Runzhou District 润州区

Setting and landscape

The district government describes Runzhou as a city among hills, with the Yangtze and the canal curving past it. Jinshan is a nationally known scenic area, Nanshan is a national forest park, and Jinshan Lake (金山湖) is called by the district government the largest urban lake in China. The Runyang Yangtze River Bridge (润扬长江大桥) links the district with Yangzhou (扬州) across the river.

History

The district takes its name from Runzhou, the prefecture carved out of Jiangzhou (蒋州) in 595 under the Sui, with its seat at Dantu; Zhenjiang itself was long known as Runzhou. The present district began in 1983 as the suburban district of Zhenjiang and was renamed Runzhou District in October 1984. The district government names it as the birthplace of the Legend of the White Snake (白蛇传) and of the literary works The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons (文心雕龙) and the Wen Xuan anthology (昭明文选).

What to see

Jinshan Temple (金山寺), also called Jiangtian Chan Temple (江天禅寺), is ranked by the district government among the four great monasteries of Chan Buddhism. Xijindu Ancient Street (西津渡古街) received a UNESCO heritage conservation award of merit; it includes the Yuan-dynasty Zhaoguan stone pagoda (昭关石塔), the Tang-era Guanyin cave (观音洞) and the Qing lifesaving association (救生会) of Jingkou. The American writer Pearl S. Buck (赛珍珠) spent 18 years in Runzhou and called it her "Chinese hometown"; her former residence (赛珍珠故居) is one of the district's sights. Nanshan includes the reading terrace of Crown Prince Zhaoming (昭明太子读书台), Zhulin Temple (竹林寺) and Zhaoyin Temple (招隐寺), and the tomb of Mi Fu (米芾) lies on Huanghe hill (黄鹤山).

Daxi Road (大西路), Zhenjiang's century-old commercial street, runs mostly through the district, with the Yanchun restaurant (宴春酒楼), the Shanxiang mosque (山巷清真寺) and the former British consulate, now the Zhenjiang Museum (镇江博物馆). The Jingkou lock site (京口闸遗址) marks the old mouth of the Jiangnan Canal on the Yangtze and is generally dated to the Tang.

Highlights

• Jinshan Temple 金山寺: Ranked among the four great monasteries of Chan Buddhism by the district government.
• Xijindu Ancient Street 西津渡: UNESCO heritage conservation award; Yuan-dynasty Zhaoguan stone pagoda.
• Pearl S. Buck Former Residence 赛珍珠故居: Pearl S. Buck spent 18 years in the city and called it her Chinese hometown.
• Nanshan 南山: National forest park with Crown Prince Zhaoming's reading terrace and Zhaoyin Temple.
• Jingkou Lock Site 京口闸遗址: Old outlet of the Jiangnan Canal into the Yangtze, generally dated to the Tang.