Rugao (formerly known as Jukao) is located in the economically developed Shanghai metropolitan area in the Yangtze River Delta, bordering the Yellow Sea in the east, the Yangtze River in the south, Shanghai 150 km in the east and Nanjing in the west. With an area of 1.477 square kilometers and a population of 1.4528 million, it now governs the main city, 20 towns and 1 provincial economic development zones. Since the reform and opening up, Rugao has made great progress in economic construction and social undertakings. The comprehensive strength of rural areas, science and technology, township industrial star counties (cities), posts and telecommunications, the basic competitiveness of county economy and the comprehensive strength of small and medium-sized cities all rank among the top 100 counties (cities) in China.

Rugao's history and culture can be described by four "best", namely, the earliest land area in Jianghai Plain, the earliest ancient town in the Yangtze River Delta, the largest county in China during the Republic of China, and one of the earliest coastal counties (cities) in China. Rugao has a long and profound cultural heritage. Lv Dai, a strategist of the Three Kingdoms, Hu Yuan, an educator in the Northern Song Dynasty, Mao Bijiang, a writer in the late Ming Dynasty, and Li Yu, a drama theorist in the early Qing Dynasty, are dazzling constellations in the ancient Rugao starry sky. Rugao has a large number of unique cultural landscapes, such as Dinghui Temple in Sui Dynasty, North Gate, Qushuihuan Temple and Buddhist buildings, which are a must for China temples. Dacheng Hall in Ming Dynasty is a rare all-nanmu structure in China. The architectural water painting garden in Qing Dynasty is an orphan of Huizhou Garden in China and a national cultural relic protection unit. In addition, there are many relics and houses with cultural and historical value, such as Ling Wei Temple, Fabao Temple, Jizhongjing, Jixian Li, Shihetai and so on, which are rich in tourism cultural resources. During the Qianlong period, Rugao was once the richest county in northern Jiangsu and enjoyed the reputation of "Golden Rugao". Rugao ancient city, the inner and outer cities are round, and Hanoi is round, which looks like ancient money. Since ancient times, it has been a distribution center for goods and a place where merchants gather.

China, the capital of flowers and trees, is one of the seven schools of bonsai in China. It is as famous as Lingnan School, Shanghai School and Yang School, and is well-known at home and abroad for its unique style of "clouds and rain, beautiful waist". Rugao bonsai can be seen in Zhongnanhai, Diaoyutai, Chairman Mao Memorial Hall and some central state organs. Rugao bonsai cultivation of flowers and trees began in Song Dynasty and flourished in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Since 1980s, more than 600 bonsai in Rugao have won grand prizes in international and domestic competitions. This year, Rugao won three of the nine gold medals at the 2002 World Flower and Horticultural Exposition held in the Netherlands. At present, Rugao is the largest export base of bonsai for flowers and trees in East China, with a planting area of more than 60,000 mu.

According to the information released by the national authority of the world's longevity and health preserving hometown, Rugao is one of the six longevity towns in China. According to the latest statistics, among the population of Rugao1452,800, centenarians are as high as 25 1, ranking first among all counties (cities) in China, accounting for 1.73/ 10,000, while the main index of the longevity town determined by the United Nations is 0.75/ 10,000, and the standard of the longevity town determined by China is 0.3/ 10,000. The world-famous hometown of longevity is either in the alpine region or in the remote mountainous area. Rugao, located in the Jianghai Plain, is not only the only longevity town in the coastal areas of China, but also the longevity town in the relatively developed industrial areas. This is unique in the world, and its research value is self-evident, which has aroused widespread concern of domestic and foreign news media and related research institutions.

In Shanghai metropolitan area, Rugao, with its unique location advantages and distinct industrial advantages, has become a new hot spot for domestic and foreign merchants to invest. If the Shanghai metropolitan area is divided into two with the Yangtze River as the boundary, the southern half circle including Jiangsu, Wuxi and Changzhou will become the industrial centers of finance, commerce and information, while the northern half circle will be the manufacturing base and agricultural industrialization base corresponding to the industrial gradient transfer of the southern half circle. In the process of this strategic shift, Rugao played an irreplaceable role in inheritance. First, because of Rugao's location advantage. Looking south, Jiangyin Yangtze River Bridge and Sutong Yangtze River Bridge, which have been opened to traffic, are like Rugao embracing Shanghai's two arms; Looking from Linjiang to the north, the two bridges meet at Jiuhua intersection, like an extension of the dynamic and static arteries. The opening of Sutong Bridge shortens the journey from Rugao to Shanghai to 90 minutes. Xinchang, Ningqi Railway, Tong Ning and coastal expressway all pass through Rugao. With Rugao Port, Rugao Airport and National Highway 204, Rugao traffic can be described as extending in all directions. The second is due to Rugao's industrial advantages. Rugao Economic Development Zone (South Zone) and Rugao Economic Development Zone (North Zone), as provincial economic development zones, have 17.2km of gold coastline resources with complete functions, flexible policies and unlimited business opportunities. Small town industrial parks can also provide investors with broad entrepreneurial space. Industrially, electronics, chemicals, medicine, food and machinery are the dominant industries in this city. In agriculture, six characteristic bases have been formed, including bonsai of flowers and trees, high-quality oil rice, fruits and vegetables earning foreign exchange, high-quality pigs, Rugao yellow chickens and high-quality silkworms.

physical geography

Rugao City is located in the northern wing of the Yangtze River Delta, facing Zhangjiagang City across the river. The whole city covers an area of 1477 square kilometers, of which the urban area is 66.25 square kilometers and the total cultivated land area is 82,500 hectares.

Rugao is quite flat, slightly inclined from northwest to southeast. The altitude is no more than 6 meters, and the lowest is about 2 meters.

Rugao is located in the Yangtze River Delta, with dense river networks and numerous lakes. The density of the river network is as high as 4 kilometers per square kilometer. The open terrain and humid climate have played a certain role in the formation of rivers. However, the leading role is the hardworking and brave Rugao people. After long and arduous efforts, they dug and dredged most of the rivers in the city, forming a dense water network.

The water town of this city lies between the Yangtze River and Huaihe River. It is bounded by sandbars on the north bank of the Yangtze River, belonging to the Yangtze River system in the south and the Huaihe River system in the north. Before 1950s, the domestic water system was disordered, ditches and rivers were broken, and irrigation and drainage were difficult. After the establishment of People's Republic of China (PRC), Daxing Water Conservancy strengthened the Yangtze River levee in the area along the river, dredged the waterway leading to the river, excavated the port and built sluice gates to ensure smooth drainage in the low plains along the river; In the high sand plain area, farmland irrigation in this area is ensured by leveling the land and digging rivers to build stations. In the coastal plain of northeast China, digging rivers and washing salt has formed a set of water conservancy system for flood control, drought resistance and salt prevention.

Affected by topography and climate, Rugao's rivers are flat and clear, with minimal sediment concentration, and occasionally freeze in winter. Because of the offshore, the main stream is connected with the Yangtze River, supported by the tide, the direction of the water flow is uncertain, and it often flows back and forth. The river water quantity is more in summer and less in winter, and there are certain regional differences: the water quantity in the low plain and the plain along the river is larger, and the water quantity in the high sand plain is smaller.

Almost all the rivers in Rugao are artificial rivers, which are divided into four grades. There are four first-class rivers: Jiaogang River, Ruhai Canal, Toarey Yang Canal and Rutai Canal.

Jiaogang River runs through the central and western Rugao from north to south, and successively flows through eight towns including Xiabao, Qianjin, Changqing, Jiang 'an, Gaojing, Geshi, Shibei and Huang Zhang, and is connected with the Toarey Yang Canal, such as the Thai Canal, Dazhai River, Xisimagang and other east-west rivers, and finally connects with the Yangtze River. In Rugao high sand plain area, it plays a more important role in irrigation and water conveyance.

Such as the sea canal flows through the vast area in the middle of Rugao, and the basin area ranks first among the rivers in the city. The river is wide and straight, with good shipping conditions. It is connected with the Toarey Yang Canal, such as the Thai Canal, the East-West Sima Port and the Yangtze River. It plays a very important role in shipping and agricultural irrigation in Qiao Yuan, Deng Yuan, Hezhuang, Chengxi, Daming, Changbei, Motou, Changzhuang, Chemahu, Guoyuan, Jiuhua and Fang Ying.

Toarey Yang Canal successively flows through Chai Wan, Daizhuang, Xinmin, Deng Yuan, Rucheng, Chen Dong, Dingbei, Jianshe, Dingxi, Ding Nian, Linzi, Xinyao, Puxi, Baipu, Brave and other 15 towns, and is the largest river flowing through Rugao towns. It connects Baigang, Nanling River, Rutai Canal, Dingbao River, East-West Sima Port and so on. Connected with the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal, it flows through Rugao, the most economically developed area, becoming the busiest river and the main irrigation channel in the northeast and east of Rugao.

Rutai Canal flows through northern Rugao, which is the first of all rivers in Rugao. It is the main artery of Rugao's east-west shipping, and can join Lama River, Jiaogang River, Changdian River, Hai Canal, Toarey Yang Canal and Dingbao River.

The above four first-class rivers and numerous second, third and fourth-class rivers constitute Rugao's criss-crossing irrigation and drainage transportation system. Good water conservancy facilities and complete irrigation and drainage systems have resisted serious droughts and floods again and again. 199 1 year, East China suffered a severe flood disaster, and Rugao suffered little loss, which is a good example.

Rugao is located in the low latitude and the sun is high. The annual average total solar radiation is 120 kcal/cm2. The average temperature in Leng Yue (65438+1October) is 1.7℃, the hottest month (July) is 27.4℃, and the annual average temperature is above 14℃. The average annual sunshine hours reach 2200 hours, and the frost-free period is about 2 16 days. According to the standard of hot zone division, Rugao belongs to subtropical zone. Because it is close to the sea, it is obviously regulated by the ocean, and the daily range is smaller than that of annual range.

Like eastern China, monsoon is the dominant factor affecting climate. The offshore location makes Rugao deeply influenced by the summer monsoon, rich in water vapor and precipitation, and the annual rainfall is above1000 mm. Precipitation is mainly concentrated in summer, but the intensity of summer monsoon varies from year to year, so the annual precipitation changes greatly.

Rugao is located in the subtropical zone and is a part of the East Asian monsoon region. Under the influence of solar radiation and monsoon circulation, a subtropical monsoon climate with four distinct seasons is formed, with low temperature and little rain in winter, high temperature and rainy in summer.

In winter, Rugao blows dry the cold north wind, with more sunny days and less precipitation. 65438+The precipitation from February to February is only140mm; The temperature is low, and there are several cold waves every winter. Strong cold air goes south, the temperature drops, and severe frost often occurs. When the cold wave begins, it is sometimes accompanied by a small amount of snowfall, and the earth is covered with silver.

Sudden cooling caused by cold wave sometimes causes freezing damage to overwintering crops. But low temperature can eliminate some pests and diseases. Occasional snowfall reserves water for the greening and spring sowing of overwintering crops, which can be described as "auspicious snow and good harvest". Spring is the season when winter and summer monsoon change. Cold and warm air currents compete with each other, spinning in and out, sometimes cold and sometimes warm, and the temperature rises in waves. At first, it is sunny and rainy, and the weather is changeable. Appropriate rainfall is conducive to the greening and growth of overwintering crops such as Sanmai and rapeseed, as well as the planting and germination of spring sowing crops.

At the end of spring and the beginning of summer, the winter and summer monsoon enters a state of equal strength, and the resulting Meiyu front lingers in the Jianghuai area where Rugao is located for a long time, forming rainy and continuous weather, just like "it rains at home in Huangmei season and frogs croak everywhere in the grass pond". Too much rain will affect the harvest of three wheat crops, but moderate precipitation is very beneficial to the early growth of early rice, cotton, corn, soybean, sweet potato and other crops, and also reserves water for farmland irrigation in summer dry season.

After the rainy season, Rugao area is controlled by a single warm and humid airflow, resulting in dry weather in summer. At this time, it is the midsummer season, with clear weather, strong sunlight, high temperature and relatively little precipitation. Adequate light and heat conditions are beneficial to agriculture, and less precipitation often leads to drought. Because of the continuous high temperature, sometimes it will cause strong air thermal convection and form thunderstorm weather. In addition, located in the southeast coast, typhoons often cross the border to form storms, which pose a certain threat to agricultural production, but can also regulate the heat in midsummer and alleviate the drought in summer and dry season.

The autumn summer monsoon weakens, the winter monsoon warms up, the atmosphere is relatively stable, and the weather is sunny and sunny, forming a crisp autumn weather. There is enough light and heat during this period, which is very beneficial to the maturity and harvest of autumn crops.

Sufficient light and heat, abundant precipitation and simultaneous rain and heat are extremely beneficial to Rugao agricultural production. However, due to the instability of summer monsoon and the large variability of precipitation, agricultural production is threatened by severe weather such as drought, waterlogging and freezing to varying degrees due to the influence of cold wave, typhoon and tornado.

The origin of place names

The name "Rugao" is very old, very old, with wooden slips and bamboo slips. It is reported: "Rugao Port is fifty paces northwest of the county, and Rugao Village is on the port side. The county name came from this. "

Rugao Port and Rugao Village are named after: "In the past, Dr. Jia was evil, married and beautiful, and he didn't say anything or laugh for three years, so he was loyal to Rugao, and when he shot the pheasant, his wife began to laugh." : "It's for the sake of peace, such as going to the future, being a wife, and being an imperial car." The touching story of "Doctor Jia shooting pheasants" once attracted scholars such as Pan Yue in the Western Jin Dynasty, Du Fu in the Tang Dynasty and Su Shi in the Northern Song Dynasty to compose poems for him.

The name "Rugao" means: go to the highland near the water to see the beautiful sunrise. "Ru Ru" and "Gao" are high places near the water.

Rugao nickname: Luogao, Luoshui County, Gaodong. The first two sentences are from the theory of shooting pheasants, and the last one is from Jin's sentence of "plowing the east and being able to be fat"

The development of history

Rugao, also known as Luogao and Luoshui. In summer, it turns to Yangzhou, surrounded by Haiyang. In the Spring and Autumn Period, it was the land of Wu Yun, and Wu Wu returned to Yue. During the Warring States period, it belonged to Chu and was called Jiuyi Haiyang. In Qin Dynasty, it belonged to Jiujiang County, and in Han Dynasty, it was once a fief of Wu Wang Liu Bi, named Hailing, which was named after the combination of land and sea. In the seventh year of Yixi in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 4 1 1), the county was formally established. The Sui Dynasty was abolished and merged into Haining County. During the Tang Wude period, Ninghai County was renamed Hailing County, and Rugao remained its territory. During the Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties, it belonged to Taizhou. Rugao was designated as a lower-middle county in the Song Dynasty and was promoted to a higher-level county in the 21st year of Yuan Dynasty. In the second year of Yongzheng in Qing Dynasty, Tongzhou was promoted to Zhili County, and Rugao was placed under the jurisdiction of Tongzhou.

1940, the new fourth army moved eastward and divided the county into two parts along the Toarey Yang canal, with Rudong county in the east and Ruxi county in the west. It was later occupied by the Japanese army. 1September, 945, the new fourth army recovered Rugao county, and the Xixian county government was ordered to take over and renamed Rugao county.

1 991June1day, with the approval of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the county was withdrawn to set up a city, and now it has jurisdiction over 532 administrative villages (neighborhood committees) in 23 towns, with a population of 1452800 and an area of 1477 square kilometers.

Population and nationality

Rugao population 1.4456 million (Rugao Yearbook in 2003), with a population of 978 per square kilometer, is a densely populated area in China and even in the world.

Rugao is a famous longevity area in China, and the age structure ratio of the city's population exceeds all the indicators of population aging and longevity areas stipulated by the United Nations: in 2002, there were more than 40,000 elderly people over 80 years old in Rugao; There are more than 4600 people over 90 years old. The average life expectancy of the city's population is 75.59 years, which is 4.59 years higher than the national average (7 1 year) and 9.59 years higher than the world average, indicating that Rugao has entered the ranks of longevity areas.

The number of centenarians in Rugao is the highest in similar areas in China. In 2002, the number of centenarians in Rugao was 172, which has increased year by year recently. In 2003, it was 195, and in 2004 it was 209. In 2004, centenarians accounted for 1.44/ 10,000 of the total population, which was much higher than the United Nations standard for longevity areas (0.75/ 10,000) and even higher than the domestic standard for longevity towns (0.3/ 10,000) published by China.

According to statistics in 2003, there are 17875 centenarians in China. The number of centenarians in two other longevity areas in China is: 69 in Bama, Guangxi; There are 48 people in Zhongxiang, Hubei.

First, Rugao has a long history.

Rugao has a long history, and Rugao has a long history of longevity. According to historical records, the longevity celebrities in Rugao history are: Lv Dai, a strategist in the Three Kingdoms period, became a warrior at the age of 92, and was buried in Linzi Town, Rugao at the age of 97. Hu Yuan, an educator in the Northern Song Dynasty, presided over imperial academy for sixty years and was honored as "Confucius and Mencius" by Wang Anshi. Li Yu, a famous dramatist, aesthetician, publisher, novelist and drama theorist in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, wrote Dictionary and Exercise at the age of 70, which pioneered China's drama theory. At the end of Ming Dynasty and the beginning of Qing Dynasty, a writer ventured across the border at the age of 83, and was praised by Chairman Mao as "the person with the most national integrity after the Qing soldiers entered the customs".

Yuan Mei, a great poet in Qing Dynasty, wrote Poems with the Garden, which records that Song Li celebrated his birthday for 30 years every year from the age of 80, and lived to the age of 109.

Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the historical materials about Rugao Shouxing are mainly Rugao County Records. The genealogy or genealogy of Rugao's famous surname, Rugao Local Records printed by Qin Zhun (printed in Guangxu 3 1 order) and so on.

Rugao, the hometown of longevity in China today, is the continuation and reappearance of the historical longevity phenomenon.

Rugao county records not only the names and ages of thousands of long-lived elderly people, but also rich historical materials such as family members, resumes and personality characteristics of long-lived elderly people. These historical materials are of great research value for us to understand longevity history, interpret longevity culture and explain longevity phenomenon. These historical materials are the precious heritage of Rugao history and culture, and also the treasure in the treasure house of China longevity history and culture.

The phenomenon of longevity in Rugao is not only found in historical written records, but also in the naming of buildings such as streets and bridges in Rugao. Rugao has 6 Baisuifang, 100 Baisuizhuang 1 seat, 3 Baisui Bridge, 2 Baisuijing and 100 Baisuixiang 1 seat, and there are 6 Shoushan and temples to commemorate, pray and symbolize longevity.

Second, Rugao's longevity phenomenon has attracted attention at home and abroad.

Rugao longevity phenomenon has already attracted the attention of domestic and foreign media. Since 1997 CCTV I, II and IV broadcast Rugao's 10 centenarians' Millennium Banquet, overseas media such as Global Times of Canada and Le Monde of Germany have come to Rugao for interviews. Among them, on the eve of Hong Kong's return to China, Chen Manbangying personally made 65,438,000 sachets and gave them to children in Hong Kong. Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa sent a special thank-you letter, which became a much-told story. 1998 Before the Spring Festival, ten centenarians made "New Year greeting cards" to pay a New Year call to the people of the whole country through the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, which was once widely spread by domestic and foreign media and attracted the attention of domestic experts on aging. China Aging Science Research Center came to Rugao to conduct a health survey on 50 centenarians. Experts believe that Rugao is located in the plain, which is similar to most eastern regions and some central and western regions of China. The study of Rugao longevity can be used for reference. In June of the same year 165438+ 10, Hong Kong's Ming Pao reported that Rugao, Jiangsu has been ranked as the six longevity towns in China along with Bama, Zhongxiang, Leshan, Sichuan, Yike, Xinjiang and Xinglong, Liaoning. Professor Liu Daiyue from China Academy of Social Sciences sent a letter to inform the city of this information, which made people feel like a rude awakening. At ordinary times, they only know that there are many long-lived elderly people in Rugao, but they don't know their status in the long-lived areas of the country. Rugao Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government believes that longevity is something that Rugao people should be proud of, indicating that Rugao has a superior economic and social environment. We should pay full attention to and tap this resource, issue the city card of "World Longevity and Health" to the world in time, and arouse the world's attention and response. Zhang, Wu Cangping, and other well-known domestic experts have come to Rugao for investigation.

On June 5438+ 10, 2002, the first "Rugao China Longevity Culture Festival" was successfully held, which fully demonstrated the charming charm of longevity and health preservation to the world. 65,438+005 centenarians and elderly people went to the "Long Live Peace and Prosperity Banquet", which pushed the longevity series of cultural activities to a climax and created a precedent in the history of China.

In 2003, CCTV's "Sunset Red" column group stationed in Rugao for many times to shoot the highlights of Rugao's life and longevity cultural activities, as the main background and highlights of the special program "Chongyang Today" for the 0/0 anniversary of the launch of "Sunset Red", so that the world can share the fun of Rugao's longevity culture and experience the true meaning of Rugao's longevity phenomenon.

Third, factors affecting Rugao people's longevity

In order to explore the reasons why Rugao became a longevity area, in June 2002, with the care and support of four teams in the city, Rugao Longevity Research Association was established. Since its establishment two years ago, Longevity Research Association has organized research activities around the related factors that cause the longevity phenomenon in Rugao, and achieved some results. After two years of practice, they have two understandings:

1, Rugao longevity phenomenon is not a one-time event, but a historical development process. The earliest record of the birthday star in Rugao can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms period, which has been 1750 years ago. Today's centenarians were born at the beginning of the last century, and have gone through the vicissitudes of 100 years. When analyzing the mystery of their longevity, we must put them in the long history of a hundred years. Therefore, to interpret Rugao's longevity phenomenon, we must use the viewpoint of historical materialism, considering both realistic factors and historical factors.

2. Rugao is located in the jianghai plain, and its natural geographical environment and social and economic activities are not closed. Therefore, Rugao's longevity cannot be explained by a single factor. Obviously, it is the result of the superposition of many factors, including natural factors, human factors and the reasons for the longevity of the elderly.

After more than two years of research, they also preliminarily believe that there are several factors that affect Rugao's longevity:

(1) Natural environmental factors:

1, mild temperature, comfortable and pleasant.

Rugao is located at 32 00 ′-32 30 ′ north latitude, and belongs to the humid climate zone in the north subtropical zone. The annual average temperature is 14.7℃, and the hottest average temperature in July is 27. 1℃. In recent 40 years, the lowest temperature was below-10℃ for only 7 days, and the annual average temperature was above 35℃ for only 5.4 days.

2. Adequate rain and moderate humidity.

The annual precipitation in Rugao is about 1 0,056.8 mm, and the average precipitation days are 1 0,654.38+0.9.4 days. The number of rainstorm days over 50 mm is only 3.2 days, and the annual average relative humidity is 80%, which makes people feel cheerful and energetic.

The air is fresh and green.

As Rugao enjoys superior climatic conditions, lush forests and green vegetation all year round, there are 500 ginkgo trees 1.500, 850 cypress trees, 800 pine trees, 300 Podocarpus, 300 boxwood trees and 300 five-needle pine trees in Rugao. These "living fossils" show Rugao's profound cultural heritage. Since ancient times, Rugao people have paid attention to the environmental greening of the courtyard and the arrangement of indoor bonsai, and have a good reputation as the bonsai capital of flowers and trees in China. Rugao ordinary farmers are "there are big trees in front, big bamboos in the back, and halls in the middle". They think that the number of trees is a symbol of wealth. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that "the poor people show meat and the poor villages show houses". Rugao is full of vitality, and the gardens in full of green beautify the environment, cultivate the mood, purify the air and increase the content of negative ions, which is a great enjoyment for people's body and mind.

4. Rivers crisscross and the water quality is excellent.

Rugao has a dense water network, criss-crossing rivers and connecting with the Yangtze River, rich drinking water sources and excellent water quality. Rugao people like to drink "Tianshui" when drinking tea, and they also like to use Pogostemon, Mint and Hedyotis diffusa (scientific name Plantago) instead of tea to cool off the heat. These traditional Chinese medicines have health-care functions such as dispelling summer heat and strengthening stomach. Now there are wells in rural areas, but tap water has been widely used in cities, and the "clear spring" project is being implemented in rural areas to popularize drinking tap water. According to the survey data of drinking water sources over the years, the compliance rate of drinking water sources in Rugao City is 98.5%. All the chemical indexes have been kept within Grade I-II standards. The human body is rich in trace elements such as iron, manganese, zinc and selenium, while some trace elements such as manganese and iron exceed the standard. According to literature, manganese has lipophilic, anticancer and anti-aging effects in human body, and moderate high manganese is beneficial to human health.

5. The soil resources are diverse and rich in products.

The main source of Rugao soil is the Yangtze River alluvium, which is influenced by the Huaihe River alluvium, which makes the mineral composition of Rugao soil parent material more complicated and lays the foundation for the diversity of soil element composition. The complex soil resources form Rugao's rich foundation planting resources, which lays a solid foundation for the diversity of Rugao's plant resources.

Rugao is rich in rice, wheat, corn, beans, potatoes and peanuts. There are many famous local products here, such as Rugao radish strips, Rugao rice wine, Rugao ham, Rugao sausage, Rugao floss, Baipu dry tea and Lin Zichao cakes.

Social and cultural factors

In addition to the natural environment factors, Rugao people's longevity also has social and cultural factors:

1, Rugao people are honest and honest, and it is common to respect the old and love the young. According to Rugao County Records and Customs published in the thirty-ninth year of Jiajing in Ming Dynasty (1569), Rugao people were described as "gentle in temperament and vulgar in quality". People are afraid of the law and ashamed of sin, while scholars learn and follow reason. The subject collection is easy and the lawsuit is simple. It is more frugal to crown, faint, mourn, sacrifice, conduct customs and rituals. " Fear of law and shame, rational study, simple litigation and imprisonment, and frugality are the true portrayal of Rugao's simple folk customs at that time. 1933 "Jiangsu Records Draft" said that Rugao was rated as "clean" in the province's folk customs survey. Filial piety is the essence of Chinese ethics and the traditional virtue of the Chinese nation. The fashion of respecting and loving the elderly has been passed down from generation to generation in Rugao. "A family as old as a treasure" is like the rules and regulations in Rugao countryside. Children do not regard the elderly as a burden, but as the glory of the family. If there are elderly people at home, their children will be respected by people in society, which provides the best social environment for the health and longevity of the elderly.

On June 5438+ 10, 2002, the municipal party Committee and the municipal government issued the "eight-in-one" project of respecting, caring for, helping and caring for the elderly, namely: longevity allowance, in which each elderly person with 100 or above enjoys 80 yuan longevity allowance every month; A bottle of milk, each person over 95 years old provides a bottle of milk free of charge every day; Physical examination once, each person over 90 years old has a physical examination once a year, the municipal government organizes medical staff to visit the elderly over 100, and the town government organizes physical examination for the elderly over 90-99 years old; City leaders offer condolences to centenarians once a year; On a birthday, the government gave a color TV to the elderly over 100 years old; Every year, a model family appraisal activity is carried out for families with elderly people over 85 years old, which is commended by the government and further promotes the improvement of the quality of life of the elderly.

2. Warm the family and prolong life.

Family should be a happy and warm harbor, especially for ordinary people and elderly people with long life. The survey shows that 94. 1% of Rugao centenarians live with their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Some elderly people have no sons, and their daughters and sons-in-law will assume the responsibility of providing for the elderly; Some children died, and grandchildren took responsibility; Others are handled by nephews and nieces. It should be said that most people who live a long life can live a long life, and their descendants do contribute. They give the elderly financial support, material security, life care and spiritual comfort. Four or five generations live under one roof, with children and grandchildren around their knees, respecting the old and loving the young. This is the traditional culture and virtue of Rugao, and it is also an important factor for the health and longevity of the elderly. The so-called "harmonious families are happier, and happy families live longer" is precisely the truth.

(3) Self-factors of the long-lived elderly.

In 2002, Rugao conducted a questionnaire survey on 1 19 centenarians in the city. The contents of the survey include 9 items and 82 orders, including personal brief history, living habits, diet, spouse, children, elders, brothers and sisters, and health history. The survey results show that there are more than a dozen centenarians in Rugao;

There are more females (85%) and fewer males (15%).

Many people often drink (66.2%) and few people smoke (77% never smoke).

Most of them are illiterate and semi-blind (86.6%), and a few are intellectuals (1).

There are many people engaged in manual labor and few people engaged in mental labor.

Most centenarians have children (5.56 on average).

Few people have never given birth (7.3%)

Among brothers and sisters, the first child lived longer (40.5%).

The probability of longevity after giving birth is small (second child 30.4%, third child 13.9%, fourth child 7.6%, fifth child 7.6%).

Sleep quality is much higher (90%) and insomnia is less (2.5%).

More than 74% of the diet is thick and thin, and less is partial eclipse.

Most of them have never suffered from infectious diseases (90%), and few have (2.3%).

Centenarians were born at the beginning of last century. In the past hundred years, they have also experienced famine, war and human interference, and suffered disasters. They survived tenaciously, but they did not deliberately pursue longevity, but lived for a long time. They think that besides the objective factors such as society and nature, there are also their own factors, which must be related to their genetics and living habits.

Judging from the above survey results, it is difficult to summarize the living habits of centenarians, but there are two things in common.

First, poor tea and light rice. The eating habits of centenarians are mainly vegetarian, refusing to eat big fish and meat, and eating and drinking. Rugao folk songs say: "Fish makes a fire, meat produces phlegm, and tofu dishes keep peace." Diet is generally thin every day. The staple food is not only rice and flour, but also miscellaneous grains such as corn, wheat and potatoes. This thick food structure provides Rugao people with a variety of easily absorbed nutrients. As the saying goes, Rugao people can live over 90 years old after eating porridge and rice.

The second is peace of mind. Among the centenarians surveyed, most people always hold an open-minded attitude towards life, people and things around them and themselves. Except for reasons such as deafness and unresponsiveness, some old people rarely express their feelings in words, and few people are depressed. According to the survey, centenarians are cheerful and open-minded, regardless of people's rights and wrongs, and always maintain an open-minded spiritual realm. They are gentle and have a harmonious relationship at home and in the neighborhood. The ancients said: "The heart is not old, but people are hard to get old." It seems that "the heart is not old" is indeed the experience of centenarians to win health and longevity.

In April of 20021year, Rugao ranked 5 1 in the ranking of urban communication heat (county-level cities) in China.

In April, 20021year, Rugao ranked 76th in the top 100 list of special foods in China.

202 1 1 month, Rugao