NEI-CHIANG

Pinyin Neijiang, city in central Szechwan sheng (province), China. Situated on the T'o River, it is also at the junction of the Ch'eng-tuChungking railway and the southern branch line to I-pin. These railways were completed in 1956, making Nei-chiang an important transportation and commercial centre. In medieval times the locality was an important salt-producing area, but in recent times its name has been associated with the cultivation of sugarcane; it is commonly referred to as the sugar capital of Szechwan. Nei-chiang and the nearby towns of Pai-ma-ch'ang and Ho-shih-ssu have large sugar-refining plants and also manufacture sweet preserves and alcohol. This industry, formerly carried on by hand in hundreds of small plants, was centralized after 1949 and modernized; the small local plants now produce molasses. By-products of the sugar mills are used in paper manufacture and are also used to produce fertilizer, animal-feed cake, and glucose. Nei-chiang also has an engineering industry and produces sugar-processing equipment and farm implements, as well as a textile industry. Pop. (1990 est.) 256,012.