A livable city

Nantong has been listed among the top 10 most livable Chinese cities several times by both Chinese and international organizations. A livable city features wooded hills, a pleasant natural environment, clean air, and clean water. The city has also won national recognition for its living environment, rich culture, and natural environment.

The city has ranked first in Jiangsu province in terms of the number of days with good air quality for the past four years. The proportion of river cross sections with water quality better than grade three in national and provincial sampling surveys reached 87.5 percent and 94.5 percent, respectively, and the quality of cross sections in major rivers connected to the Yangtze River and the sea were all above grade five. Nantong leads its peers in the protection of the Yangtze River, and its riverside ecosystem restoration in the five mountains area serves as an example for others.

A well-off city

Since China's reform and opening-up in the late 1970s, Nantong has been improving the livelihood and well-being of its residents.

Over the past few years, the city has implemented policies targeted at poverty alleviation and promoting employment and reemployment to improve the lives of residents. In 2022, the per capita disposable incomes of urban and rural residents in the city reached 59,605 yuan ($8,401) and 30,819 yuan, respectively.

Booming sports industry

Nantong is known as "the hometown of sports" and "the cradle of world champions". It has been home to a great many athletes with significant achievements in competitive sports.

Over the years, Nantong has promoted the construction of mass sports facilities, carried out nationwide fitness activities, strengthened the training of outstanding sports talent, boosted the high-quality development of the sports industry, and hosted high-level sporting events.

Editor-in-chief: Yu Lei

Editor: Wang Yun

Photo by Gu Yao

Translated by Wang Haifei from the Shanghai Waiyuan Translation Agency