Changzhou is a prefecture-level city in the southern Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. The city is situated in the affluent Yangtze Delta region of China. Changzhou's traditional role has been that of a commercial center, particularly a collecting center for agricultural produce, which was shipped by canal to the north and, later, to Shanghai. Changzhou is one of the most developed cities in Jiangsu, ranking after Suzhou and Wuxi. The GDP per capita was ֲ¥70,103 in 2009, ranking third in Jiangsu Province. Changzhou National Hi-Tech District (CND) is a state level high-tech industrial development zone.