**** (,**** Foochow Romanized:**** Diòng-lŏ̤h****)**** is**** one of**** 6 urban districts of**** the prefecture****-level city**** of**** Fuzhou****,**** the capital of**** Fujian**** Province****,**** China.**** It occupies a land area of 648 km2 and a sea area of 1327 km2. Changle was established in the sixth year of Emperor Wude (623 AD) during the Tang dynasty, and it became a county-level city on February 18, 1994. The district faces the East China Sea and is connected to Mawei district by the Min River. Due to an increase in businesses, the province is now one of the richest provinces in China. The city was upgraded to a district in August 2017 by a government proposal. Located 30 km outside downtown Fuzhou, Changle has a total population of 680,000 and is the hometown of more than 700,000 overseas Chinese.

Transportation

Air

The Fuzhou Changle International Airport is a major airport located in the Zhanggang Subdistrict (formerly, Zhanggang Town) of Changle. This airport services the entire northern Fujian area, and it has regular scheduled flights to many domestic and international destinations.

Major highways

Airport Express Way (Toll Road), Shenghai Express Way and Fujian Provincial Highways S201 and S203

Railways

Presently, there are no railways in Changle. (The Fuxia Railway skirts the western edge of the district, but has no stations there). The closest railway stations are in Fuzhou. However, in November 2012 a plan has been approved for an 88.5-km-long railway from Fuzhou to Pingtan Island. The railway will run across Changle, and will have 3 stations within the district (Changle, Changle East, and Songxia (松下)). It is expected that the work will start by the end of 2012, and would take about five and a half years.

Demographics

Overseas Changle

Natives of Changle receive large amount of financial support from overseas, due to there being a significant population of immigrants from Changle overseas, particularly in the US and Canada. The focal point for the US is in New York City with Fuzhouese ethnic enclaves present in all five boroughs. Notable enclaves include Little Fuzhou in East Broadway of Chinatown, Manhattan and more recently, due to gentrification, in Flushing, Queens and 8th avenue of Sunset Park, Brooklyn. A 2001 study by the Changle government found that about 400,000 people from Changle and their descendants were living abroad. The area has been nicknamed the "Hometown of Overseas Chinese" due to the large number of natives that have move abroad.

Notable natives and residents

Migrant workers

Currently, there are about 200,000 non-native migrant workers working in Changle. Many of them come from Sichuan province.

Climate

Tourist attractions

One of the attractions in Changle is the natural environment. Situated on the banks of the Min River, the region is surrounded by mountains and hills. There are many parks and trails which are destinations for locals and tourists alike. However, industrialization of the region has impacted these areas. Some of the tourist attractions include Xiasha Seaside Vocational Center, Jingang Leg, Bing Xing Literacy Archives, and Nanshan Park. A number of overseas remittances, particularly from the US, has been used to construct some of these areas, particularly the parks, over the last few years. Because of this, many of these areas are essentially new and attract a considerable number of visitors. Some attractions are:

Culture

Local language

Most locals are capable of speaking both Mandarin Chinese (Putonghua) and the Fuzhou dialect, though Mandarin is spoken in more formal settings such as schools. At home, Fuzhou dialect is the norm. Older generations typically have a strong accent when speaking in Mandarin due to their mother tongue being the Fuzhou dialect, which does not distinguish between z and zh, c and ch, s and sh initials or n and ng finals. The younger generation prefers pop culture, arts, music and other forms of entertainment from Hong Kong and the West. The older generation of Changleners enjoy Min Opera, a form of Chinese opera.

Cuisine

Due to geographic location, Changle cuisine consists of a lot of seafood, such as clams, shrimps, conch, sea snails, etc.

Administration

Changle is divided among four subdistricts, twelve towns, and two townships:

Education system

Colleges

High schools

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