Songjiang, Shanghai

Songjiang is a suburban district (formerly a county) of Shanghai. It has a land area of and a population of 1,909,713 (2020).Shanghai 2010 Census Data Shanghai Statistics Bureau

Songjiang Town, the urban center of the district, was formerly the major city in the area. It is now connected to downtown Shanghai by Line 9 of the Shanghai Metro.

History The Neolithic cultural sequence in the Songjiang area can be traced back to the Songze culture. Excavations at Guangfulin have yielded both Liangzhu-style jade objects and Longshan-style black pottery, indicating contact between the two traditions. During the Spring and Autumn period at the end of the Zhou and under the Warring States, the area of present-day Songjiang passed from Wu to Yue to Chu before the Qin's unification of China in the 3rd century.

By the mid-Tang, Huating County was created in 751 as the first county whose seat lay within the territory of present-day Shanghai.

In 1277, owing to its large population, Huating County was elevated to prefectural status and renamed Songjiang Prefecture in the next year. In the early 1290s five townships in the eastern part of the prefecture were separated to form Shanghai County, which remained under Songjiang's jurisdiction.

Around the turn of the 14th century, cotton cultivation and advanced textile techniques—traditionally attributed to Huang Daopo following her return from Hainan—spread from the Shanghai area throughout the Yangtze Delta, establishing cotton as the region's principal cash crop.

In 1367 the Ming regime imposed heavy brick levies on the Yangtze Delta for the construction of the Nanjing city walls, assigning Songjiang a quota of 90 million bricks. Local resistance led by the landlord Qian Hegao () briefly captured the prefectural seat before being suppressed.

The soil and hydrological conditions of the eastern coastal zone were poorly suited to rice. In the 15th century fiscal reforms further encouraged the cotton industry of the prefecture: cotton was formally included in tax assessments in 1433, and after 1486 the partial commutation of in-kind taxes into silver led peasant households to sell hand-woven cloth on the market.

Songjiang Prefecture ranked second only to Suzhou in the size of its tax quota during the Ming. The combined quota of its three counties was roughly equal to that of the entire province of Guangdong in the mid-Ming. The state also confiscated large estates and converted them into official land (guantian); by the mid-Ming more than 80 percent of the prefecture's arable land was classified as official land.

The Ming coastal-defence system in the prefecture consisted of five principal outposts—Chuansha, Nanhui, Qingcun, Zhelin and Jinshan (seat of the Jinshan Guard). Forty-seven recorded wokou raids occurred within the prefecture, the majority during the Jiajing reign (1522–1566). In response the authorities strengthened local defences.

In the late Ming, Songjiang was a centre of Chinese painting. Dong Qichang was its most prominent figure; other artists associated with the prefecture included Gu Zhengyi, Zhao Zuo and Shen Shichong. These painters are sometimes grouped into the Su-Song, Huating and Yunjian schools. In 1629 the scholars including Chen Zilong and Xia Yunyi founded the Ji Society (Jishe, ), a regional branch of the Revival Society linked to the Yunjian Poetic School.

Following the collapse of the Southern Ming Hongguang regime in 1645, Qing forces under defected commander Li Chengdong () occupied Songjiang Prefecture and suppressed gentry-led local resistance. In 1647, Chen conspired with Qing garrison commander Wu Shengzhao () in a mutiny backed by coastal loyalist forces. The plot was exposed and the mutiny failed; Wu was executed, and Chen drowned himself while being escorted under arrest.

Songjiang was typically romanized as Sungkiang. It continued to serve as the prefectural capital under the "Right" Governor of Jiangnan based in Suzhou and then later under the governor of Jiangsu at Jiangning (now Nanjing). Unlike the foreign-held area of Shanghai, however, it fell to rebels during the Taiping Rebellion's Eastern Expedition. About a hundred Europeans under Frederick Townsend Ward failed to retake the town in June 1860. After gathering more Westerners, over 80 Philippine "Manilamen", and several pieces of artillery, a second assault in July 1860 retook the town with heavy losses. Out of about 250 men, 62 were killed and about 100 wounded, including Ward. Songjiang was then used by Ward, Henry Andres Burgevine, their Ever-Victorious Army, and Cheng Xueqi's division of the Huai Army as a base for raids and attacks on other Taiping positions under Li Xiucheng throughout the "Battle of Shanghai".

Following the 1912 abolition of prefectures, Lou County was merged into Huating, which was renamed Songjiang in 1914 to avoid duplication with its namesake in Gansu. In the early 1930s, the Jiangsu provincial government established the Songjiang Administrative Inspection District (initially the Fourth District), with Songjiang as its seat, administering the surrounding counties of Qingpu, Jinshan, and Fengxian. Following subsequent administrative reorganizations, it was redesignated as the Third District, expanding its jurisdiction to include Nanhui, Chuansha, and Shanghai counties while retaining its seat at Songjiang, before Baoshan, Jiading, and Chongming counties (which then included the Shengsi Islands) were further incorporated in 1945.

During World War II, Japan occupied Songjiang from 9 November 1937 until 1945. Afterwards, both the Nationalist and Communist regional government was moved to Shanghai proper, leaving Songjiang a comparatively rural county. The city's many ancient religious structures and examples of traditional architecture were seriously damaged during the 1960s and 1970s amid the Cultural Revolution. Following the PRC's Opening Up Policy, Songjiang restored its more important religious buildings and developed into a college town hosting several large universities. In 1998, it was elevated to its current status as an urban district.

Significant features Some of the notable features in Songjiang District include: Songjiang New City is a major new-town development located within Songjiang District. It was developed as part of Shanghai's One City, Nine Towns plan. The New City will encompass an area of when completed, and will have a total population of 500,000 residents.Shanghai Agriculture - The construction of Shanghai's experimental city, Songjiang The New City reflects Garden City design principles, with a large proportion of land allocated to green-space and parks. Thames Town is a residential and commercial development located within the Songjiang New City that both imitates and is influenced by classic English market town styles. Some of the architecture has been directly copied from buildings found in England. Songjiang University Town is a major higher education sector located in the district. It is the largest higher education sector in mainland China. Shanghai First People's Hospital has a campus located within the Songjiang New City. Shanghai Film Studios are located in Songjiang District. InterContinental Hotel Shanghai Wonderland is built against the walls of a former quarry, and partly underwater: it claims to be the world's first underground five-star resort.

Cultural sights in Songjiang include: Sheshan Hill with Sheshan Basilica Fangta Park, one of the first celebrations of traditional Chinese architecture following the Cultural Revolution, including the city's Square Pagoda and Mazu Temple Huzhu Pagoda on Tianmashan

Government and infrastructure The People's Government of Songjiang, Shanghai is located on No. 1 Yuanzhong Road.

The Shanghai Women's Prison is in Songjiang District.Zhao, Wen. "Women behind bars meet their mothers" (Archive). Shanghai Daily. Saturday March 8, 2014. Retrieved on December 21, 2015.

Transport

Songjiang District is located approximately from Hongqiao International Airport and from Pudong International Airport. Songjiang is currently served by one metro line operated by Shanghai Metro, one suburban line operated by China Railway, and two tram lines.

Metro - Songjiang South Railway Station, Zuibaichi Park, Songjiang Sports Center, Songjiang Xincheng, Songjiang University Town, Dongjing, Sheshan, Sijing, Jiuting extension (under construction) extension (planned)

Suburban rail - Chunshen, Xinqiao, Chedun, Yexie

Railway stations Shanghai Songjiang railway station Songjiang North railway station (closed)

Songjiang tram Line T1 Line T2

Buses

Songjiang Bus

Highways

Shanghai-Kunming highway

Subdistricts and towns Songjiang District has six subdistricts, eleven towns and three special township-level divisions. NameChinese (S)Hanyu PinyinShanghainese RomanizationPopulation (2010)Area (km2)Yueyang SubdistrictYuèyáng Jiēdàongoq yan ka do112,6715.65Yongfeng SubdistrictYǒngfēng Jiēdàoion fon ka do93,33024.53Zhongshan SubdistrictZhōngshān Jiēdàotzon se ka do98,88826.34Fangsong SubdistrictFāngsōng Jiēdàofaon son ka do414,54814.76Guangfulin SubdistrictGuǎngfùlín Jiēdàokuaon fu lin ka do19.05Jiuliting SubdistrictJiǔlǐtíng Jiēdàocioe lij din ka do6.79Chedun townChēdūn Zhèntsau ten tzen167,68745.30Dongjing townDòngjīng Zhèndon cin tzen57,86124.51Jiuting townJiǔtíng Zhèncioe din tzen147,39826.13Maogang townMǎogǎng Zhènmo kaon tzen41,62657.62Sheshan townShéshān Zhènsau se tzen32,29555.70Shihudang townShíhúdàng Zhènzaq wu daon tzen44,01144.28Sijing townSìjīng Zhènsy cin tzen94,27923.98Xiaokunshan townXiǎokūnshān Zhènsio khuen se tzen51,60630.52Xinbang townXīnbāng Zhènsin pan tzen33,62744.75Xinqiao townXīnqiáo Zhènsin djio tzen155,85631.43Yexie townYèxiè Zhènyiq zia tzen80,10472.49Sheshan ResortShéshān Dùjiàqūsau se du ka chiu42,58364.08Shanghai Songjiang Export Processing ZoneShànghǎi Sōngjiāng Chūkǒu Jiāgōngqūzaon he son kaon tseq khoe ka kon chiu60,7972.98Songjiang Industrial ZoneSōngjiāng Gōngyèqūson kaon kon gniq chiu43.69

Climate

Attractions Xilin Chan Temple is a Buddhist temple in Yueyang Subdistrict, which is also a famous tourist attraction.

Zuibaichi is one of the five ancient Chinese gardens in Shanghai that dates back to the Song dynasty.

The Songjiang Mosque is the oldest mosque in Shanghai with its latest rebuild in 1391.

Songjiang's emblematic tower is the 9-story Fangta Pagoda, or Songjiang Square Pagoda.

Dacang Bridge is a historic stone arch bridge over the Old City River in the district.

Songjiang Tangjing Building is located in the Zhongshan Primary School, Songjiang District and it is the oldest surviving above-ground relic in Shanghai built in 859 AD.

Sheshan Basilica is a Roman Catholic church built on Sheshan Hill in the Romanesque architectural style. Originally constructed in 1863, the current church was finished in 1935.

Notable people

Han Bangqing, author of The Sing-song Girls of Shanghai (Lou County)Wang, David Der-wei. "Foreword." In: Google Books PT9. Hou Shaoqiu, Jiang Huilin, Xia Yunyi, Chen Zilong, Xia Wanchun, heroes Gu Yong, Lu Xun (Eastern Wu general), Xu Jie, statesmen Lu Ji, Lu Yun, Chen Jiru, Tao Zongyi, Qian Fu, Gu Qing, writers Shen Du, Dong Qichang, Zhang Nanheng, Zhang Zhao, Shi Zhecun, Cheng Shifa, calligraphers Zhu Kerou, Huang Daopo, Ding Niangzi, craftspeople Zhu Shunshui, Chen Yongkang, experts He Dong, Ping Hailan, Ma Xiangru, educator

References

Songjiang, Shanghai

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