Xinbei District 新北区

What to see

China Dinosaurs Park (中华恐龙园) is a dinosaur-themed amusement park of about 600 mu that opened in September 2000 and is rated a national 5A scenic area. Its museum displays Chinese dinosaur fossils, although none have been dug up in Jiangsu; the park grew out of a 1996 proposal that Changzhou pay for a hall to show fossils held by the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources.

Menghe (孟河), in the northwest where the Ningzhen hills end, is described by the district government as Changzhou's only national historic and cultural town. It is known as the home of the Qi and Liang dynasties (齐梁故里) and still has Jiulong Chan Temple (九龙禅寺) and the Wansui Dongyue Xinggong (万绥东岳行宫), a temple to the god of Mount Tai. The Menghe school of Chinese medicine (孟河医派) began here, and the town is the home town of the revolutionary pioneer Yun Daiying (恽代英).

Benniu (奔牛), on the Grand Canal in the west, dates its history back more than 2,100 years; its name, 'running ox', comes from an old story of a golden ox that bolted on the river. The town lists Wanyuan Bridge (万缘桥) among its historic sites.

Food and local products

Menghe farms quality rice and specialty aquatic products; its Xizhizhou river crab (惜字洲江蟹) carries a national geographical-indication trademark.

Getting oriented

Changzhou North station on the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway and Changzhou Benniu International Airport are both in the district. The Changtai Yangtze River Bridge crosses the river from here, and the district has Changzhou Port, a national first-class open port, and Benniu Port, which the district government calls the largest inland port in Jiangsu. The Beijing–Shanghai railway, the Shanghai–Nanjing intercity railway and the Grand Canal all pass through Benniu.

Highlights

• China Dinosaurs Park 中华恐龙园: Dinosaur-themed 5A park opened in September 2000, with a museum of Chinese dinosaur fossils.
• Menghe 孟河: National historic and cultural town, home of the Menghe school of Chinese medicine.
• Jiulong Chan Temple 九龙禅寺: Qi–Liang era relic in Menghe.
• Benniu 奔牛: Grand Canal town with more than 2,100 years of history and the Wanyuan Bridge.
• Xizhizhou river crab 惜字洲江蟹: Menghe crab with a national geographical-indication trademark.