| To the west of Shanghai, between Shanghai and Suzhou, the countryside is primarily agricultural but changing rapidly. As more businesses and factories move from high-rent space in Shanghai proper, both jobs and development move with them. This is problematic because this region has some of the richest farm land in China. While the nation is spending billions trying to reclaim desert in Xinjiang and other marginal agricultural areas, productive land is being paved in high density population areas.
Shanghai, Suzhou, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Ningbo are all located in a region called Jiangnan (江南 , Jiāngnán) meaning "south of the Yangtse." All are rapidly growing city centers whose development is fueled by the richness of the land, access to plentiful water, and transportation via the waterways.
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