Zhenjiang [key], city (1994 est. pop. 405,700), S Jiangsu prov., China, a port at the junction of the Grand Canal with the Chang River. It is also on the Shanghai-Nanjing RR. An important commercial and industrial center, it is known for its lumbering and food processing industries. Pharmaceuticals, machine tools, and paper products are also made. Zhenjiang was known in the Sung dynasty (12th cent.), flourished under the Ming and Manchu dynasties, was held by the Taipings and ravaged (1857), and was opened to foreign trade in 1859. It was a British concession until 1927 when it was returned to China. It declined in the late 19th cent. when the Grand Canal lost its importance, but flourished again as capital (1928–49) of Jiangsu. The Jiangsu medical college is there. The name also appears as Chen-chiang.
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