The fertile, densily
populated land south of the river is known as
Jiangnan and sports dozens of multi-million cities, Megacity Shanghai alone has
a population of over 25 million souls.
From 5000 BC on, Neolithic
Majiabang cultures
florished around Lake Taihu.
The
Liangzhu culture with
Austronesian roots florished a few millenia later and is known for the
many jade artefacts. It may have been one of the first states in the region.
Cities like Suzhou, Hangzhou and Nanjing played
important roles in the history of Chinese dynasties.
The 1800 km long
Grand Canal connects Beijing to Hangzhou and was a
major waterway for 14 centuries. Its southern section is still in use today.
Jiangnan is packed with historical and interesting
towns like Shanghai, Nanjing,Hangzhou and Suzhou and sites like the grand Buddha in Ling Shan, lake Taihu, old watertowns
like Zhouzhuang and the leaning pagoda at Tiger Hill.
Hangzhou Bay is perfectly shaped to create the worlds largest
Tidal Bore.