Shuangshan Island Tourism Resort

Shuangshan Island Tourism Resort

The Shuangshan Island Tourism Resort in Zhangjiagang City is located in the northwest suburbs of Zhangjiagang, situated between the Zhangjiagang operational channel and the main channel of the Yangtze River in the middle and lower reaches. The island covers a total area of 20 square kilometers, including 4 square kilometers of tidal flats outside the river dike and a shoreline of 16.8 kilometers around the island. Its surrounding waters are connected to the Yangtze River areas of Wuxi, Suzhou, Taizhou, and Nantong. The island is primarily agricultural, with no industrial development over the past century.

The original Shuangshan Island had over 4,000 resident households. From early 2010 to the end of 2012, the Zhangjiagang Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government invested nearly 3 billion yuan to implement the "off-island relocation" project, relocating all residents from the island. By the end of 2011, the Shuangshan Island Tourism Resort Party Working Committee and Management Committee of Zhangjiagang were established. In September 2012, it was successfully designated as a "Jiangsu Provincial-level Tourism Resort." In December 2016, the resort was confirmed as one of the first high-level innovation and entrepreneurship talent recuperation bases in Jiangsu Province. By the end of December 2016, the provincial Department of Land and Resources approved the launch of a comprehensive pilot reform for tourism land use on Shuangshan Island Tourism Resort.

Natural Ecology: Located in the northwest suburbs of Zhangjiagang City, Shuangshan Island is one of the best-preserved ecological islands in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, like a radiant pearl embedded in the lower Yangtze. With forests in the north and fields in the south, the island features a harmonious blend of woods and water, open space, and an ecological layout, making it an ideal destination for vacation tourism. Mr. Wu Liangyong, a world-renowned urban planning master, academician of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, and a first-class professor at Tsinghua University, once praised Shuangshan Island with the verse, “Gold may have its price, but such a precious island is hard to find.” The internationally acclaimed scholar Yi Zhongtian, inspired by Song Haohao’s “Ode to Shuangshan,” inscribed the couplet: “Gaze afar—always cherish the waters and the twin isles.”

Superior Hinterland: Shuangshan Island faces the Zhangjiagang Bonded Zone across the river, less than 1 kilometer away. It is approximately 20 kilometers from downtown Zhangjiagang, about 55 kilometers from Wuxi Shuofang Airport, and within a one-hour transportation circle of Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, and Nantong. The port relief expressway has been completed, and the Zhangjing Passage is set to begin construction soon. Three railways are under construction within Zhangjiagang City (the Shanghai–Nantong Railway, which opened in 2019; and the Tong–Su–Jia Railway and the Nanjing–Yangtze River Intercity Railway, both opening in 2021). A convenient, multi-modal transportation network integrating land, sea, and air is rapidly taking shape.

Broad Prospects: Anchored by the planning vision of becoming a “Slow Island on the Yangtze, a Green Oasis on the Sandy Banks,” Shuangshan Island is fundamentally committed to green ecology. With the leisure and vacation philosophy of “slowness, tranquility, elegance, Zen, wellness, and charm,” the island is developing into a comprehensive Yangtze Slow Island that integrates vacation leisure, health and wellness, Zen and artistic culture, tourism real estate, and Yangtze River fresh cuisine. The ultimate goal is to establish it as a highly renowned and well-regarded leisure and vacation tourism destination in East China.