Jiangxi Article Index for
Jiangxi
Articles about
Jiangxi
Website Links For
Jiangxi
 

Information About

Jiangxi




  Name Jiangxi
  Abbreviation
  AbbrevPinyin Gàn
  ISOAbbrev 36
  Map China-Jiangxipng
  OriginOfName Contraction of:<br/> 江南西 Jiāngnán Xī<br/>"The west of Jiangnan "
  AdministrationType Province
  Capital Nanchang
  LargestCity Nanchang
  Secretary Meng Jianzhu
  Governor Wu Xinxiong (acting)
  Area 166,900
  AreaRank 18th
  PopYear 2004
  Pop 42,840,000
  PopRank 13th
  PopDensity 257
  PopDensityRank 16th
  GDPYear 2004
  GDP 3496 billion
  GDPRank 16th
  GDPperCapita 8160
  GDPperCapitaRank 22nd
  HDIYear 2005
  HDI 0732
  HDIRank 21st
  HDICat <font color="#ffcc00">medium</font>
  Nationalities Han - 997% <br /> She - 02%
  Prefectures 11
  Counties 99
  Townships 1549
  Website http://wwwjiangxigovcn/<br/>( Simplified Chinese )


(; 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 does not 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

See Also: History of Jiangxi


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 (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 Prefecture s (''zhou''):
  { Class "wikitable"