Jiangsu is a model of economic success, having the highest GDP per capita and a GDP only second to the much more populated Guangdong Province. This area, historically known as the state of Wu, has, in fact, been a major source of prosperity since ancient times, with cities like Wuxi being a primary source of silk, textiles, and rice.
When the Northern barbarians occupied all of North China in the 4th century, forcing the heartland of China to move South, the ruling Dynasty Jin, moved their capital to the city called Jianye, now known as Nanjing, enshrining the city as a historic capital for successive dynasties to come. The growing influence of the South was further multiplied by the building of the Grand Canal in 581 AD by the Sui Dynasty, connecting the economic zones of the Yellow River to the Yangtze. Jiangsu, sitting amidst the Yangtze River Side of the canal, became enormously wealthy from the trade. This area became the birthplace of China’s wealthy Mercantile class, with cities like Suzhou being famed for their new money opulence.
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