Gaoyou
Gaoyou Children's Welfare Institution
No. 40 Gao Gong Qiao Road
Gaoyou, Jiangsu, China
222003
Half the Sky Children's Center #19 opened in April, 2005
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Baby Sisters Infant Nurture Program since April, 2005 |
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Little Sisters Preschool Program since April,2005 |
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Family Village #1 since April, 2005 |
GAOYOU
A historic city of 150,000 located on the eastern shore of Gaoyou Lake, in central Jiangsu Province, Gaoyou’s history stretches back over 7,000 years. The name “Gaoyou” means “high post” and refers to Gaoyou’s importance in the early Imperial postal system. In celebration of this heritage, a roundabout at the center of town features a large sculpture of post couriers pushing their horses hard.
The Grand Canal of China, the world’s longest man-made waterway, runs between the city and Gaoyou Lake. The Beijing-Shanghai expressway runs just east of the city, providing easy access for visitors and goods.
At Longqiu Village, just north of Gaoyou City, archeologists have uncovered an ancient village dating back to 5,000 BC known as the Longqiuzhun Relics. Painted pottery, carbonized rice grains, and other artifacts found at the site point to an advanced culture, and verified the cultivation of rice in the area at this early date.
The Grand Canal reached Gaoyou 476 BC. Built to its maximum length in 1291, the Grand Canal stretches 1794 kilometers from Beijing in the north, to Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province in the south, connecting six provinces and five river systems. The Grand Canal is considered, along with the Great Wall, one of the two great engineering feats of ancient China, connecting six provinces and five river systems. Today the canal is still a busy waterway used to transport massive quantities of gravel and other goods for China’s fast-growing economy.
In 221 BC, during the Qin Dynasty, Emperor Ying Zheng had a relay station for the postal courier system built on the site of today’s city, thus giving Gaoyou its name. In AD 1375, the Ming Dynasty upgraded Gaoyou’s postal services by building the Yucheng Post station. Located adjacent to the Grand Canal, the station made it possible for imperial special messengers not only to change horses, but also to use boats and ferries, which were always at their disposal.
Today, the restored Yucheng Post is a museum and the largest, best-preserved, example of an ancient courier station in China. The post is defined by the distinctive Drum Tower that stands out among the one-story buildings that surround it, making it a local landmark. Although some of the museum’s buildings have been reconstructed, a few of the original structures remain. The architecture, and fine woodcarvings, of these ancient buildings reflect both the architectural style of the Ming Dynasty, and the rich substance of folk customs and local culture in northern Jiangsu Province.
An extensive system of dikes holds Gaoyou Lake and the Grand Canal suspended above the surrounding plains. Over the centuries, breaks in the dikes have led to massive floods, including one in 1931 that killed 3.7 million people. On December 30th, 2005, Wenyou Tai Museum opened to honor the memory of the victims of the 1931 flood and the work of five people - a Christian missionary, a Buddhist hermit, a Chinese general and Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh for their work taking aerial photos of the flood area.
Fresh produce abounds in the city’s markets, and local specialties include Gaoyou Double Yolk Duck Eggs (salted duck eggs with double yolks) and Lotus root.
If you adopted a child who was in a Gaoyou Half the Sky program, we are happy to send you whatever progress reports and photographs we may have in our files, but only after you've brought your child home. Please download and fill out a progress report request form and follow the instructions for faxing or emailing to Half the Sky.