Wuxi

Wuxi (, ) is a city in southern Jiangsu province, eastern China, by car to the northwest of downtown Shanghai, between Changzhou and Suzhou, and one of the central cities in the Yangtze River Delta. It is the ancient founding capital of the state of Wu and the . As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 7,462,135 inhabitants. Wuxi is a historically and culturally prominent city, and has been a thriving economic center since ancient times as a production as an export hub of rice, silk and textiles. In the last few decades it has emerged as a major producer of electrical motors, software, solar technology and bicycle parts. The city lies in the southern delta of the Yangtze River and on Lake Tai, which with its 48 islets is popular with tourists. Notable landmarks include Lihu Park, the Mt. Lingshan Grand Buddha Scenic Area and its -tall Grand Buddha at Ling Shan statue, Xihui Park, Wuxi Zoo and Taihu Lake Amusement Park and the Wuxi Museum. The city is served by Sunan Shuofang International Airport, which opened in 2004, the Wuxi Metro, opened in 2014, and the Shanghai–Nanjing Intercity High-Speed Railway and Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway which connect it to Shanghai. Wuxi is also a major city among the top 500 cities in the world by scientific research outputs, as tracked by the Nature Index and home to Jiangnan University, the only key national university of “Project 211” in the city. Wuxi also possesses one of the highest GDP per capita levels of any city in China. Wuxi literally means "the capital of Wu (state)." Despite varied origin stories, many modern Chinese scholars favor the view that the word is derived from the "old Yue language" or, supposedly, the old Kra–Dai languages, rather than reflecting the presence of tin in the area. Clues are to be found at the Meili Museum and the Helv Relics Museum, Wuxi is the ancient capital of Wu State during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BCE). Taibo and Zhongyong traveled southeast and settled in Wuxi Meili.