About the City of Gaoyou

Gaoyou City = Gāo yóu shì = 高邮市; say: gao yoh shr

Gaoyou City is a small city, by Chinese standards, located near the center of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China. The city has a long, rich history. From it's founding 2200 years ago as a postal stop on the Grand Canal through today it remains a warm, friendly and vibrant city.

Gaoyou is located in central Jiangsu province on the eastern shore of Gaoyou Lake. The Beijing-Shanghai expressway passes just to the east of the city, and the Beijing-Hanzhou (Jinghang) Grand Canal separates the city from Gaoyou Lake on the west. Gaoyou is considered a suburb of Yangzhou, 40 km (25 mi.) to the south, and falls under its political jurisdiction.

Gaoyou County has an area of 1,963 square kilometers (755 sq. miles) and a population of approximately 830,000. The population of the city proper is approximately 150,000 people. Gaoyou has jurisdiction over 19 townships and the Hui (Moslem) nationality township of Lingtang which is home to eastern China’s largest Mosque.

Civilization at Gaoyou has been traced back 7000 years with artifacts found at the Longqiu Village archeological site just north of Gaoyou City.

Early in the Qin Dynasty (221 to 206 BC) Emperor Ying Zheng directed that a relay station on the postal courier system built at the site. This gave the city its name with “Gao” meaning “High” or “His Excellency” and “you” meaning “Post”. Gaoyou is also known as Qinyou meaning Qin (dynasty) Post. The leaders of Gaoyou make note in speeches and introductions of the fact that of 2000 cities in China no other has the word “you” (post) in its name.

Gaoyou is proud of its heritage as part of the ancient postal system, and it is a defining part of the city's identity. A roundabout in the center of town has a large sculpture of the couriers ridding hard with the mail. The sculpture is used prominently in Gaoyou business and government promotions. The original Post Station, the Yucheng Post, has been restored and is now a museum.

Like most of eastern China Gaoyou has a vibrant economy. The approximately 3,000 manufacturing and industrial businesses in the area include representatives of the machinery, light industry, textile, mechanical, building materials, and electronics industries.

Being located in China’s breadbasket, agriculture also plays an important role in the regions economy. Fresh produce abounds in the cities farmers markets. The area is known for the Gaoyou Double Yolk Duck Eggs and Lotus root, among other things.

Famous citizens of Gaoyou include Qin Shaoyou, a well-known poet of the Song Dynasty, Wang Nianshun and Wang Yinzhi (father and son) celebrated classics interpreters during the Qing Dynasty, Sun Yunzhu, the modern paleontologist and Wang Chenqi, the contemporary writer.