Everything about Jiangxi Province totally explained
(;
Postal map spelling: Kiangsi) is a southern
province of the
People's Republic of China, spanning from the banks of the
Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south.
The name of the province doesn't mean "west of the Yangtze" as a literal reading would imply, but originated as a contraction of "Jiangnan Xi" (江南西; "West
Jiangnan", or more literally "the west of the south of the Yangtze"). The name was coined when Jiangnan ("south of the Yangtze")
Circuit was split into western and eastern halves during the
Tang Dynasty.
Jiangxi borders
Anhui to the north,
Zhejiang to the northeast,
Fujian to the east,
Guangdong to the south,
Hunan to the west, and
Hubei to the northwest.
History
Jiangxi is centered on the
Gan River valley, which historically provided the main north-south transport route of south China. The corridor along the Gan River is one of the few easily traveled routes through the otherwise mountainous and rugged terrain of the south-eastern mountains. This open corridor was the primary route for trade and communication between the
North China Plain and the
Yangtze River valley in the north and the territory of modern
Guangdong province in the south. As a result Jiangxi has been strategically important throughout much of China's history.
Jiangxi was outside the sphere of influence of early Chinese civilization during the
Shang Dynasty (
sixteenth to
eleventh centuries BC). Information about this era is scarce, but it's likely that peoples collectively known as the
Yue inhabited the region. During the
Spring and Autumn Period, the northern part of modern Jiangxi formed the western frontier of the state of
Wu. Two settlements are known of at this time: Ai (艾), and Po (番, later 潘). After Wu was conquered by the
state of Yue (a power based in modern northern
Zhejiang) in
473 BC, the state of
Chu (based in modern
Hubei) took over northern Jiangxi and there may have been some Yue influence in the south. Chu subjugated Yue in
333 BC, and was in turn subjugated by the state of
Qin in
221 BC. Qin established the
Qin Dynasty in that same year, the first unified Chinese state.
The unification of China by the
Qin Dynasty saw the incorporation of Jiangxi into the Qin empire. The Qin Dynasty established a two-tier administration system in China, with
commanderies on top and
counties below. Seven counties were established in what is now Jiangxi, all of them administered from
Jiujiang commandery, located north of the Yangzi in modern
Anhui, not the modern city of
Jiujiang in Jiangxi. All of the county seats were located along the Gan River system. Most were no more than a day or two separated and protected one of the Qin routes to the newly incorporated territories further south in
Nanhai commandery (modern
Guangdong). Military settlements were known to have existed at at least two of the counties. Qin colonisation formed the earliest settlement structure in Jiangxi and which for the most part, has survived to the present day.
Yuzhang commandery (豫章) was established in northern Jiangxi at the beginning of the
Han Dynasty, possibly before the death of
Xiang Yu in
202 BC. (
Xiang Yu was the main opponent to
Liu Bang, founder of the
Han Dynasty) It was named after the Yuzhang River (豫章江), the original name of
Gan River (贛江). "Gan" has become the abbreviation of the province. In
201, eight counties were added to the original seven of Qin, and three more were established in later years. Throughout most of the Han Dynasty the commandery's eighteen counties covered most of the modern province of Jiangxi. The county seats of Nanchang, Gan, Yudu, Luling among others were located at the sites of modern major cities. Other counties, however, have been moved or abolished in later centuries.
Under the reign of
Emperor Wu of the
Han Dynasty, Yuzhang Commandery was assigned to
Yangzhou Province, as part of a trend to establish provinces (
zhou) all across China. In
291 AD, during the
Western Jin Dynasty, Jiangxi became its own
zhou called Jiangzhou (江州). During the
Northern and Southern Dynasties, Jiangxi was under the control of the southern dynasties, and the number of
zhou slowly grew.
During the
Sui Dynasty, there were seven
commanderies and twenty-four counties in Jiangxi. During the
Tang Dynasty, another commandery and fourteen counties were added. Commanderies were then abolished, becoming
zhou (henceforth translated as "prefectures" rather than "provinces").
Circuits were established during the
Tang Dynasty as a new top-level administrative division. At first Jiangxi was part of the
Jiangnan Circuit (lit. "Circuit south of the Yangtze"). In
733, this circuit was divided into western and eastern halves. Jiangxi was found in the western half, which was called
Jiangnanxi Circuit (lit. "Western circuits south of the Yangtze"). This is the source of the modern name "Jiangxi".
As a
circuit, Jiangnanxi contained eight
prefectures (
zhou):
| Hong |
洪 |
hóng |
Rao |
饒 |
ráo |
Qian |
虔 |
qián |
Ji |
吉 |
jí |
|
| Jiang |
江 |
jiāng |
Yuan |
袁 |
yuán |
Fu |
撫 |
fǔ |
Xin |
信 |
xìn |
|
Six prefectures and four military prefectures (軍 jun) replaced the previous prefectures (with fifty-five counties).
The
Tang Dynasty collapsed in
907, heralding the division of the
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Jiangxi first belonged to
Wu (吳), then to
Southern Tang (南唐). Both states were based in modern-day
Nanjing, further down the
Yangtze River.
During the
Song Dynasty, Jiangnanxi Circuit was reestablished with nine prefectures and four army districts (with sixty-eight districts).
During the
Yuan Dynasty, the circuit was divided into thirteen different circuits, and Jiangxi Province was established for the first time. This province also included the majority of modern
Guangdong. Jiangxi acquired (more or less) its modern borders during the
Ming Dynasty after
Guangdong was separated out. There has been little change to the borders of Jiangxi since.
After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Jiangxi became one of the earliest bases for the Communists and many peasants were recruited to join the growing people's revolution. The
Nanchang Uprising took place in Jiangxi on
August 1,
1927, during the
Chinese Civil War. Later the Communist leadership hid in the mountains of southern and western Jiangxi, hiding from the Kuomindang's attempts to eradicate them. In 1931, the
Chinese Soviet Republic's government was established in
Ruijin (瑞金), which is sometimes called the "Former Red Capital" (红色故都), or just the "Red Capital". In 1935, after complete encirclement by the Nationalist forces, the Communists broke through and began the
Long March to Yan'an.
Geography
Mountains surround Jiangxi on three sides, with the
Mufu Mountains,
Jiuling Mountains, and
Luoxiao Mountains on the west;
Huaiyu Mountains and
Wuyi Mountains on the east; and the
Jiulian Mountains and
Dayu Mountains in the south. The southern half of the province is hilly with ranges and valleys interspersed; while the northern half is flatter and lower in altitude. The highest point in Jiangxi is
Mount Huanggang in the
Wuyi Mountains, on the border with
Fujian. It has an altitude of 2157
m.
The
Gan River dominates the province, flowing through the entire length of the province from south to north. It enters
Lake Poyang in the north, the largest freshwater lake of China; that lake in turn empties into the
Yangtze River, which forms part of the northern border of Jiangxi. Important
reservoirs include the
Xiushui Tuolin Reservoir in the northwest of the province on the
Xiushui River, and the
Wan'an Reservoir in the upper section of the Gan.
Jiangxi's
climate is
subtropical. Average temperatures are about 3 to 9
°C in January and 27 to 31°C in July. Annual precipitation is 1200 to 1900
mm.
Major cities:
Administrative divisions
Jiangxi is divided into eleven
prefecture-level divisions, all
prefecture-level cities:
Fuzhou (抚州市 Fǔzhōu Shì)
Ganzhou (赣州市 Gànzhōu Shì)
Ji'an (吉安市 Jí'ān Shì)
Jingdezhen (景德镇市 Jǐngdézhèn Shì)
Jiujiang (九江市 Jiǔjiāng Shì)
Nanchang (Simplified Chinese: 南昌市; Hanyu pinyin: Nánchāng Shì)
Pingxiang (萍乡市 Píngxiāng Shì)
Shangrao (上饶市 Shàngráo Shì)
Xinyu (新余市 Xīnyú Shì)
Yichun (宜春市 Yíchūn Shì)
Yingtan (鹰潭市 Yīngtán Shì)
The eleven prefecture-level divisions of Jiangxi are subdivided into 99 county-level divisions (19 districts, ten county-level cities, and 70 counties). Those in turn are divided into 1548 township-level divisions (770 towns, 651 townships, seven ethnic townships, and 120 subdistricts).
See List of administrative divisions of Jiangxi for a complete list of county-level divisions.
Politics
The Politics of Jiangxi is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in mainland China.
The Governor of Jiangxi is the highest ranking official in the People's Government of Jiangxi. However, in the province's dual party-government governing system, the Governor has less power than the Jiangxi Communist Party of China Provincial Committee Secretary, colloquially termed the "Jiangxi CPC Party Chief".
Economy
Rice is the dominant crop in Jiangxi. Cash crops commonly grown include cotton and rapeseed.
Jiangxi is rich in mineral resources, leading the provinces of China in deposits of copper, tungsten, gold, silver, uranium, thorium, tantalum, niobium, among others. Noted centers of mining include Dexing (copper) and Dayu County (tungsten).
Jiangxi is rather poor among the provinces of China. It is located in extreme proximity to some of the richest provinces of China (Guangdong, Zhejiang, Fujian), which are sometimes blamed for taking away talent and capital from Jiangxi.
Jiangxi's nominal GDP for 2006 was about 461.9 billion yuan (60.6 billion USD) and a per capita of 10,679 RMB (1,380 USD).
Demographics
Jiangxi is over 99% Han Chinese. Minorities include Hui and Zhuang. The Hakka, a Han Chinese people with their own distinctive identity, inhabit the southern parts of the province.
Culture
Jiangxi is the main area of concentration of the Gan varieties of Chinese, spoken over most of the northern two-thirds of the province. Examples include the Nanchang dialect, Yichun dialect and Ji'an dialect. The southern one-third of the province speaks Hakka. There are also Mandarin, Hui, and Wu dialects spoken along the northern border.
Ganju (Jiangxi opera) is the type of Chinese opera performed in Jiangxi.
Although little known outside of the province, Jiangxi cuisine is rich and distinctive. Flavors are some of the strongest in China, with heavy use of chile peppers and especially pickled and fermented products.
Jingdezhen is widely regarded as the producer of the best porcelain in China.
Jiangxi also was a historical center of Chan Buddhism.
Prominent examples of Hakka architecture can be found in Jiangxi.
Transportation
The 947-km Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway (浙赣铁路) connects Hangzhou and Zhuzhou (株洲), Hunan.
Tourism
Near the northern port city of Jiujiang (九江) is the well-known (and expensive) resort area of Mount Lushan (卢山). Also near the city are Donglin (East Wood) Temple (东林寺) and Tiefo (Iron Buddha) Temple (铁佛寺), two important Buddhist temples.
Near the small city of Yingtan (鹰潭) is the resort area Longhushan (龙虎山) which purports to be the birthplace of Taoism (道教) and hence has great symbolic value to Taoists. The region has many interesting temples, cave complexes, mountains and villages. It is considered by many to be the best-kept secret of Jiangxi tourism.
The Lushan National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.
In 2007, Jiangxi (specifically the Zhelin Reservoir, about 40 km from Nanchang) was the filming location for the fifteenth series of the American TV show .
Flora and fauna
The mountainous terrain and large forest coverage of Jiangxi has made it historically one of the more wild places of central China. South China Tigers have been seen as recently as fifteen or twenty years ago and projects are underway to document evidence of existing tigers, if there are any. Several mountain areas along the northern border with Hunan and Hubei are potential sites for "wilderness" preserves specifically for protecting or even reintroducing tigers.
Other wildlife, though not plentiful, are more numerous in Jiangxi than in many other developed areas of China. Numerous species of birds are common, especially around the marshes of Lake Poyang in the north. Though protected, mammals such as muntjak, wild boar, civet cats, and pangolins, are still common enough that they'll even occasionally be seen in markets for sale as game meat, or possibly even in a forest.
The late Paleocene mesonychid, Jiangxia chaotoensis was found in the province, and named after it.
Miscellaneous topics
Colleges and universities
Jiujiang Financial and Economic College
East China Institute of Technology
Nanchang University
Jiangxi Normal University
Jinggangshan University
Sister Province/State
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Kentucky, USAFurther Information
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