As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,087,950 inhabitants however, its built-up (or metro) area, made of Dongyang and the neighboring city of Yiwu, was home to 2,947,340 inhabitants.[2]
History
Dongyang county was first set up in AD 195 (2nd year of Xingping Reign of East Han Dynasty) and known as Wuning (吴宁). In AD 688, the name was changed to Dongyang (东阳). The name Dongyang means "Eastern Sun".
Dongyang was no longer a county and became a county-level city on May 25, 1988.[3]
Dongyang is home to numerous construction companies, the primary one being Zhongtian. Dongyang also produces magnets, chemicals, plastics, garments and agriculture and wooden sculptures.
The reform and opening policies of the 1970s have accelerated economic growth, and the city ranks among the top 100 cities in China, and the first well-off counties (cities) in Zhejiang Province. In 2005, the city's GDP reached 15.984 billion RMB yuan, earning fiscal revenue of 1.38 billion RMB yuan. Per-capita disposable income for urban households totaled 13,349 RMB yuan, and per-capita net income for farmers amounted to 6,903 RMB yuan.
Industry is a major component of Dongyang's economy. The city boasts a wide range of industrial sectors, led by electronic, machine building, magnetic material producing, and medical and chemical industries. At present, Dongyang has become the largest magnetic material production and exportation base in China. It is also the third largest medical and pharmaceutical city in Zhejiang, and boasts a group of leading companies in this sphere, such as Hengdian Kangyu Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, Zhejiang Garden Biological High-tech Co., Ltd, and Zhejiang Hansheng Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.
Dongyang is experiencing a period of great growth, comparable to other regions and cities in Eastern China. In the city square (called Holman Chen), many couples on pleasant evenings dance to traditional and Chinese pop songs.
In one of Dongyang's towns, Hengdian, there is a famous movie studio, where many films and TV shows about ancient China are made. Considered the Hollywood of the East, this vast movie set is a great day trip that is usually very quiet and empty. The movie set is home to a recreation of the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, an ancient Chinese Village and several small European Villages as well as a Pirate ship in a man-made lake. The movie Hero, starring Jet Li was filmed there, as well as the recent video game adaptation.
Tourist attractions
Lu Residential Complex
Lu Residential Complex (卢宅) [7] is one of the key historical and cultural sites under state-level protection in China. Located in downtown Dongyang, the great architectural complex has been the habitation for the Lu family for 800 years. It is well known as the Imperial Palace in South China. It is composed of six groups of buildings. The residential complex is ancient, delicate, and magnificent, and the buildings inside dating from Ming and Qing Dynasties feature the typical Ming-Qing architectural style.
Hengdian World Studios (横店影视城) [8] is considered "Chinawood" (the Hollywood of China). The magnificent and elaborately designed bases and modernized studios there have attracted many directors both from home and abroad. Over 400 films have been shot in Hengdian World Studios, including some popular films, such as Opium War, the Emperor and the Assassin, Hanwu the Great, Hero, the Promise, Curse of the Golden Flower, and the Forbidden Kingdom, etc.
Dongbai Mountain (东白山)'s highest peak, Taibai Peak) is the main peak of the Kuaiji Mountains, with an altitude of 1194.6 meters. The main peak is located in Hulu Town, Dongyang City, Zhejiang Province. Since ancient times, it has been the head of the famous mountains in central Zhejiang, the "roof" of Zhejiang's geography.
Culture
Dongyang also has Baiyun Cultural Park, a place for relaxation with several representations of Daoism and Buddhism including a 50-foot statue.
Dongyang wood carving[9] (东阳木雕) is reputed[by whom?] as one of the best folk handicrafts and a national treasure, as one of the four major schools of woodcarving in China. Dongyang woodcarving came into being early in the Tang dynasty.[citation needed] In the Song dynasty, it became state of the art.[clarification needed] During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Dongyang woodcarving flourished.
A famous local tradition in Dongyang is the virgin boy egg (Chinese: 童子尿煮鸡蛋; pinyin: Tóngzǐ Niào Zhǔ Jīdàn[10]), an annual tradition in early spring time where the urine of prepubertal school boys preferably under 10 years is collected and boiled with eggs and then sold (for 1.50 yuan around twice the price of a regular boiled egg.[11]) and eaten, it is said "it tastes like spring".[12] In 2008, Dongyang recognized the eggs as "local intangible cultural heritage."[12]
Transport
Dongyang West Bus Station
Dongyang is approximately one and a half hours by train from Shanghai, where it is also possible to catch a long-distance bus (about 4 hours). Close to Dongyang is Yiwu, which is a 25-minute taxi ride away. Hangzhou is approximately two-hour taxi from Dongyang.
