Tongzhou District

Infobox Settlement
name =Tongzhou District
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settlement_type =District
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translit_lang1=Chinese
translit_lang1_type=Chinese
translit_lang1_info=通州区
translit_lang1_type1=Pinyin
translit_lang1_info1=Tōngzhōu Qū


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image_caption = Baliqiao


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map_caption = Tongzhou District in Beijing


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pushpin_map_caption =Location in China
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = China
subdivision_type1 = Municipality
subdivision_name1 = Beijing
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population_as_of =2000
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population_total =673952
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timezone = China Standard
utc_offset = +8
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latd=39 |latm=48 |lats= |latNS=N
longd=116 |longm=48 |longs= |longEW=E
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area_code =010
website = http://www.bjtzh.gov.cn/
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Tongzhou District (Simplified Chinese: 通州区; Traditional Chinese: 通州區; Hanyu Pinyin: Tōngzhōu Qū) is a district of the People's Republic of China, located in southeast Beijing and considered the eastern gateway to the Chinese capital. Downtown Tongzhou itself lies twelve miles from central Beijing, at the northern end of the Grand Canal (on the junction between the Tonghui Canal and the Northern Canal) and at the easternmost end of Chang'an Avenue. The entire district covers an area of 906 square kilometers, or 6% of Beijing's total area. It has a population of 673,952 (2000 Census).

History and culture

Tongzhou was founded in 195 BC during the Western Han dynasty under the name of Lu (路) County, although there is evidence for human settlement in the Neolithic. At the start of the Eastern Han dynasty the character Lu by which it was known was altered by the addition of a water radical to become Lu (潞). In 1151 under the Jin Dynasty Lu County was renamed Tongzhou, roughly meaning 'the place for passing through', in recognition of its importance as the land and water approach to Beijing. In 1937, the Tungchow Mutiny occurred. Tongzhou became one of the municipal districts of Beijing in 1997.

Location and environment

Tongzhou District borders the Beijing districts of Shunyi, Chaoyang and Daxing, the directly-administered municipality of Tianjin and part of Hebei province, and is 12 miles from Tian'anmen Square and 10 miles from Beijing Capital International Airport.

Tongzhou is situated on the Beijing plain with an average altitude of 20 metres. Its climate belongs to the mild temperate zone, with distinct seasons including hot summers and freezing winters. Dust storms are common. It has a year-round average temperature of 11.3°C and 620mm of rainfall. Several large rivers, amongst them the Wenyu, the Liangshui and Chaobai flow through the district.

Transportation

Downtown Tongzhou is connected to downtown Beijing by Jingtong Expressway and Line Batong, Beijing Subway. Beijing's Fifth and Sixth Ring Road are roughly equidistant from Tongzhou's CBD. Highways lead to Shenyang, Harbin and Tianjin/Tanggu. A seventh ring road, a fifth subway line, a Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway and a Beijing-Tianjin shuttle are under construction.

Industry and tourism

There are seven industrial zones with a total area of 64 square kilometers in Tongzhou, focusing on modern manufacturing and high-tech industries. Downtown Tongzhou is earmarked for redevelopment into a comprehensive central business district with an emphasis on consumer retail. In agriculture, the district places emphasis on horticulture, fruit-farming, seed-growing and aquatics. The district government is currently promoting Tongzhou's position at the head of the Grand Canal to attract tourists to its Grand Canal Cultural Park.

The Songzhuang artists' village, where many Chinese contemporary artists live and work, is located in the Tongzhou District. [http://www.studio360.org/episodes/2008/08/08#] [http://www.songzhuangart.com/en_index.htm]

Education and health

Tongzhou has good education facilities including 113 kindergartens, 141 primary schools, 51 high schools and many adult education colleges. It also boasts the Beijing Materials Institute, Beijing University of Technology and the Beijing Institute of Music. Its hospitals include a specialist tuberculosis treatment centre and a hospital specializing in traditional Chinese medicine.

External links

* [http://www.bjtzh.gov.cn/Default.aspx?tabid=635 Official website of Tongzhou District]