Yixing City Research Articles

Burnt Cervidae bones and sedimentary environments at Luotuodun, Jiangsu Province, China: New insights for Neolithic human behavior

The Luotuodun archaeological site is located in Yixing City, Jiangsu Province, in the transition zone from the Yili Mountains to the coastal plain. It is of Neolithic Age and dates from approximately 7000 to 5000 years ago. A large number of animal skeleton fossils have been unearthed at the site, many of which, especially those belonging to species of Cervidae (possibly Sika, Cervis nippon), are characterized by the presence of black residue on the surface. There are three types of residue, one is black film-like coating, which is suggestive of exposure to fire, one is also black, but crystalline in nature, while the other is grey-white, particulate deposit. With the aim of exploring the nature of these residues and their possible origins, we applied a number of analytical techniques, including Raman Spectroscopy (RS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and Electron Microscopy (EM) on six bone fossils belonging to different parts of Cervidae skeleton unearthed from Luotuodun to evaluate the possible influence of fire and/or depositional processes in their formation. The black film-like coating, widespread on the surface of these bones, is highly reflective and appears white under the Raman microscope. The RS peak indicates that the film-like substance is rich in carbonaceous (graphitic carbon) components, suggesting that the bones have been exposed to combustion. FTIR measurements on these bones show that the structure of hydroxyapatite carbonate (Ca10(PO4)6−x(CO3)x(OH)2) has changed, consistent with their exposure to very high temperatures (500–600 °C), and implying that they were burnt, either for cooking or ritual behavior by ancient humans. In the case of the crystallized black particles, these are primarily confined to localities on the surface of bone fractures. EDS results, as confirmed by the RS analysis, show that the black crystals are comprised of an iron-rich, phosphatic mineral, compatible with vivianite (Fe3(PO4)2·(H2O)8). The substantial vivianite content is consistent with the fossil bones being submerged and deposited in waterlogged soils. The results of EDS show that the composition of the grey-white particle is hydroxyapatite carbonate (Ca10(PO4)6−x(CO3)x(OH)2). Non-destructive geochemical analysis of the surface residues of these Luotuodan bones provides valuable evidence for reconstructing the taphonomy of the Cervidae bones, and reveals that they were utilized by ancient humans during the Luotuodun culture period in SE China.

Indirect Estimation of Heavy Metal Contamination in Rice Soil Using Spectral Techniques.

The rapid growth of industrialization and urbanization in China has led to an increase in soil heavy metal pollution, which poses a serious threat to ecosystem safety and human health. The advancement of spectral technology offers a way to rapidly and non-destructively monitor soil heavy metal content. In order to explore the potential of rice leaf spectra to indirectly estimate soil heavy metal content. We collected farmland soil samples and measured rice leaf spectra in Xushe Town, Yixing City, Jiangsu Province, China. In the laboratory, the heavy metals Cd and As were determined. In order to establish an estimation model between the pre-processed spectra and the soil heavy metals Cd and As content, a genetic algorithm (GA) was used to optimise the partial least squares regression (PLSR). The model's accuracy was evaluated and the best estimation model was obtained. The results showed that spectral pre-processing techniques can extract hidden information from the spectra. The first-order derivative of absorbance was more effective in extracting spectral sensitive information from rice leaf spectra. The GA-PLSR model selects only about 10% of the bands and has better accuracy in spectral modeling than the PLSR model. The spectral reflectance of rice leaves has the capacity to estimate Cd content in the soil (relative percent difference [RPD] = 2.09) and a good capacity to estimate As content in the soil (RPD = 2.97). Therefore, the content of the heavy metals Cd and As in the soil can be estimated indirectly from the spectral data of rice leaves. This study provides a reference for future remote sensing monitoring of soil heavy metal pollution in farmland that is quantitative, dynamic, and non-destructive over a large area.

An assessment framework for landscape sustainability based on ecosystem service supply-flow-demand

ContextThe study of landscape sustainability plays an important role in the development of sustainability science. Landscape sustainability assessment is crucial for landscape planning and governance, serving as a fundamental basis for achieving regional and global sustainable development.ObjectivesThe goal is to propose an assessment framework for landscape sustainability based on ecosystem services (ESs) supply-flow-demand, and select a case study area to test it.MethodsWe started from the connotation of landscape sustainability and theoretically explained the relationship between landscape patterns, ESs, and human well-being. We proposed a conceptual framework for landscape sustainability assessment based on the supply-flow-demand of ESs. Yixing City was selected as a case study area for empirical research.ResultsWe constructed a conceptual framework and assessment steps for landscape sustainability assessment based on the supply-flow-demand of ESs and applied it to assess the landscape sustainability of towns in Yixing City. The framework focuses on the concept of landscape sustainability and can be applied at various temporal and spatial scales, with high operability and replicability. However, there are still certain limitations that need to be further considered, including the determination of landscape boundaries, multi-scale assessment, the trade-offs/synergies between different ESs.ConclusionsThe landscape sustainability assessment framework based on the supply-flow-demand of ESs can expand the perspectives and methods of landscape sustainability assessment. It is also practical and replicable, aiming to provide support for landscape planning and governance.

Epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria cases after malaria elimination in Yixing City of Jiangsu Province

To analyse the epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria cases after malaria elimination in Yixing City, Jiangsu Province, so as to provide reference for malaria prevention and control in grassroots healthcare institutions. All data pertaining to malaria cases reported in Yixing City from 2016 to 2022 were retrieved from Chinese Disease Control and Prevention Information System, and the data pertaining to vector monitoring and human malaria parasite infections from 2016 to 2022 were collected for a descriptive statistical analysis. A total of 14 imported malaria cases were reported in Yixing City from 2016 to 2022, including 12 cases with Plasmodium falciparum malaria, one case with P. vivax malaria and one case with P. ovale malaria, and all cases acquired infections in Africa and then returned to Yixing City. Malaria cases were reported across 2016 to 2022 except in 2020 and 2021. Malaria cases were predominantly reported during the period between December and February of the next year, and workers were the predominant occupation. The institutions where malaria was initially diagnosed included county-level general hospitals, county-level disease prevention and control institutions and grassroots healthcare centers, and there were 10 cases with definitive diagnosis of malaria on the day of initial diagnosis, with a 64.29% (9/14) correct rate of initial diagnosis. There were 5 cases diagnosed with severe malaria, and the standardized response rate was 100.00% following the "1-3-7" surveillance and response strategy. Of all malaria vectors, only Anopheles sinensis was monitored in Yixing City from 2016 to 2022, and all humans were tested negative for blood smears exceptimportedmalariacases. The correct rate of initial malaria diagnosis was not high in healthcare institutions in Yixing City from 2016 to 2022, and there are still multiple challenges for prevention of re-establishment of imported malaria.

Influencing Factors Analysis and Optimization of Land Use Allocation: Combining MAS with MOPSO Procedure

The rural land use preferences of multiple agents are crucial for optimizing land-use allocation. Taking Guanlin Town, Yixing City, China as an example, this study analyzed the factors by agents effecting rural land use conversion probability, identified the objectives and the constraints within the optimization of rural land-use allocation, and simulated the optimal land-use allocation for 2030 by combining MAS with an MOPSO procedure. The results showed that the preferences and decisions of main actors effected the optimal land-use allocation. The Government determined the conversion between land-use types. The preferences of the entrepreneurs resulted in the distribution of industrial land. Town residents made a high contribution to the configuration of the town residential land by considering some factors. Rural families influenced land-use allocation by considering the quality of cultivated soils, and the optimal spatial location of aquaculture systems. Four optimization objectives were identified. The most relevant constraints were the upper and lower limits of each land-use type. The land-use types in Guanlin town in 2015 had a low intensification and an unreasonable structure. The modeling results indicated a tendency for concentrated spatial distributions of rural land. The results of the present study can provide useful support for decision-making within land planning and consequent management.

Retrofitting Existing Urban Voids

As an abandoned mining area, Huanglong Mountain Purple Sand Mining Area in Dingshu Town, Yixing City, Jiangsu Province has entered a state of suspension of production. This study draws on successful cases and retrofits the abandoned mining area in Huanglong Mountain into a “source of purple sand” community park. With purple sand (the represent of the urban) as the core, museums are built to realize the restoration of the ruins and at the same time display the culture as well as history of the development of purple sand mining and pottery industry through photos and historical documents. This community park also provides ordinary pottery artists with opportunities to display their works and participate in cultural inheritance through workshop, narrating their learning experience to encourage youngsters. Some basic facilities like teahouses, restaurants, hotels and bazaars associated with local elements are created in the park to help tourists to experience the local pottery art life and boost economy prosperity of the city.

Source Apportionment and Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Endemic Tree Species in Southern China: A Case Study of Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Presl.

As a developed economic region in China, the problem of heavy metals (HMs) pollution in the Yangtze River Delta has become increasingly prominent. As an important evergreen broad-leaved tree species in southern China, the camphor tree cannot only be used as a street tree but also its various tissues and organs can be used as raw materials for Chinese herbal medicine. In order to explore whether heavy metal contamination in the region threatens the safety of camphor trees as pharmaceutical raw materials, we collected the bark and leaves of the tree most commonly used for pharmaceuticals in Yixing City. Based on the determination of HMs content, the health risks after human intake are evaluated, the sources and contributions of HMs are analyzed, and then the health risks of pollution sources are spatially visualized. The results showed that under the influence of human activities, the camphor trees in the study area had obvious enrichment of HMs, and the over-standard rate of Pb in the bark was as high as 90%. The non-carcinogenic risks of bark and leaves are acceptable, but the carcinogenic risks are not acceptable. The bark had the highest average carcinogenic risk, approaching six times the threshold. The results of Pb isotope ratio analysis showed that the average contribution rate of industrial activities to HMs in camphor trees in the study area was the highest, reaching 49.70%, followed by fossil fuel burning (37.14%) and the contribution of natural sources was the smallest, only 13.16%. The locations of the high-risk areas caused by the three pollution sources in the study area are basically similar, mainly concentrated in the northwest, northeast, and southeast, which are consistent with the distribution of industries and resources in the study area. This study can provide a reference for the precise prevention of HMs pollution of camphor and the safe selection of its pharmaceutical materials.

Gender Specificity and Local Socioeconomic Influence on Association of GHR fl/d3 Polymorphism With Growth and Metabolism in Children and Adolescents.

ObjectiveGrowth hormone receptor (GHR) mediates most GH biological actions. This study is aimed to evaluate whether GHR fl/d3 polymorphism contributes to the inter-individual variability of growth and metabolism in healthy children and adolescents.MethodsA total of 4,730 students aged 6-16 years from Yixing and Suqian City in China were included in this cross-sectional study. Height and body mass index (BMI) were transformed into the form of z-score corresponding to age and gender. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the associations of GHR fl/d3 polymorphism with height, BMI, metabolic traits, and hypertension by estimating the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsGHR d3 allele was inversely associated with overweight, total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels (OR [95% CI] for overweight: 0.754 [0.593-0.959], P = 0.021; OR [95% CI] for TC: 0.744 [0.614-0.902], P = 0.003; OR [95% CI] for TG: 0.812 [0.654-0.998], P = 0.047). GHR d3 allele was associated with decreased odds of pre-hypertension in boys (OR [95% CI]: 0.791 [0.645-0.971], P = 0.025), but associated with increased odds of pre-hypertension and hypertension in girls (ORs [95% CIs]: 1.379 [1.106-1.719], P = 0.004; OR [95% CI]: 1.240 [1.013-1.519], P = 0.037). Interaction of GHR fl/d3 polymorphism with gender contributed to increased odds of pre-hypertension and hypertension (interactive ORs [95% CIs]: 1.735 [1.214-2.481], P = 0.003; OR [95% CI]: 1.509 [1.092-2.086], P = 0.013). Stratification analysis showed that the correlation tendencies of GHR fl/d3 polymorphism and BMI with age were different between two cities with discrepant economic development levels.ConclusionGHR fl/d3 polymorphism is associated with growth, metabolism, and hypertension in children and adolescents with the gender specificity, and the genetic effect of GHR fl/d3 may be modified by the local socioeconomic levels.

Characterization of Pottery Foodcrusts Through Lipid and Proteomic Analyses: A Case Study from the Xiawan Site in Yixing City, East China

Characterization of Pottery Foodcrusts Through Lipid and Proteomic Analyses: A Case Study from the Xiawan Site in Yixing City, East China

The Influence of Personality and Demographic Characteristics on Aggressive Driving Behaviors in Eastern Chinese Drivers.

PurposeRoad safety research is important due to the large number of road traffic fatalities globally. This study investigated the influences of age, driving experience and other covariates on aggressive driving behavior.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted in Yixing City, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China. Regression analysis was applied to explore the influences of age and driving experience and their interactions with other covariates on aggressive driving behavior. Two analyses methodologies were used to assess the simple effect of the interactions. Firstly, the Jamovi automatic analysis classification program was used to calculate the simple slope test. Second, the SPSS macro program was also used to calculate the simple slope test also.ResultsA total of 570 drivers (247 males, 282 females) participated in the survey. A negative correlation was found between age and aggressive driving behaviors, and a positive correlation was found between neuroticism and aggressive driving behaviors in the multiple regression analysis. Significant associations were also found between age, driving experience, and depression, as well as age, driving experience, and neuroticism. Simple slope tests showed that depressive symptoms could increase aggressive behaviors in the elderly and experienced drivers. When experiencing neuroticism, individuals with higher driving experience were more aggressive in driving than shorter experienced drivers.ConclusionAge and neuroticism influenced aggressive driving behaviors. Veteran drivers could be aggressive drivers when experiencing depressive symptoms or neuroticism. Mobile intervention could be sent to the potentially risky drivers, which would be safe and broadly feasible to prevent aggressive driving behavior in the background of COVID-19.

Soil Health Evaluation of Farmland Based on Functional Soil Management—A Case Study of Yixing City, Jiangsu Province, China

Given that farmland serves as a strategic resource to ensure national food security, blind emphasis on the improvement of food production capacity can lead to soil overutilization and impair other soil functions. Hence, the evaluation of soil health (SH) should comprehensively take soil productivity and ecological environmental effects into account. In this study, five functions from the perspective of functional soil management were summarized, including primary productivity, provision and cycling of nutrients, the provision of functional and intrinsic biodiversity, water purification and regulation, and carbon sequestration and regulation. For each soil function, in view of the natural and ameliorable conditions affecting SH, basic indicators were selected from the two aspects of inherent and dynamic properties, and restrictive indicators were chosen considering the external properties or environmental elements, with the minimum limiting factor method coupled with weighted linear model. The new evaluation system was tested and verified in Yixing City, China. The healthy and optimally functional soils were concentrated in the northeast and mid-west of Yixing City, whereas unhealthy soils were predominant in the south and around Taihu Lake. The main limitations to SH improvement included cation exchange capacity, nutrient elements, and soluble carbon. The SH evaluation method was verified using the crop performance validation method, and a positive correlation was noted between food production stability index and soil health index, indicating that the evaluation system is reasonable.

Preliminary Study on Monitoring and Control of Tick in Yixing City

Preliminary Study on Monitoring and Control of Tick in Yixing City

Evaluation of the effect of the water-saving irrigation project on Oncomelania hupensis control in hilly regions of Yixing City, Jiangsu Province

To evaluate the effect of the water-saving irrigation project on Oncomelania hupensis snail control in hilly regions of Yixing City, Jiangsu Province. A retrospective survey combined with cross-sectional investigation was employed. The implementation of the water-saving irrigation development project in Yixing City from 2005 to 2007 was retrospectively collected, and the snail status was collected in regions where the water-saving irrigation project was located and the project-affected regions from 2003 to 2018, to examine the effect of the project on snail control. In addition, a cross-sectional survey was performed to investigate the destruction of the water-saving irrigation project in 2018. A total of 22 water-saving irrigation projects were implemented in 5 townships in hilly regions of Yixing City from 2005 to 2007, where snail habitats were treated covering 266.97 hm2. Before the implementation of the project from 2003 to 2006, cumulative 47.87 hm2 snail habitats were detected in regions where the project was located, and no snails were found in regions where the project was located from the implementation of the project in 2006 to 2018. However, a few snails were found in the project-affected regions in 2017 and 2018. In addition, there were problems found in the later-stage maintenance and management of the project. The water-saving irrigation projects shows a high efficiency on snail control in hilly regions of Yixing City. The later-stage maintenance of the project and monitoring of snails remain to be intensified to enhance the snail control efficiency of the water-saving irrigation project.

Endogenous Pollution and Release Characteristics of Bottom Sediments of Hengshan Reservoir in Yixing City

To clarify the endogenous pollution and release characteristics of the bottom sediment of Hengshan Reservoir in Yixing City, a typical section of the reservoir was sampled and analyzed. The research results show that the average concentrations of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and organic matter in the surface sediments of Hengshan Reservoir are 2778 mg·kg-1, 899 mg·kg-1, and 3.1%, respectively. The endogenous pollution is serious, and the downstream sediments are highly polluted upstream of the reservoir. Phosphorus spectroscopic analysis results show that iron-bound phosphorus (Fe-P) and aluminum-bound phosphorus (Al-P) are the main bound phosphorus forms in the sediment, accounting for 28% and 39% of the total phosphorus, respectively. The average concentration of activated phosphorus in the sediment (combination of weakly adsorbed phosphorus, organic phosphorus, and iron phosphorus) is 255 mg·kg-1, accounting for 38% of the total phosphorus. The average release rates of nitrogen and phosphorus in sediments were 18.0 mg·(m2·d)-1 and 0.60 mg·(m2·d)-1. The correlation analysis results show that the organic matter content of the sediment is significantly correlated with the diffusion flux of phosphate, ammonia nitrogen, and ferrous iron (P<0.05), indicating that the mineralization of organic matter in the sediment may be the main release source of nitrogen and phosphorus in the sediment influencing factors.

Spatio-temporal patterns of Oncomelania hupensis snail habitats in Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou cities along the Taihu Lake region

To investigate the spatio-temporal distribution characteristics of Oncomelania hupensis snail habitats in three cities of Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou along the Taihu Lake region, so as to provide technical supports for establishing a sensitive and highly effective surveillance and forecast system for schistosomiasis. Snail distribution data were collected from Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou cities from 1950 to 2018, and the changing trend for snail habitats were described over years. In addition, the clusters of snail habitats were detected using Kernel density analysis and SaTScan space-time scan analysis. The number of snail habitats appeared a single-peak distribution in Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou cities from 1950 to 2018, which peaked in 1970 and then declined rapidly. There were 62.68% of snail habitats eliminated within 10 years after identification, of which 38.24% were eliminated at the year of identification. Kernel density analysis and SaTScan space-time scan analysis revealed that high-density clusters of snail habitats were mainly distributed in Kunshan City, Wuzhong District and Xiangcheng District from 1970 to 1980, and in Yixing City in 1990; since then, the clusters gradually shrank, and overall appeared a move from northeast to west of Taihu Lake. A total of 4 new clusters were detected after 1970, as revealed by space-time scanning of snail habitats. In current snail habitats, emerging snail habitats are mainly identified in Huqiu District (Dongzhu Town), Wuzhong District (Guangfu Town), Taicang City (Shaxi Town) and Jintan District, and re-emerging snail habitats are scattered in 7 districts. The distribution of snail habitats are spatio-temporal aggregation in Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou cities. The monitoring and prediction of emerging and re-emerging snail habitats are the key points in the future.

Assessment of River Water Quality Based on an Improved Fuzzy Matter-Element Model.

In this paper, an improved fuzzy matter-element (IFME) method was proposed, which integrates the classical matter-element (ME) method, set pair analysis (SPA), and variable coefficient method (VCM). The method was applied to evaluate water quality of five monitor stations along Caoqiao River in Yixing city, Jiangsu Province, China. The levels of river water quality were determined according to fuzzy closeness degree. Compared with the traditional evaluation methods, the IFME method has several characteristics as follows: (i) weights were determined by the VCM method, which can reduce workload and overcome the adverse effects of abnormal values, (ii) membership degrees were defined by SPA, which can utilize monitored data more scientifically and comprehensively, and (iii) IFME is more suitable for seriously polluted rivers. Overall, these findings reinforce the notion that an integrated approach is essential for attaining scientific and objective assessment of river water quality.

Compositional characterization of Zisha clay from the Yixing area (Jiangsu, China) by neutron activation analysis

Zisha stoneware is a distinctive pottery tradition unique to China. This ceramic tradition was highly popularized during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 CE), and continues to be manufactured through the present day. Throughout history, Zisha stoneware vessels have been highly desirable objects used mainly by high status individuals, and by the early 17th century was exported to Europe as trade items. Soon thereafter, European imitations of Zisha stonewares were produced in the Netherlands at Delft, and in England and Germany. Today, authentic Zisha wares are difficult to discern from imitations using the naked eye alone, which poses problems for provenance, authenticity of antiquities, and reconstructing ancient ceramic technologies developed in China. The goal of this study was to determine the elemental and mineralogical properties of Zisha clays and to evaluate their suitability for archaeological provenance study. This study used petrographic thin-section analysis and neutron activation analysis to characterize multiple distinct types of Zisha clays, as well as other regional clays, from deposits around Huanglong Mountain (Yixing City, China). Representative samples of each clay type were sub-divided into untreated raw clays and processed and fired ceramics for comparison. The results show clays from each major collection area have unique compositional signatures based on their trace element chemistries and mineralogical properties. Additionally, those characteristics are stable and not significantly altered by preparation or firing processes. We propose that Zisha clays have high potential for archaeological provenance studies of Zisha stoneware antiquities.

Scarcity of Drinking Water in Taihu Lake Basin, China: A Case Study of Yixing City

Water use has been growing globally at more than twice the rate of the population increase over the last century. Water scarcity is one of the main problems facing the world, especially the scarcity of clean and safe drinking water. Scarcity of drinking water is not only relevant in arid or semiarid regions, but also occurs in water-rich regions due to the decline in water quantity caused by pollution or salinity intrusion. As a part of Taihu Lake Basin, a famous water-rich region in China, Yixing City has a total area of 1996.6 km2, including 242.29 km2 from Taihu Lake, 215 rivers with an area of 130 km2, more than 20 ponds with an area of 0.05 km2, and 20 reservoirs with a total capacity of 126 million m3. There always has enough water in Yixing City. However, meteorological conditions and water quality both affect the available drinking water sources. Poor-quality water was used as a drinking water source in Yixing City during a drought event in 2011. Approximately 1.4 × 107 m3 of poor-quality water was used for drinking water in Yixing city, providing 37.13% of the total drinking water. It was a source of concern that the water quality was too poor to be used as drinking water and that the water treatment processes were expensive. The scarcity of drinking water has become a serious issue, not only in arid and semiarid regions but also in water towns such as Taihu Lake Basin, and this issue requires society’s attention. Many measures should be taken to relieve the drinking water shortage, such as seeking new drinking water sources, protecting the current water source areas, controlling pollution emissions, and implementing effective water resource management.

A multi-scale study on the formation mechanism and main controlling factors of urban thermal field based on urban big data.

The composition and structure of urban landscape and human activity intensity are key factors shaping urban thermal fields, whereas the relative importance of influencing factors for urban thermal distribution remains unclear. We carried out a case study in Yixing City. Land surface temperature (LST), ecological infrastructure (including vegetation and water cover), building volume and point of interest data were extracted from the RS interpretation, field mapping and programming technique. Using Pearson correlation analysis, univariete regression analysis, multiple regression analysis and relative weight analysis, we quantitatively analyzed the relationships between urban land surface temperature to ecological infrastructure, building volume, POI density at multiple scales (500, 1000, 2000 m) as well as their relative importance. The results showed that ecological infrastructure had a significant cooling effect, and the building volume and POI density were positively correlated with LST. Among the influence factors of urban heat field, ecological infrastructure had the highest relative weight (21.3%-43.8%), followed by building volume (20.7%-22.6%) and POI density (13.7%-21.7%). Our results would help to understand the relative importance of factors driving urban thermal field and offer important reference for taking mitigation measures to alleviate urban heat island effect.

Analysis and evaluation of heavy metal pollution characteristics contaminated soil in land-lake ecotone

In this paper, systematic sampling with elf-made piston sampler and experiment were applied to research on the distribution characteristics of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Cr, Ni, As) pollution in the surface and 1m depth sediments in Zhushan Bay in Zhoutie Town, Yixing City, Jiangsu Province. Spatial distribution characteristics of heavy metal elements and the relationships between heavy metals and the pH were analysed. Results show that surface and deep sediments are weakly alkaline. At the same time, the distribution of seven heavy metal elements in surface sediments in the land-water interlaced zone, estuarine and open water bodies are different. Among them, the contents of Zn and Cr are the highest, the content of Cd is the lowest, and only the content of Pb does not exceed the natural background value. The contents of heavy metals in sediments at different depths all show the distribution characteristics of Zn> Cr> Cu> Ni> Pb> As> Cd. Zn and Cr have the highest concentrations and are most likely to be pollution factors. Only Pb has no obvious accumulation and pollution is lighter. The sediments are shallow and deep, and the contents of heavy metal elements fluctuate locally. The concentration increases recently and the content in the estuary area is significantly higher. The contents of Zn, Cr, Cu and Ni are high and have a significant correlation. The correlation coefficient is between 0.680 and 0.920, showing the homogeneity of the pollutants.