Danyang
strikeout.nu Danyang (simplified Chinese: 丹阳; traditional Chinese: 丹陽; pinyin: Dānyáng) is a county-level city under the administration of Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province, China. However, it is actually located about halfway between Zhenjiang and Changzhou (however it is closer to Zhenjiang), and is easier to reach from Zhenjiang than Changzhou. During the Southern Dynasties it was the home town of the royal families of both the Southern Qi and Liang Dynasties. As a result, many of the emperors and princes of these royal families were buried here in elaborate tombs. Nowadays it is better known for its production of optical lenses used in sunglasses and eyeglasses. In 2012 Danyang received a new railway station, the North Station (Bei Zhan), on the Shanghai to Beijing high-speed railway line, making it possible to travel between Danyang and Shanghai's Hongqiao Station in only one hour and 10 minutes. There is also a new train station for regular rail service located in the downtown city center. Danyang has a total area of 1,059 km2 and a population of roughly 890,000. Danyang locals speak a dialect of Wu Chinese, and the city is on the linguistic borderline between Wu Chinese and Jianghuai Mandarin.