The growth of Langshan was a different story. The Buddhist monastery Guangjiao (Broad Teaching) for which Langshan was noted can be traced back to the Tang dynasty, when the hill it now stands on was still an island in the Yangzi, and a ferry was used for pilgrimages. Langshan subsequently became one of the earliest small towns in Nantong, for the thousands of visitors who were attracted by the monastery and the vistas of the river demanded restaurants, inns, snack shops, joss stick and candle shops, and other services.
2003, Qin Shao, “The Model in Space and Time”, in Culturing Modernity: The Nantong Model, 1890-1930, Stanford, Cali.: Stanford University Press, published 2004, page 71