Dialect:

In ancient times, the Yangtze River was the natural dividing line, and Zhenjiang also belonged to the Wu speaking area. Modern Zhenjiang dialect is very different from neighboring Danyang, but only slightly different from Yangzhou. The reasons for the changes in the dialect attributes of Zhenjiang dialect generally include politics, economy, physical geography and transportation.

Wu dialect also has penetration into Zhenjiang dialect, mainly in terms of vocabulary. The general trend in the development of Zhenjiang dialect is to be closer to Mandarin, with new words replacing old words very quickly and in large numbers. In terms of phonetics, some remnants of ancient sounds are further disappearing and gradually transitioning to Mandarin.

For example, the finals of "ancestor, hoe" were pronounced o in the past, but are now pronounced u; the initial consonants of "jie, xie, xie" were pronounced z, c, s in the past, but are now pronounced j, q, x; The initial consonants of "Zhan, Shan" used to be pronounced j and x, but today they are mostly pronounced z and s.

Food culture:

Zhenjiang cuisine is known as the “three fish and three strange things”. The "three fish" are the "three delicacies of the Yangtze River" anchovy, saury, and puffer fish; the "three weirdos" are meat, balsamic vinegar, and pot noodles. The "three weirdos of Zhenjiang" are the most famous, and there is a saying; Bad, meat should not be used as a dish, and the lid of the pot is cooked inside the noodle pot."

Zhenjiang’s high-end specialty dish, the royal recipe “Qianlong Imperial Banquet”, is unique. Zhenjiang's famous snack crab roe soup dumplings have thin skin, rich soup, full filling and delicious taste.

Extended information:

In 1953, Zhenjiang City was transferred to the Zhenjiang Prefecture of Jiangsu Province. At the same time, the Changzhou Prefecture was revoked, and the three counties of Wujin, Liyang, and Jintan were placed under the jurisdiction of the Zhenjiang Prefecture. . The Zhenjiang Prefecture governs Zhenjiang City and 11 cities and counties including Dantu, Yangzhong, Danyang, Jiangning, Jurong, Lishui, Wujin, Liyang, Jintan, and Gaochun. It has a special office in Zhenjiang City.

In 1956, Wujin County was placed under the Suzhou Prefecture, and Yixing County, which was originally part of the Suzhou Prefecture, was placed under the Zhenjiang Prefecture. Yangzhong County was placed under the Yangzhou Prefecture, and later returned to the Zhenjiang Prefecture. The three counties of Yizheng, Liuhe, and Jiangpu, which were originally part of the Yangzhou Prefecture, were classified into the Zhenjiang Prefecture, and were later reclassified back to the Yangzhou Prefecture. Zhenjiang Prefecture governs 10 counties.

In August 1958, the Zhenjiang District was renamed Changzhou District, and the special office was moved from Zhenjiang City to Changzhou City. The two cities of Changzhou and Zhenjiang, which were originally under the direct jurisdiction of the province, were placed under the leadership of the Changzhou Special Agency. Jiangning County was placed under the leadership of Nanjing City. Dantu County was abolished and merged into Zhenjiang City.

Wujin County, which was originally part of Suzhou Prefecture, was included in Changzhou Prefecture. It governs 2 cities and 9 counties. In September 1959, Changzhou District was renamed Zhenjiang District, and the special office was moved from Changzhou City to Zhenjiang City. It governs the two cities of Zhenjiang and Changzhou and the nine counties of Wujin, Yangzhong, Danyang, Jintan, Liyang, Yixing, Gaochun, Lishui and Jurong.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Zhenjiang (prefecture-level city in Jiangsu Province)