A low-profile ancient town lies in Nantong with a history of a hundred years. It sits quietly by a port gate through the years, and accumulates the local culture to become a witness of the historical heritage of Nantong. This town is the Tangzha Ancient Town famous for national industry.
Tangzha, formerly known as Tangjia Gate, was originally a sluice on the Nantong-Yangzhou Canal, named after a family with the surname of Tang in the vicinity. In the era of water transportation, Tangzha had a unique geographical advantage, which attracted the attention of Mr. Zhang Jian.
He started the first modern factory in Tangzha, Dasheng Spinning Mill, and after that, he set up the Guangsheng Oil Factory and the Fuxin Flour Mill, etc. Most of these factories were concentrated on both sides of the Nantong-Yangzhou Canal, forming a genuine industrial zone in Tangzha Town in terms of scale.
People who visit Tangzha for the first time will always stop at the Zhang Jian Square on the bank of the canal. Next to the square is the Dasheng Spinning Mill, which records the legend of China's modern national textile industry. Today, the century-old assembly lines of Dasheng Group are still running vigorously to present the wonder of industrial tourism in China. The Dasheng Bell Tower built in 1905 is a national protected historic site, and the Dasheng Pier is one of the most beautiful canal landmarks in Jiangsu Province. The two attractions are always pictured together by tourists because they are next to each other. The important sites along the canal, such as "Tangzha Red Mansion" and "Dada Inland Waterway Shipping Company", have been upgraded to be the key protected sites in Jiangsu Province.
