秀州が置かれ、宋(そう)代はこれによったが、南宋の孝宗がこの地に生まれたのでのちに府に昇格した。元代には嘉興路、明(みん)・清(しん)代には嘉興府の治所が置かれた。1949年嘉興県の県城地区に嘉興市を設置、一時廃止されたが1979年復活し1981年県城も市に編入された。

　付近一帯の肥沃な平野に産する良質な浙江米の大集散地として発展し、明代中期以後は隣接する湖州とともに、製糸、絹織物など農村手工業の中心地となった。市の中心部にある南湖(なんこ)は、1921年に中国共産党第1回全国代表大会（党大会）が行われた地として知られる。郊外には西塘(さいとう)、烏鎮(うちん)など、長い歴史をもつ水郷地帯があり、多くの観光客が訪れる。

［林　和生・編集部　2017年4月18日］

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