Huzhou is situated in the central part of the Yangtze River Delta, at the north part of Zhejiang Province, in the south edge of Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plains facing Taihu Lake. It is 99 km from the south across the city to the north and 126 km from the east to the west, covers 5737 square kilometers land area. Huzhou neighbors Jiaxing in the southeast, Hangzhou in the south and Xuanzhou city of An’hui Province in the west, neighboring Wuxi and Suzhou city from Jiangsu Province in the north and east. With Tianmu Mountain to the west and Taihu Lake to the north, Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Houzhou Plains to the southeast, Huzhou enjoys an advantageous geographic position and a rich resources with mountains, highlands, lakes and plains which called “40% farmland, 50% mountains and 10% rivers and lakes”. Huzhou has long been known as a land of fish and rice, a home of silk and tea and a place of rich cultural relics.
Huzhou used to be the West Wu among three Wu kingdoms in Zhou Dynasty. The county was set up in the 1st year of Baoding ( 226 ) during the three kingdoms period, it was called Wuxing, and was called Wang County during the Six Dynasty. The name was changed into Huzhou in the 2nd year of Renshou of Sui Dynasty (603 ). In the early years of Song Dynasty, it was changed into Xuandejun Huzhou, the name was changed into Shaoqinjun Huzhou in the year 1034, and called Shaoqinjun Anjizhou in the 2nd year of Baoqing ( 1226 ). The city was called Huzhoulu in Yuan Dynasty, and Huzhoufu during the early period of Ming Dynasty with Wucheng, Guian, Changxing, Wukang, Deqing, Anji, Xiaofeng and Changxing counties under its jurisdiction. In the beginning of the Republic of China, around 1928, the name was changed again to Wuxing County which with 6 counties such as Wuxing, Changxing,Wukang, Deqin, Anji and Xiaofeng under its jurisdiction. Since 1935, the city was called the First Administration Supervision District of Zhejiang Province, sometimes called the Second Administration Supervision District of Zhejiang Province. After the liberation, the first district was set in Zhejiang Province in May 1949 with Huzhou, Jiaxing, Wuxing, Changxing and etc., altogether 12 counties and cities. The name was changed into Jiaxing Special District in October 1949. Jiaxing District was withdrawn in July 1983, and Huzhou city was set up with Huzhou, Deqing, Changxing and Anji counties and 57 towns, 67 villages, 7 communities and 337 neighborhood societies, 1769 village committees under its jurisdiction, with a population of 2.54 million, among which 2 million is rural population.
Ever since 1979, under the leadership of the Party Committee of Huzhou and the People’s Government of Huzhou, Huzhou people has implemented the principles and policies set by the 3rd session of the 11th plenary of the party, make great efforts in the construction of two civilizations at the same time, to adopt an open-minded and seeking-truth-from-facts approach, to make pioneering efforts, to maintain compelling achievements in the construction of socialist material civilization and spirit civilization; national economy well-developed, prosperous foreign and domestic trade, realization of a twifold figure of GDP. The total volume of 1997 reached 29.8 billion yuan, which is 15 times that of 1978. The infrastructure is getting perfected with a brand new civil appearance and a civilized social spirit. The city has been rewarded as Hygienic City and Model City of Two Support for many times.
