Gongqing

Gongqing Cheng (Chinese: 共青城，pinyin: gong4qing1cheng2) is a small planned city of around 35,000 people located in Jiangxi Province in the People's Republic of China.

The administrative center for this area is in Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province. Rail and bus connections can be made to both the major cities of Jiujiang and Nanchang. There is a major toll road, 105/316 according to the Collins' map of China, connecting these three cities with Gongqing being roughly in the middle. Buses are plentiful (1,5 hours to Nanchang, 1+ hour to Jiujiang) The local taxi service is cheap, reliable, and plentiful.

The area is noted for its ducks and many orange orchards are present. The city was started in the early 1970s. The ducks are important for their feathers used in production of clothes, the most important industry of Gongqing. The Yaya company - once famous all over China for its winter clothes - is situated here. The tile and clothing industries are the base of the economy with clothing having reportedly 20,000 workers.

Gongqing College of Nanchang University is located here with an enrollment of over 10,000 students and like the city it is expanding. There is the just opened Jiangxi Aviation School of Science and Technology in the city as well. Both schools had student riots in the year 2004 causing considerable damage. It is said that there are two new colleges planned for this city.

The city does contain a Bank of China in the city center where dollars for yuan can be exchanged but the other four banks in the city are for local currency only. It is very difficult to cash in travelers checks. Three large grocery stores have been added in 2005. There are plans for the city to expand to 400,000.

The city is dusty but has, by Chinese standards, relatively good air and water quality. It is currently under constant construction and there are frequent electric and water stoppages.

Lake Poyang, China's biggest fresh water lake is nearby with important bird sanctuariesand in Gongqing the Poyanghu Ecosystem Research Center is under construction. The famous Lushan Mountain, a place where among other chairman Mao held several important meetings, is also close to the north. The Hu Yaobang Memorial to a national hero of China is just outside the city overlooking Puyang Hu. Hu Yaobang was a former party chief famous for advocating reforms. After his death in 1989, thousands of students gathered on the Tiananmen Square, leading on June 4th 1989 to the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. A ceremony with among others Prime Minister Wen Jiabao attending was held in Beijing in November 2005 to commemorate the popular leader for the first time since his death. A similar event was also held in Gongqing later the same winter. Hu Yaobang is the one who has given the city its current name.

There is a post office but it does not handle overseas mail. The city has a movie house, a roller rink, and at least two tourist level hotels. The new Lushan International Golf Club developed by the Jiahao Company of Hong Kong can be found on the city's perimeter.

Restaurants are plentiful, with the more upmarket including Yushan and Chashan, which are also the best hotels. The city also boasts a coffee/karaoke bar: Chengshi kafei (City Coffee). Most hotels will also have karaoke rooms.

Its hospital can provide for basic medical problems but there is an issue of cleanliness in China for smaller rural hospitals.