Yancheng

Yancheng (simplified Chinese: 盐城; traditional Chinese: 鹽城; pinyin: Yánchéng), formerly known as Yandu, is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. As the city with the largest jurisdictional area in Jiangsu, Yancheng borders Lianyungang to the north, Huai'an to the west, Yangzhou and Taizhou to the southwest, Nantong to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the east. Formerly a county, the current Yancheng city was founded on January 18, 1983. Yancheng, literally "Salt City", is named after the salt harvest fields surrounding the city. According to historical records, collection and production of sea salt in the region began as early as 119 BC, during the Western Han dynasty, when the settlement on the current location of Yancheng was named Yandu County (盐渎县). According to the 2020 census, Yancheng has a registered population of 6,709,629, with 1,733,591 inhabitants in its built up area comprising the districts of Tinghu and Yandu.