From Them, Through Us, to You
From Them, Through Us, to You is the debut album by Chicago-based rock band Madina Lake. The album was released in the United States on March 27, 2007, via Roadrunner Records; it was released a day earlier in the UK.
The album debuted at number 154 on the US "Billboard" 200 albums chart, number three on the "Billboard" Top Heatseekers chart, and number 60 on the UK Albums Chart.
The first single off the album was "House of Cards", followed by "Here I Stand", "One Last Kiss" and "Pandora", all of which have music videos.
Reception.
AllMusic stated that "The in-your-face intensity on tracks like the opening anthemic rocker "Here I Stand" is balanced by a tight sense of vocal harmony and an infectious melodicism that prevails most of the way through. It juxtaposes harsh background vocals with a heavy grooving drumbeat. If you like your music loud, take a dip in Madina Lake, bang your head and have a blast!" Sputnikmusic felt that "On paper, it reads just like a form of angst-filled high school poetry and with Nathan's nasally voice screeching and defecating the lyrics, it just makes it all that worse. This had the potential to be a great album but falls short by quite a margin."
"MusicOMH" said: "It's an album beset with clunking visuals and broader-than-thou riffs, complementing twin brother Nathan's expansive, excessive vocals tenfold to a beating post-hardcore centre." AbsolutePunk.net wrote: ""From Them, Through Us, to You" is an album that offers a glimpse into the nature of Madina Lake, people, and society and places them to hard rock music laced with electronica and pop undertones. This blend of melody and aggression is the same kind that has launched the band's peers onto the fast track of success, and may very well do the same for Madina Lake."
Track listing.
For unknown reasons, the iTunes release includes the whole advanced track listing with "The Auspice" but "Now or Never", "Morning Sadness" and "True Love" are omitted with the advanced version lengths not the retail lengths. The iTunes version also indicates three segues in the subtitles of two songs ("Pandora" and "True Love"; "True Love" has two segues) but the tracks appear the same as in the advanced version.
The song "Again and Again" was available for free download on the band's website shortly after the release of the album through a Flash-based game that tied into the fictional story of Madina Lake.
References.
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Madina Lake
American alternative rock band
Madina Lake is an American rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in 2005. The band released their debut album, "From Them, Through Us, to You", through Roadrunner Records on March 27, 2007. Madina Lake won Best International Newcomer at the Kerrang! Awards 2007. The group disbanded in September 2013 before reuniting in February 2017.
History.
Formation and "The Disappearance of Adalia" EP (2005–2006).
Nathan and Matthew Leone were first in a band known as the Blank Theory, based in Chicago, Illinois. Drummer Dan Torelli and Mateo Camargo were in a band called Reforma that had relocated to Chicago and both bands shared the same manager and often toured together. Nathan and Matthew Leone befriended Torelli and Camargo, and unhappy with their current situations decided to disband their respective bands, and form Madina Lake. Shawn Currie of The Blank Theory was in the original line up as the band's keyboardist for Madina Lake, but left shortly after the band started working on material causing Camargo to become the band's keyboardist. They played their first show as Madina Lake on May 21, 2005, at Chicago's historic Metro.
Nathan and Matthew Leone first gained nationwide media recognition when they appeared in a special edition of "Twin Fear Factor". They won $45,000 – $20,000 from finishing the first stunt the fastest, and $25,000 from finishing one of the two last stunts the fastest – and used it to pay for a recording process and demo of Madina Lake's first self-produced EP entitled "The Disappearance of Adalia", which was released on August 22, 2006.
"From Them, Through Us, to You" (2006–2008).
After releasing "The Disappearance of Adalia", Madina Lake gained a recording contract and signed with Roadrunner Records in April 2006 and created their first full length album entitled "From Them, Through Us, to You," which was released on March 27, 2007. It was produced, engineered and mixed by Mark Trombino. The album debuted at No. 154 on the "Billboard" 200 album charts, and at No. 60 on the UK album charts.
The release of "From Them, Through Us, to You" was followed up by a headlining tour with Fightstar and participating in the Projekt Revolution tour. At first they had originally planned to play Warped Tour 2007, but dropped out to play on the Revolution Stage when Linkin Park specifically chose them. The band has also toured (at different times) alongside such acts as Story of the Year, Aiden, Halifax, and Mayday Parade, among others.
Between Jan and Feb 2008 they toured the UK playing in the Kerrang tour alongside Fightstar and Coheed and Cambria.
On May 3, 2008, Madina Lake played their third year of The Bamboozle festival in New Jersey and on June 14, 2008, they also played the infamous Download Festival in Donington Park on the Main stage and wrapped up touring "From Them, Through Us, to You" on Warped Tour 2008 from July 9 to July 25.
A DVD that chronicles the writing and recording process of "From Them, Through Us, to You" as well as tours and events that followed was scheduled to be released before the end of 2008.
Madina Lake was also given a slot to play in Osaka, Japan at the Summer Sonic Festival 2007. Madina Lake recorded a cover of Caught Somewhere In Time from the Iron Maiden Album Somewhere in Time for a cover CD called , which was given away with the July 16 issue of "Kerrang!" magazine.
"Attics to Eden" (2009–2010).
Madina Lake recorded their second studio album, and it was produced by David Bendeth and was released on May 5, 2009.
To start off the touring stint for Attics to Eden, Madina Lake supported Anberlin on their Canadian tour. They will also play a show with Emery and Silverstein at the Pipeline Cafe in Honolulu, Hawaii in late February.
Madina Lake are scheduled to play Soundwave festival 2009 from February 21 through March 2. After Soundwave they will be playing three shows in Japan with Less Than Jake.
They are also confirmed to play all dates in the 2009 Vans Warped Tour.
They have also confirmed that "Let's Get Outta Here" will be the second single released from their 2009 second studio album "Attics to Eden", they will shoot a video for the song, as confirmed via their website. Madina Lake is doing a few shows with Escape The Fate and A Skylit Drive.
To begin the promotional tour for "Attics to Eden", Madina Lake supported Anberlin on their Canadian tour. They will also play a show with Emery and Silverstein at the Pipeline Cafe in Honolulu, Hawaii in late February. Madina Lake is also a supporting act of Alesana's VS. Tour, along with The Bled, Broadway, Enter Shikari, and Asking Alexandria at select locations.
Madina Lake played at the Soundwave festival 2009 from February 21 through March 2. After Soundwave they played three shows in Japan with Less Than Jake, followed by a slot in Leeds and Reading festivals in August, an East Coast tour in America in September, and a UK and Europe tour in October.
"The Dresden Codex" (2010).
The band toured the UK as part of the 'Arlene Ball tour' in March and April 2010, with support from We Are The Ocean and Mayday Parade. Local bands got the chance of a support slot through a competition Madina Lake ran with Atticus Clothing. It was intended to support their new EP, "The Dresden Codex", which according to vocalist Nathan Leone sounds closer to their debut "From Them, Through Us, To You" than "Attics to Eden". The name of the album refers to a Mayan astrological codex, one of the oldest existing, as it is thought to be a copy of an even older text. This holds with Madina Lake's tradition of bringing astrology into their backstory, known colloquially as 'The Folklore'. The Dresden Codex was recorded in South Beach, Florida, in early 2010, and made appearances at the UK Sonisphere Festival on August 1 and Hevy Music Festival on August 8, 2010 in Kent. In May 2010 it was announced via an interview with Rocksound that they had left their record label, Roadrunner.
On 30 June, bassist Matthew Leone was hospitalized after intervening in a domestic violence incident involving a man beating his wife. He suffered many injuries including a fractured skull, broken jaw and a swollen brain. On August 2, it was reported that Leone was recovering from "a second significant surgery, and is on his way to recovery." Just days earlier, The Smashing Pumpkins, the favorite band of both Leone brothers, played a benefit show in Chicago for Matthew to pay his hospital bills. They raised $80,000.
"World War III", From Them, Through Us, To You reunion (2011–2013, 2017–Present).
The band played the first two weeks of the 2011 Vans Warped Tour.
It was confirmed via an interview with NBC that Sony had signed the band at the beginning of April and their new record "World War III" will be released September 13, 2011, as recording was complete as of April 17. The new album will be the third and final installment of their concept trilogy, "World War III", which continues the Leone brothers' tales of a metaphorical universe.
In the final chapter, "World War III", concludes with the discovery of Adalia and an epic battle of good and evil that mirrors human internal struggles with self. The album was produced, engineered and mixed by Mateo Camargo and Madina Lake except the song "Imagineer" which was produced and written by Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) and Madina Lake.
On July 5, 2012 Madina Lake announced the 'Trilogy Finale Tour' that would spread across 8 days, playing 8 shows in small and intimate venues across the UK. Along with this tour they announced that guitarist Mateo would be joining them on the finale tour across the UK. Madina Lake went on to announce that they would be playing their debut album 'From Them, Through Us, To You' in its entirety as well as other songs from their next 2 albums to wrap up the story of fictional character 'Adalia.' As well as general admission tickets, package deals would be available, the £25 package offered a 'disappearance' t-shirt, trilogy book as well as entrance to the show. The £50 package would offer the same as the £25 package along with a pre-show meet and greet as well as a Q and A session with the band regarding the story and concept behind the disappearance of Adalia.
On 21 January 2017, Madina Lake updated their Facebook cover photo with an old style 'programme interruption' picture with the words 'Please Stand By', hinting at a possible reunion.
On 15 February, Madina Lake announced a six show United Kingdom Reunion Tour, including three dates at Slam Dunk Festival, in May 2017.
On 21 February 2017, Madina Lake announced that they would release new music in support of the reunion shows.
On 3 April 2020, the band released a new song called "Playing With Fire", their first offering of new material since 2011.
In July 2020, the band announced details of a new EP called 'The Beginning Of New Endings', which was originally set to be released on 4 September 2020. After a few set backs, the EP was eventually released on 28 September 2020.
In an interview with DEAD PRESS! in September 2020, bassist Matthew Leone confirmed that the band were working on releasing another EP before the end of 2020.
Concept.
The band sets its music in a fictional town from the 1950s isolated from the rest of the world that's been turned upside-down with the mysterious disappearance of their most famous socialite, Adalia. The music provides an outlet for the band's views on politics, culture, and the media's obsession with celebrity status. The theme behind the band's music is in relation to the mystery of Adalia. The album artwork shows images of her and the mysteries behind her and the town of Madina Lake. It's a concept from the mind of Matthew Leone that is set to span three albums and includes a book (Lila, the Divine Game) as well as a website devoted to helping fans solve the case by uncovering "clues" hidden in the lyrics, album art, and videos.
Members.
Current members
Former members
Timeline
References.
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Botch (band)
American mathcore band
Botch was an American mathcore band formed in 1993 in Tacoma, Washington. The band, featuring Brian Cook, Dave Knudson, Tim Latona and Dave Verellen, spent four years as a garage band and released several demos and EPs before signing to Hydra Head Records. Through the label, Botch released two studio albums: "American Nervoso" (1998) and "We Are the Romans" (1999). The group toured extensively and internationally in support of their albums with like-minded bands such as The Blood Brothers, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Ink & Dagger and Jesuit. Botch struggled to write a third studio album, and in 2002 the group broke up due to tensions among the band members and creative differences. Hydra Head posthumously released an EP of songs the group had been working on before they split titled "An Anthology of Dead Ends" and a live album documenting their final show titled "061502" in 2006.
After Botch broke up, most of the members went on to form or join new bands in the Seattle/Tacoma area including: Minus the Bear, Narrows, Roy, Russian Circles and These Arms Are Snakes.
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History.
Early years (1993–1997).
Bassist Brian Cook, guitarist Dave Knudson, drummer Tim Latona and vocalist Dave Verellen formed Botch in 1993 while they were all still in high school. Tim Latona, who at the time was a jazz drummer considering attending the performing arts school Juilliard, was approached by Dave Knudson in the high school cafeteria and asked if he would like to start a rock band. According to Knudson, "We were probably 16 or 17. I brought my amp over to Tim's house, and we ended up on his back deck playing Helmet covers for a couple of hours." Dave Knudson enticed Brian Cook to join the band by promising that the group would record a Dead Kennedys cover, but this recording never took place. Dave Verellen was the last to join the band, and only became the vocalist because he couldn't play an instrument. The group selected the name Botch simply by "opening a dictionary."
Early songs written by Botch were described by Knudson as, "some of the worst music you've probably heard in your life," which he attributed to each of the members' differing tastes in music and the lack of experience in composing songs. Some of their early song titles included: "Barney the Purple Dinosaur," "Vegetarianism Is Anarchy," "Barbed Rectal Thermometer" and "Pudenda."
Botch released "Faction", a 7-inch EP in 1995; that same year, Botch went on their first tour outside of the Seattle-area. Dave Verellen's dad drove the group on a mini-tour through Canada in an old van he owned. John Pettibone, then of Undertow and Nineironspitfire, praised Botch's ability to tour outside of their hometown, commenting: "Botch was the first band from the next generation that went out and pushed it—and pushed it "their" way. It was remarkable." In 1996, the band released another EP, titled "The John Birch Conspiracy Theory".
In early 1997, Botch went on a seven-week tour throughout the United States and Canada with Ink & Dagger and Nineironspitfire, which gained them a significant amount of exposure. According to Brian Cook, "Ink & Dagger were kind of a big deal at that point, so we were playing a lot of club shows. I think we did a show at some theater in Buffalo, New York, with Snapcase and there were, like, a thousand people or something like that." Also in 1997, Excursion Records released "The Unifying Themes of Sex, Death and Religion"—a nine-track compilation album composed of the EPs "The John Birch Conspiracy Theory" and "Faction" in their entirety, and "Closure" from the various artists compilation "I Can't Live Without It".
Hydra Head Records (1997–2002).
"American Nervoso".
Aaron Turner, former vocalist for the post-metal band Isis and founder of the record label Hydra Head Records, was following Botch's early career. He praised the group's interpretation of Carl Orff's classical piece "O Fortuna" off of "The John Birch Conspiracy Theory" EP, describing it as "amazing" and also saying that, "anytime I made a mix tape for someone else, I'd put ['O Fortuna'] on there." Turner contacted Botch and asked them to contribute a song to Hydra Head's "In These Black Days"—a compilation album of Black Sabbath cover songs released as a series of split singles. Botch recorded a cover of "The Wizard" from Black Sabbath's 1970 album "Black Sabbath", and also sent Turner a demo album they had been working on at the time. About the demo, Aaron Turner said, "I can't remember if I had solicited it or if they just sent it to me. In any event, it was more than I was expecting from them even though I already thought they were good. I think I gave them about six or seven grand to do the record, which was probably more than I had given any other band that we had worked with at that point."
The demos were re-recorded with Matt Bayles at Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard's own Studio Litho. After three days of recording and two days of mixing, the completed songs became Botch's debut studio album "American Nervoso", released in 1998 through Hydra Head Records. In support of "American Nervoso", Botch headlined a North American tour with The Dillinger Escape Plan and Jesuit. Beginning with this tour, John Pettibone was hired as the group's manager, and it also was Botch's first time bringing their own lighting equipment with them. Their stage setup included several halogen work lamps plugged into a power strip with a switch. Commenting on the lights, Dave Verellen said, "I hated the lights at clubs, which were always on the band, so we figured we'd turn them on the audience. [...] I liked it because I could see people's reaction in the crowd because their faces were totally illuminated." Also during this tour, Botch played music from the girl group Destiny's Child before they went on stage, which was intentionally drastically different from the more traditional "metal music [being played] in between the metal bands." Botch were also rumored to be recording a Destiny's Child covers EP—however, this release never materialized.
"We Are the Romans".
In 1999, Botch recorded some live demos with Matt Bayles for their second studio album and follow-up to "American Nervoso". Two months later, Botch returned to Litho Studios with Bayles to record what would become "We Are the Romans". The group only had approximately one week to track the album, and according to Knudson, the group "[rushed] to get everything done and do it as well as we wanted to." As a last minute addition to the album, Botch rewrote and rerecorded the song "Frequenting Mass Transit"—originally released on a split release with Murder City Devils—and changed the title to "Frequency Ass Bandit". "We Are the Romans" was released in November 1999 through Hydra Head Records on both CD and double LP vinyl formats. The title of the album was derived from the lyrics to the album's closing track "Man the Ramparts". According to Verellen: "Brian [Cook] thought it'd make a great title, but I thought it was a totally silly gladiator song. The riff is kinda huge, so I was thinking about chariots and fire and stuff like that. It sounds like I pulled the words out of "Conan the Barbarian". But then we started talking about the social decline of Western civilization, and how Americans are the new Romans—it's all slaves and Caesars. So we made it work."
Botch's first show in support of "We Are the Romans" was the final show for the Seattle venue Rkcndy with The Blood Brothers, Playing Enemy and Kill Sadie in October 1999. The club was an all-ages venue that was being demolished to make way for a hotel. Verellen expressed his admiration for playing all-ages shows stating that, "People go to all-ages shows to see the bands, but people will go to bars... and while they're at the show, they're just hanging out with their friends. That doesn't mean all bar shows are like that, but that's what makes me not want to play bars, basically." In 2000, Botch toured Europe with The Dillinger Escape Plan, and also went on a smaller North American tour later that year. On July 28, 2001, Botch performed at Louisville, Kentucky's hardcore festival Krazy Fest 4 which also featured Coalesce, Converge, Poison the Well and Harkonen among others.
Breakup (2002).
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"The way I look at it, Botch didn't break up because of personality conflicts. The conflicts that existed the day of the last show were present since the beginning. Botch broke up because we just weren't meshing anymore on a creative level. Some of us had different musical areas we wanted to explore."
 —Tim Latona, interview with "Alternative Press"
Botch officially decided to break up the band in February 2002. Tensions between Tim Latona and Dave Knudson that originated from the "We Are the Romans" sessions and supporting tours built up to the point where members weren't communicating anymore. According to Dave Verellen, "it was the best idea for us just to break up while we were on top of things, rather than torture ourselves and keep chipping away till we hated each other." Botch also struggled to write a third studio album citing pressures to write a follow-up to their critically acclaimed "We Are the Romans" and suffering from "crazy writer's block." Knudson had also begun writing softer-sounding songs that didn't fit Botch's style, and formed the side-project Minus the Bear in 2001. Botch performed their final show on June 15, 2002, at The Showbox in downtown Seattle, Washington with The Blood Brothers, Harkonen and Playing Enemy.
When asked about the possibility of a reunion in a 2002 interview with the band, Dave Verellen said, "I'd be first in line to keep this goddamn band together." However, in the same interview, Knudson said, "I could totally see doing anything with any of those people that's not Botch but something else that's creative and fun... and maybe more aggressive." In a 2009 interview with Brian Cook, he revealed that Botch get asked to play reunion shows "on a regular basis." After Botch disbanded, Cook maintained that he would never reunite the band, but in a 2014 interview, he revealed that the other members of Botch felt like the band ended too early and that they had been urging him to stop saying the word "never" regarding a possible reunion.
Post-Break up activities (2002–2022).
Posthumous releases and reissues.
Before disbanding, Botch recorded a six-song EP titled "An Anthology of Dead Ends"—a small collection of songs Botch had written before breaking up. The EP was recorded in March 2002, an event which was described by producer Matt Bayles as being "incredibly tense." On the album's content, Verellen said: "Two of the tracks are things we did live that we just wanted to record" and one of the songs was "just a riff we never got a song written for, but it was just such a good riff." Hydra Head Records released "An Anthology of Dead Ends" on October 15, 2002; about four months after Botch played their final show. Also in 2002, Excursion Records reissued "The Unifying Themes Of Sex, Death, And Religion" under the name "Unifying Themes Redux" with seven additional tracks from Botch's split albums and compilation contributions.
In July 2006, Hydra Head announced they would release four Botch albums over the next year. The label first reissued the compilation album "Unifying Themes Redux" on September 26, 2006. A live two-disc set titled "061502" was released on December 5, 2006. The CD/DVD package features a live recording of Botch's final performance from June 15, 2002, at The Showbox. A remastered version of "American Nervoso" was released on July 7, 2007. This updated version was also packaged with various bonus features, including demos and extended versions of some tracks. For example, parts of the song "Hives" that were accidentally removed on the original recording were added back. And finally, Hydra Head Records released a two-disc remastered version of "We Are the Romans" on September 11, 2007. The second disc featured demo versions of "We Are the Romans" tracks and four live songs.
In September 2011, Hydra Head announced that they discovered approximately 450 vinyl record jackets for "We Are the Romans" in their storage space, and would repress the record using the album's original plates. After the records sold out in less than 20 minutes, the label stated they would make Botch reissues a "priority for 2012." For Record Store Day in 2012, Hydra Head reissued "An Anthology of Dead Ends" on vinyl. To commemorate the 10-year anniversary of Botch's final show, Hydra Head released a limited edition windbreaker that was only available for 24 hours on June 15, 2012. In March 2016, Hydra Head released a limited-edition vinyl set featuring all previously released LP editions of Botch's albums spread across nine discs compiled in a silver-foil stamped box featuring a 36-page extended liner note booklet.
Post-Botch bands.
After Botch broke up, three of the four members continued to compose and perform music with new bands—drummer Tim Latona instead chose to continue his education. The complex tree of interchanging band members among these newly formed groups has been described as "incestuous."
Knudson continued performing with the math rock/indie rock band Minus the Bear with vocalist Jake Snider formerly of Sharks Keep Moving, drummer Erin Tate formerly of Kill Sadie, former Botch producer Matt Bayles on keys, and bassist Cory Murchy. Minus the Bear quickly signed to Suicide Squeeze Records and released two EPs, "This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic" and "Bands Like It When You Yell "Yar!" at Them", before releasing their debut full-length "Highly Refined Pirates" in November 2002. The group released two more albums through Suicide Squeeze, "Menos el Oso" (2005) and "Planet of Ice" (2007), before signing to Dangerbird Records and releasing "Omni" (2010) and "Infinity Overhead" (2012).
The post-hardcore group These Arms Are Snakes was formed in 2002 by Brian Cook, Steve Snere formerly of Kill Sadie, Ryan Frederiksen of formerly of Nineironspitfire, Joe Preston and Jesse Robertson. The group signed to Jade Tree Records and released the EP "This Is Meant to Hurt You" (2003) and their debut full-length "Oxeneers or the Lion Sleeps When Its Antelope Go Home" (2004). These Arms Are Snakes went through a few lineup changes, one of which included Erin Tate of Minus the Bear and Kill Sadie, before solidifying their lineup with Chris Common on drums. With this formation, they released two more albums, "Easter" (2006) and "Tail Swallower and Dove" (2008)—the later of which was released on Suicide Squeeze Records—before disbanding in 2009.
Aside from working as a firefighter, Dave Verellen also formed the folk rock band Roy in 2002 with Brian Cook, Ben Verellen of Harkonen and Mike Cooper. The group released the EP "Tacomatose" (2003) and the full-length "Big City Sin and Small Town Redemption" (2004) before going on hiatus. During the break, Cook and Ben Verellen worked on These Arms Are Snakes' debut album "Oxeneers or the Lion Sleeps When Its Antelope Go Home". Roy briefly reformed and released "Killed John Train" in 2006.
Brian Cook also joined the instrumental post-rock group Russian Circles in 2007, replacing former member Colin DeKuiper. Cook contributed to Russian Circles' second and third studio albums "Station" (2008) and "Geneva" (2009); both of which were released through Suicide Squeeze Records. The group then signed to Sargent House and released "Empros" (2011) and "Memorial" (2013). As of 2014, Brian is a part of Sumac, as a permanent bassist with Aaron Turner and Nick Yacyshyn. They have released their debut album The Deal in February 2015.
In 2008, vocalist Dave Verellen formed the mathcore band Narrows with Rob Moran of Unbroken and Some Girls, Sam Stothers of Makeout Boys, Jodie Cox of Bullet Union, and Ryan Frederiksen of These Arms Are Snakes and Nineironspitfire. Narrows signed to Deathwish Inc. and subsequently released a self-titled EP (2008) and two full-lengths: "New Distances" (2009) and "Painted" (2012).
Reunion (2022–2024).
Hydra Head Records went out of business in 2020, leaving Botch's catalog without a home and was subsequently entirely removed from online streaming services. In October 2021, Sargent House announced it had acquired Botch's full catalog and would maintain the band's digital presence as well as future vinyl represses going forward. The announcement from members of the band also teased "exciting things in 2022," which created speculation among Botch's fanbase that this alluded to a reunion. Cook later clarified: "You might have seen the news that Sargent House is bringing the Botch catalog back. We're very stoked. But to dispel any confusion, we are not reuniting." The first Sargent House reissued "We Are the Romans" in November 2022 and featuring a new song, "One Twenty Two". Despite regrouping to write and record the song, the members of Botch stated the band has not reunited and was not active.
On October 15, 2022, These Arms Are Snakes and Sandrider performed at a private birthday party for producer Matt Bayles. After These Arms Are Snakes' set, the members of Botch took to the stage without prior announcement to perform one song – "Saint Matthew Returns to the Womb". The night also marked the 20-year anniversary of the release of "An Anthology of Dead Ends", Botch's final studio recording before disbanding.
The following week, Botch announced a pair of reunion shows in Seattle on February 24 and 25, 2023. After the tickets to these shows sold out in 13 seconds, Botch announced a third reunion show in their hometown of Tacoma on February 17. Coinciding with the Sargent House re-release of "American Nervoso" and their Tacoma reunion show, Botch announced a 14-date U.S. tour for October–December 2023.
Botch initially had no plans for their reunion beyond the late-2023 tour; in an interview with "Gut Feeling", Knudson said: "There's no more music for Botch on the horizon; we're doing these shows, and then it's done [...] it's going to happen for a very finite amount of time." However, in October 2023, the band announced a final EU and UK tour for March 2024, spanning fourteen dates, with three of these being in the UK. In May 2024, the band embarked on their first and only tour of Australia. The band played their final show at the Showbox in Seattle on June 15, 2024—22 years to the date of their original final performance ("061502") in 2002.
Influence and legacy.
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 "To me, Botch is as important to what's going on today as Minor Threat was to hardcore in the late '80s. When you look at the evolution of independent music, Botch will be one of those bands that made a difference."
 —Mark Thompson of Hydra Head, interview with "Alternative Press"
Botch's music was a major early influence on the mathcore and metalcore styles, and their final album "We Are the Romans" is specifically cited as a highly influential album. "Decibel" and "Rock Sound" both inducted the album into their publication's "Hall of Fame" features in November 2005 and August 2011 respectively. "Rock Sound" also declared "We Are the Romans" as one of the "big four" math metal albums in May 2008, and featured Botch in the publication's "Revolutionaries" column, which pays tribute to "the bands we just couldn't live without" in November 2006. In August 2005, "Alternative Press" listed "We Are the Romans" as a classic "other punk album"—or an album that was influential, but not commercially successful. In October 2009, Botch was featured in AbsolutePunk's "Weekly Nostalgia" piece, which pays tribute to disbanded musical groups. In November 2009, Jason Heller listed "We Are the Romans" as one of the albums that didn't make "The A.V. Club"'s top 50 albums of previous decade list, but was still an important album of this period. In 2012, "Rock Sound" added Botch's "We Are the Romans" into its "101 Modern Classics," ranking at number


Yang Yu (swimmer)
Chinese swimmer
Yang Yu (; born February 6, 1985, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang) is an Olympic medal-winning swimmer from the People's Republic of China. She became part of the Chinese national swimming team in 1999, and competed for Team China at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Career.
International debut and the 2000 Olympics.
Yang competed in her big international meet in the 2000 World Short Course Championships in Athens, where she won the 200 freestyle in 1:56.06. Later she qualified to swim at the Sydney Olympics, where she placed 17th in the 200 free (2:01.34).
2001, 02 and 03 World Aquatic Championships.
Yang competed at the 2001 Fukuoka World Championships and won the silver medal in the Women's 200 m Freestyle event (1:58.78), after Australia's Giaan Rooney (1:58.57). At the 2001 Chinese National Games, she placed 2nd in both the 100 (54.94) and 200 free (1:58.71).
In the 2002 World Short Course Championships in Moscow, Yang took gold in the 4x200 free relay (7:46.30, world record), silver in the 200 free (1:55.34, Asian record) and 200 fly (2:06.10), and bronze in the 4x100 free relay (3:36.18). She won gold in the 200 free (1:58.43), 4x100 free relay (3:40.95), 4x200 free relay (7:58.46) and silver in the 100 free (55.51) at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan.
Yang started the 2003 season strongly by posting a world-leading 1:57.70 at the Chinese Nationals in April 2003, but at the 2003 World Championships (Barcelona), she only managed 3rd in this event (1:58.54). She also took bronze in the 4x200 free relay (7:58.53. Yang split 1:57.24, the fastest in history), and gold in the 4x100 medley relay (3:59.89, Asian record and 2nd fastest time in history. Yang swam the freestyle leg and split 53.71).
2004 Olympic Games.
Yang competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. There she was a member of China's 4 × 200 m freestyle relay team, which won the silver medal in 7:55.97 (Asian record), beaten by the USA team who won in the world record of 7:53.42. Yang was also part of China's 4 × 100 m women's freestyle relay team. China reached the final in this event but finished a disappointing 8th.
Yang competed as an individual in the 200m freestyle event, and qualified for the semi-final, but did not progress to the final.
2005-06.
Yang did compete at the 2005 World Championships in Montreal, winning the bronze medal in the 200m freestyle event. She posted strong times at the 2005 Chinese National Games, winning the 200 free in 1:57.86, 2nd fastest in the world globally. At the 2006 World Short Course Championships in Shanghai, she took gold in the 200 free (1:54.94). She failed to defend her 200 free title at the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, beaten by teammate Pang Jiaying (1:59.26 to 2:00.73).
2007 World Aquatic Championships.
Yang Yu took part in the 2007 World Aquatic Championships in Melbourne. She did not progress beyond the heat stage in the Women's 200 m freestyle, finishing 18th. She was also a member of China's 4 × 200 m freestyle relay (which barely missed the final, placing 9th in the heats) and the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay which ranked seventh.
Notable Achievements.
On January 18, 2004, she broke Susie O'Neill's world record in the women's short course 200 butterfly during a World Cup meet in Berlin, Germany, clocking a time of 2:04.04.
References.
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Zhejiang
Province of China
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiangsu and Shanghai to the north, Anhui to the northwest, Jiangxi to the west and Fujian to the south. To the east is the East China Sea, beyond which lies the Ryukyu Islands. The population of Zhejiang stands at 64.6 million, the 8th largest in China. It has been called "the backbone of China" because it is a major driving force in the Chinese economy and being the birthplace of several notable people, including the Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek and entrepreneur Jack Ma. Zhejiang consists of 90 counties (incl. county-level cities and districts).
The area of Zhejiang was controlled by the Kingdom of Yue during the Spring and Autumn period. The Qin Empire later annexed it in 222 BC. Under the late Ming dynasty and the Qing dynasty that followed it, Zhejiang's ports became important centers of international trade. It was occupied by the Empire of Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese war and placed under the control of the Japanese puppet state known as the Reorganized National Government of China. After the establishment of the PRC, Zhejiang's economy became stagnant under Mao Zedong's policies. Nevertheless, after China's economic reform, Zhejiang has grown to be considered one of China's wealthiest provinces, ranking fourth in GDP nationally and sixth by GDP per capita, with a nominal GDP of US$1.14 trillion as of 2022.
Zhejiang consists mostly of hills, which account for about 70% of its total area, with higher altitudes towards the south and the west. Zhejiang also has a longer coastline than any other mainland province of China. The Qiantang River runs through the province, from which it derives its name. Included in the province are three thousand islands, the most in China. The capital Hangzhou marks the end of the Grand Canal and lies on Hangzhou Bay on the north of Zhejiang, which separates Shanghai and Ningbo. The bay contains many small islands collectively called the Zhoushan Islands.
Hangzhou is a historically important city of China and is considered a World City with a "Beta+" classification according to GaWC. It includes the notable West Lake. Various varieties of Chinese are spoken in Zhejiang, the most prominent being Wu Chinese. Zhejiang is also one of China's leading provinces in research and education. As of 2024[ [update]], two major cities in Zhejiang ranked in the world's top 200 cities (Hangzhou 13th and Ningbo 123rd) by scientific research output, as tracked by Nature Index.
Etymology.
The province's name originates from the Zhe River (), the former name of the Qiantang River which flows past Hangzhou and whose mouth forms Hangzhou Bay. It is usually understood as meaning "Crooked" or "Bent River", from the meaning of Chinese , but is more likely a phono-semantic compound formed from adding (the "water" radical used for river names) to phonetic (Pinyin "zhé" but reconstructed Old Chinese *"tet"), preserving a proto-Wu name of the local Yue, similar to Yuhang, Kuaiji and Jiang.
History.
Prehistory.
Kuahuqiao culture was an early Neolithic culture that flourished in the Hangzhou area in 6,000-5,000 BC.
Zhejiang was the site of the Neolithic cultures of the Hemudu (starting in 5500 BC) and Liangzhu (starting in 3400 BC).
Ancient history.
The area of modern Zhejiang was outside the major sphere of influence of Shang civilization during the second millennium BC. Instead, this area was populated by peoples collectively known as Dongyue.
The kingdom of Yue began to appear in the chronicles and records written during the Spring and Autumn period. According to the chronicles, the kingdom of Yue was in Northern Zhejiang. Shiji claims that its leaders were descended from the Xia founder Yu the Great. The "Song of the Yue Boatman" () was transliterated into Chinese and recorded by authors in North China or inland China of Hebei and Henan around 528 BC. The song shows that the Yue people spoke a language that was mutually unintelligible with the dialects spoken in north and inland China. The Sword of Goujian bears bird-worm seal script. Yuenü () was a swordswoman from the state of Yue. To check the growth of the kingdom of Wu, Chu pursued a policy of strengthening Yue.
Under King Goujian, Yue recovered from its early reverses and fully annexed the lands of its rival in 473 BC. The Yue kings then moved their capital center from their original home around Mount Kuaiji in present-day Shaoxing to the former Wu capital at present-day Suzhou. With no southern power to turn against Yue, Chu opposed it directly and, in 333 BC, succeeded in destroying it. Yue's former lands were annexed by the Qin Empire in 222 BC and organized into a commandery named for Kuaiji in Zhejiang but initially headquartered in Wu in Jiangsu.
Han and the Three Kingdoms.
Kuaiji Commandery was the initial power base for Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu's rebellion against the Qin Empire which initially succeeded in restoring the kingdom of Chu but eventually fell to the Han. Under the Later Han, control of the area returned to the settlement below Mount Kuaiji but authority over the Minyue hinterland was nominal at best and its Yue inhabitants largely retained their own political and social structures.
At the beginning of the Three Kingdoms era (AD 220–280), Zhejiang was home to the warlords Yan Baihu and Wang Lang prior to their defeat by Sun Ce and Sun Quan, who eventually established the Kingdom of Wu. Despite the removal of their court from Kuaiji to Jianye (present-day Nanjing) and they continued development of the region and benefitted from influxes of refugees fleeing the turmoil in northern China. Industrial kilns were established and trade reached as far as Manchuria and Funan (southern Mainland Southeast Asia).
Zhejiang was part of the Wu during the Three Kingdoms. Wu (229–280), commonly known as Eastern Wu or Sun Wu, had been the economically most developed state among the Three Kingdoms (220–280). The historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms records that Zhejiang had the best-equipped naval force. The story depicts how the states of Wei () and Shu (), lack of material resources, avoided direct confrontation with the Wu. In armed military conflicts with Wu, the two states relied intensively on tactics of camouflage and deception to steal Wu's military resources including arrows and bows.
Six Dynasties.
Despite the continuing prominence of Nanjing (then known as Jiankang), the settlement of Qiantang, the former name of Hangzhou, remained one of the three major metropolitan centers in the south to provide major tax revenue to the imperial centers in the north China. The other two centers in the south were Jiankang and Chengdu. In 589, Qiantang was raised in status and renamed Hangzhou.
Following the fall of Wu and the turmoil of the Wu Hu uprising against the Jin dynasty (266–420), most of elite Chinese families had collaborated with the non-Chinese rulers and military conquerors in the north. Some may have lost social privilege and took refuge in areas south of the Yangtze River. Some of the Chinese refugees from North China might have resided in areas near Hangzhou. For example, the clan of Zhuge Liang (181–234), a chancellor of the state of Shu Han from Central Plain in north China during the Three Kingdoms period, gathered together at the suburb of Hangzhou, forming an exclusive, closed village Zhuge Village (Zhege Cun), consisting of villagers all with family name "Zhuge." The village has intentionally isolated itself from the surrounding communities for centuries to this day and only recently came to be known in public. It suggests that a small number of powerful, elite Chinese refugees from the Central Plain might have taken refuge south of the Yangtze River. However, considering the mountainous geography and relative lack of agrarian lands in Zhejiang, most of these refugees might have resided in some areas in South China beyond Zhejiang, where fertile agrarian lands and metropolitan resources were available, mainly Southern Jiangsu, Eastern Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Anhui and provinces where less cohesive, organized regional governments had been in place. Metropolitan areas of Sichuan was another hub for refugees, given that the state of Shu had long been founded and ruled by political and military elites from the Central Plain and North China. Some refugees from North China might have found residence in South China depending on their social status and military power in the north. The rump Jin state or the Southern dynasties vied against some elite Chinese from the Central Plain and south of the Yangtze River.
Sui and Tang eras.
Zhejiang, as the heartland of the Jiangnan (Yangtze River Delta), remained the wealthiest area during the Six Dynasties (220 or 222–589), Sui and Tang. After being incorporated into the Sui dynasty, its economic richness was used for the Sui dynasty's ambitions to expand north and south, particularly into Korea and Vietnam. The plan led the Sui dynasty to restore and expand the network which became the Grand Canal of China. The Canal regularly transported grains and resources from Zhejiang, through its metropolitan center Hangzhou (and its hinterland along both the Zhe River and the shores of Hangzhou Bay) and from Suzhou and thence to the North China Plain. The débâcle of the Korean war led to Sui's overthrow by the Tang, who then presided over a centuries-long golden age for the country. Zhejiang was an important economic center of the empire's Jiangnan East Circuit and was considered particularly prosperous. Throughout the Tang dynasty, The Grand Canal had remained effective, transporting grains and material resources to North China plain and metropolitan centers of the empire. As the Tang dynasty disintegrated, Zhejiang constituted most of the territory of the regional kingdom of Wuyue.
Wuyue era.
After the collapse of the Tang dynasty in 907, the entire area of what is now Zhejiang fell under the control of the kingdom Wuyue established by King Qian Liu, who selected Hangzhou (a city in the modern day area of Zhejiang) as his kingdom's capital. Despite being under Wuyue rule for a relatively short period of time, Zhejiang underwent a long period of financial and cultural prosperity which continued even after the kingdom fell.
After Wuyue was conquered during the reunification of China, many shrines were erected across the former territories of Wuyue, mainly in Zhejiang, where the kings of Wuyue were memorialised, and sometimes, worshipped as being able to dictate weather and agriculture. Many of these shrines, known as "Shrine of the Qian King" or "Temple to the Qian King", still remain today, with the most popularly visited example being that near West Lake in Hangzhou.
China's province of Zhejiang during the 940s was also the place of origin of the Hú family (Hồ in Vietnamese) from which the founder of the Hồ dynasty who ruled Vietnam, Emperor Hồ Quý Ly, came from.
Song era.
The Song dynasty re-established unity around 960. Under the Song, the prosperity of South China began to overtake that of North China. After the north was lost to the Jurchen Jin dynasty in 1127 following the Jingkang Incident, Hangzhou became the capital of the Song dynasty under the name Lin'an, which was renowned for its prosperity and beauty, it was suspected to have been the largest city in the world at the time.
From then on, northern Zhejiang and neighboring southern Jiangsu have been synonymous with luxury and opulence in Chinese culture. The Mongol conquest and the establishment of the Yuan dynasty in 1279 ended Hangzhou's political clout, but its economy continued to prosper. The famous traveler Marco Polo visited the city, which he called "Kinsay" (after the Chinese "Jingshi", meaning "Capital City") claiming it was "the finest and noblest city in the world."
Greenware ceramics made from celadon had been made in the area since the 3rd-century Jin dynasty, but it returned to prominence—particularly in Longquan—during the Southern Song and Yuan. Longquan greenware is characterized by a thick unctuous glaze of a particular bluish-green tint over an otherwise undecorated light-grey porcellaneous body that is delicately potted. Yuan Longquan celadons feature a thinner, greener glaze on larger vessels with decoration and shapes derived from Middle Eastern ceramic and metalwares. These were produced in large quantities for the Chinese export trade to Southeast Asia, the Middle East and (during the Ming) Europe. By the Ming, however, production was notably deficient in quality. It is in this period that the Longquan kilns declined, to be eventually replaced in popularity and ceramic production by the kilns of Jingdezhen in Jiangxi.
Yuan and Ming eras.
Zhejiang was finally conquered by the Mongols in the late 13th century who later established the short lived Yuan dynasty. Zhejiang became part of the much larger Jiangzhe Province.
The Ming dynasty, which drove out the Mongols in 1368, finally established the present day province of Zhejiang with its borders having little changes since this establishment.
As in other coastal provinces, number of fortresses were constructed along the Zhejiang coast during the early Ming to defend the land against pirate incursions. Some of them have been preserved or restored, such as Pucheng in the south of the province (Cangnan County).
Qing era.
Under the late Ming dynasty and the Qing dynasty that followed it, Zhejiang's ports were important centers of international trade.
"In 1727 the to-min or 'idle people' of Cheh Kiang province (a Ningpo name still existing), the yoh-hu or 'music people' of Shanxi province, the si-min or 'small people' of Kiang Su (Jiangsu) province and the Tanka people or 'egg-people' of Canton (to this day the boat population there), were all freed from their social disabilities and allowed to count as free men." "Cheh Kiang" is another romanization for Zhejiang. The Duomin () are a caste of outcasts in this province.
During the First Opium War, the British navy defeated Eight Banners forces at Ningbo and Dinghai. Under the terms of the Treaty of Nanking, signed in 1843, Ningbo became one of the five Chinese treaty ports opened to virtually unrestricted foreign trade. Much of Zhejiang came under the control of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom during the Taiping Rebellion, which resulted in a considerable loss of life in the north-western and central parts of the province, sparing the rest of Zhejiang from the disastrous depopulation that occurred. In 1876, Wenzhou became Zhejiang's second treaty port. Jianghuai Mandarin speakers later came to settle in these depopulated regions of northern Zhejiang.
Republican era.
During the Second Sino-Japanese War, which led into World War II, much of Zhejiang was occupied by Japan and placed under the control of the Japanese puppet state known as the Reorganized National Government of China. Following the Doolittle Raid, most of the B-25 American crews that came down in China eventually made it to safety with the help of Chinese civilians and soldiers. The Chinese people who helped them, however, paid dearly for sheltering the Americans. The Imperial Japanese Army began the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign to intimidate the Chinese out of helping downed American airmen. Imperial Japanese forces killed an estimated 250,000 Chinese civilians from the area of Hangzhou to Nanchang and also Zhuzhou while searching for Doolittle's men.
People's Republic era.
After the People's Republic of China took control of Mainland China in 1949, the Republic of China government based in Taiwan continued to control the Dachen Islands off the coast of Zhejiang until 1955, even establishing a rival Zhejiang provincial government there. During the Cultural Revolution (1966–76), Zhejiang was in chaos and disunity and its economy was stagnant, especially during the high tide (1966–69) of the revolution. The agricultural policy favoring grain production at the expense of industrial and cash crops intensified economic hardships in the province. Mao's self-reliance policy and the reduction in maritime trade cut off the lifelines of the port cities of Ningbo and Wenzhou. While Mao invested heavily in railroads in interior China, no major railroads were built in South Zhejiang, where transportation remained poor.
Zhejiang benefited less from central government investment than some other provinces due to its lack of natural resources, a location vulnerable to potential flooding from the sea and an economic base at the national average. Zhejiang, however, has been an epicenter of capitalist development in China and has led the nation in the development of a market economy and private enterprises. Northeast Zhejiang, as part of the Yangtze Delta, is flat, more developed and industrial.
Geography.
Zhejiang consists mostly of hills, which account for about 70% of its total area. Altitudes tend to be the highest to the south and west and the highest peak of the province, Huangmaojian Peak (), is located there. Other prominent mountains include Mounts Yandang, Tianmu, Tiantai and Mogan, which reach altitudes of .
Valleys and plains are found along the coastline and rivers. The north of the province lies just south of the Yangtze Delta and consists of plains around the cities of Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou, where the Grand Canal of China enters from the northern border to end at Hangzhou. Another relatively flat area is found along the Qu River around the cities of Quzhou and Jinhua. Major rivers include the Qiangtang and Ou Rivers. Most rivers carve out valleys in the highlands, with plenty of rapids and other features associated with such topography. Well-known lakes include the West Lake of Hangzhou and the South Lake of Jiaxing.
There are over three thousand islands along the rugged coastline of Zhejiang. The largest, Zhoushan Island, is mainland China's third largest island, after Hainan and Chongming. There are also many bays, of which Hangzhou Bay is the largest. Zhejiang has a humid subtropical climate with four distinct seasons. Spring starts in March and is rainy with changeable weather. Summer, from June to September is long, hot, rainy and humid. Fall is generally dry, warm and sunny. Winters are short but cold except in the far south. Average annual temperature is around , average January temperature is around and average July temperature is around . Annual precipitation is about . There is plenty of rainfall in early summer and by late summer Zhejiang is directly threatened by typhoons forming in the Pacific.
Administrative divisions.
Zhejiang is divided into eleven prefecture-level divisions: all prefecture-level cities (including two sub-provincial cities):
The eleven prefecture-level divisions of Zhejiang are subdivided into 90 county-level divisions (37 districts, 20 county-level cities, 32 counties, and one autonomous county). Those are in turn divided into 1,364 township-level divisions (618 towns, 488 townships, and 258 subdistricts). Hengdian belongs to Jinhua, which is the largest base of shooting films and TV dramas in China. Hengdian World Studios is called "China's Hollywood." At the year end of 2021, the total population was 65.40 million.
Urban areas.
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Politics.
The politics of Zhejiang is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in mainland China. The Governor of Zhejiang is the highest-ranking official in the People's Government of Zhejiang. However, in the province's dual party-government governing system, the Governor is subordinate to the secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.
Several political figures who served as Zhejiang's top political office of Party Secretary have played key roles in various events in PRC history. Tan Zhenlin (term 1949–1952), the inaugural Party Secretary, was one of the leading voices against Mao's Cultural Revolution during the so-called February Countercurrent of 1967. Jiang Hua (term 1956–1968), was the "chief justice" on the Special Court in the case against the Gang of Four in 1980. Three provincial Party Secretaries since the 1990s have gone onto prominence at the national level. They include CPC General Secretary and President Xi Jinping (term 2002–2007), National People's Congress Chairman and former Vice-Premier Zhang Dejiang (term 1998–2002), and Zhao Hongzhu (term 2007–2012), the Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, China's top anti-corruption body. Of Zhejiang's fourteen Party Secretaries since 1949, none were native to the province.
Zhejiang was home to Chiang Kai-shek and many high-ranking officials in the Kuomintang, who fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the Civil War.
Economy.
Zhejiang is one of the richest and most developed provinces in China. As of 2022[ [update]], its nominal GDP was US$1.15 trillion (CN¥ 7.77 trilion), about 6.42% of the country's GDP and ranked 4th among province-level administrative units; the province's primary, secondary and tertiary industries were worth CN¥232.48 billion (US$34.56 billion), CN¥3.3205 trillion (US$493.67 billion) and CN¥4.2185 trillion (US$627.18 billion) respectively. Its nominal GDP per capita was US$17,617 (CN¥118,496) and ranked the 6th in the country. The private sector in the province has been playing an increasingly important role in boosting the regional economy since Economic Reform in 1978. Zhejiang is generally regarded as having one of the strongest private sectors among Chinese provinces and its local governments typically adopt permissive business policies.186
Zhejiang's main manufacturing sectors are electromechanical industries, textiles, chemical industries, food and construction materials. In recent years Zhejiang has followed its own development model, dubbed the "Zhejiang model", which is based on prioritizing and encouraging entrepreneurship, an emphasis on small businesses responsive to the whims of the market, large public investments into infrastructure, and the production of low-cost goods in bulk for both domestic consumption and export. As a result, Zhejiang has made itself one of the richest provinces and the "Zhejiang spirit" has become something of a legend within China. However, some economists now worry that this model is not sustainable, in that it is inefficient and places unreasonable demands on raw materials and public utilities, and also a dead end, in that the myriad small businesses in Zhejiang producing cheap goods in bulk are unable to move to more sophisticated or technologically more advanced industries. The economic heart of Zhejiang is moving from North Zhejiang, centered on Hangzhou, southeastward to the region centered on Wenzhou and Taizhou. The per capita disposable income of urbanites in Zhejiang reached 55,574 yuan (US$8,398) in 2018, an annual real growth of 8.4%. The per capita disposable income of rural residents stood at 27,302 yuan (US$4,126), a real growth of 9.4%.
Zhejiang was the first province to pilot a common prosperity pilot program.166
Traditionally, the province is known as the "Land of Fish and Rice." True to its name, rice is the main crop, followed by wheat; north Zhejiang is also a center of aquaculture in China, and the Zhoushan fishery is the largest fishery in the country. The main cash crops include jute and cotton and the province also leads the provinces of China in tea production. (The renowned Longjing tea is a product of Hangzhou.) Zhejiang's towns have been known for handicraft production of goods such as silk, for which it is ranked second among the provinces. Its many market towns connect the cities with the countryside.
In 1832, the province was exporting silk, paper, fans, pencils, wine, dates, tea and "golden-flowered" hams.
Zhejiang has been leading the digital economy development in China, in recent years, the provincial economy has been boosted by the economic surge brought by internet corporations such as Alibaba and NetEase.
Ningbo, Wenzhou, Taizhou and Zhoushan are important commercial ports. The Hangzhou Bay Bridge between Haiyan County and Cixi, is the longest bridge over a continuous body of sea water in the world.
Economic and technological development concerns.
Waste disposal.
On Thursday, September 15, 2011, more than 500 people from Hongxiao Village protested over the large-scale death of fish in a nearby river. Angry protesters stormed the Zhejiang Jinko Solar Company factory compound, overturned eight company vehicles, and destroyed the offices before police came to disperse the crowd. Protests continued on the two following nights with reports of scuffles, officials said. Chen Hongming, a deputy head of Haining's environmental protection bureau, said the factory's waste disposal had failed pollution tests since April. The environmental watchdog had warned the factory, but it had not effectively controlled the pollution, Chen added.
Demographics.
Han Chinese make up the vast majority of the population and the largest Han subgroup are the speakers of Wu varieties of Chinese. There are also 400,000 members of ethnic minorities, including approximately 200,000 She people and approximately 20,000 Hui Chinese. Jingning She Autonomous County in Lishui is the only She autonomous county in China.
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Religion.
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The predominant religions in Zhejiang are Chinese folk religions, Taoist traditions and Chinese Buddhism. According to surveys conducted in 2007 and 2009, 23.02% of the population believes and is involved in ancestor veneration, while 2.62% of the population identifies as Christian, decreasing from 3.92% in 2004. The reports did not give figures for other types of religion; 74.36% of the population may be either irreligious or involved in worship of nature deities, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, folk religious sects. As of the mid-2010s, Zhejiang has 34,880 registered folk religious temples greater than 20 sqm and 10,000 registered places of worship of the five doctrines (Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam).
In mid-2015 the government of Zhejiang recognised folk religion as "civil religion" beginning the formal registration of the province's folk religious temples under the aegis of the provincial Bureau of Folk Faith. Buddhism has an important presence since its arrival in Zhejiang 1,800 years ago.
Catholicism arrived 400 years ago in the province and Protestantism 150 years ago. Zhejiang is one of the provinces of China with the largest concentrations of Protestants, especially notable in the city of Wenzhou. In 1999, Zhejiang's Protestant population comprised 2.8% of the provincial population, a small percentage but higher than the national average.
The rapid development of religions in Zhejiang has driven the local committee of ethnic and religious affairs to enact policies to rationalise them in 2014, variously named "Three Remodelings and One Demolition" operations or "Special Treatment Work on Illegally Constructed Sites of Religious and Folk Religion Activities" according to the locality. These regulations have led to cases of demolition of churches and folk religion temples or the removal of crosses from churches' roofs and spires. An exemplary case was that of the Sanjiang Church. Despite English-language media focused on Christian churches, only 2.3% of the buildings affected by the regulations were Christian churches; most of them were folk religious temples.
Islam arrived 1,400 years ago in Zhejiang. Today Islam is practiced by a small number of people including virtually all the Hui Chinese living in Zhejiang. In 2020, there are 117,000 Muslims in Zhejiang. Another religion present in the province is She shamanism (practiced by She ethnic minority).
Media.
The Zhejiang Radio & Television Group, Hangzhou Radio & Television Group, Ningbo Radio & Television Group are the local broadcasters in Zhejiang Province.
Culture.
Languages.
Zhejiang is mountainous and has therefore fostered the development of many distinct local cultures. Linguistically speaking, Zhejiang is extremely diverse. Most inhabitants of Zhejiang speak varieties of Wu, but those Wu dialects are very diverse, especially in the south, where one valley may speak a dialect completely unintelligible to the next valley a few kilometers away. Other varieties of Chinese are spoken as well, mostly along the borders; Mandarin and Huizhou dialects are spoken on the border with Anhui, while Min dialects are spoken on the border with Fujian. (See Hangzhou dialect, Shaoxing dialect, Ningbo dialect, Wenzhou dialect, Taizhou dialect, Jinhua dialect and Quzhou dialect for more information)
Throughout history there have been a series of "lingua francas" in the area to allow for better communication. The dialects spoken in Hangzhou, Shaoxing and Ningbo have taken on this role historically. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Mandarin, which is not mutually intelligible with any of the Wu dialects, has been promoted as the standard language of communication throughout China. As a result, most of the population now can, to some degree, speak and comprehend Mandarin and can code-switch when necessary. A majority of the population educated since 1978 can speak some Mandarin. Urban residents tend to be more fluent in Mandarin than rural people. Nevertheless, a Zhejiang accent is detectable in almost everyone from the area communicating in Mandarin and the home dialect remains an important part of the everyday lives and cultural identities of most Zhejiang residents.
Music.
Zhejiang is the home of Yue opera, one of the most prominent forms of Chinese opera. "Yueju" originated in Shengzhou and is traditionally performed by actresses only, in both male and female roles. Other important opera traditions include Yongju (of Ningbo), Shao opera (of Shaoxing), Ouju (of Wenzhou), Wuju (of Jinhua), Taizhou Luantan (of Taizhou) and Zhuji Luantan (of Zhuji).
Cuisine.
Longjing tea (also called dragon well tea), originating in Hangzhou, is one of the most prestigious, if not "the" most prestigious Chinese tea. Hangzhou is also renowned for its silk umbrellas and hand fans. Zhejiang cuisine (itself subdivided into many traditions, including Hangzhou cuisine) is one of the eight great traditions of Chinese cuisine.
Place names.
Since ancient times, north Zhejiang and neighboring south Jiangsu have been famed for their prosperity and opulence and simply inserting north Zhejiang place names (Hangzhou, Jiaxing, etc.) into poetry gave an effect of dreaminess, a practice followed by many noted poets. In particular, the fame of Hangzhou (as well as Suzhou in neighboring Jiangsu province) has led to the popular saying: "Above there is heaven; below there is Suzhou and Hangzhou" (), a saying that continues to be a source of pride for the people of these two still prosperous cities.
Tourism.
Tourist destinations in Zhejiang include:
Sports.
Professional sports teams based in Zhejiang include:
Education and research.
Zhejiang is one of China's leading provinces in research and education. As of 2024[ [update]], two major cities in Zhejiang ranked in the world's top 200 cities (Hangzhou 13th and Ningbo 123rd) by scientific research output, as tracked by Nature Index.
Notes.
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References.
Citations.
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Sources.
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