Jiangxi Information
Overview
Jiangxi is located in southeast central China. The capital and largest city, Nanchang, is located in the north of this southern Chinese province. It is just under 66,000 square miles (more accurately 170,940 sq km), making it the China’s 18th largest province. Its population comes in 13th in the nation with over 42,850,000 people. The province is sometimes called Gan, since the Gan River runs through the province, passing Nanchang along the way. The name Jiangxi literally means river west. This province has played a vital role in national affairs because of its position; it is along the main route for armies, large population migrations, and trade.
Jiangxi Geography
Jiangxi province is mountainous around the western, southern, and eastern borders with planes in the middle. The Mufu Mountains’ ridge runs mostly along the northwest border with Hubei. The Jiuling Mountains are south of and parallel to the Mufu Mountains with the Xiu Shui River running in the valley between them. The Luoxiao Mountains run north to south along the southern part of the western border with Hunan. The Dayu Mountains run along the southern border with Guangdong. The Wuyi Mountains stretch a few hundred miles along the eastern border with Fujian. Jiangxi also borders Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces.
Poyang Lake, the largest fresh water lake in China, is found in northern Jiangxi China. The Gan River runs from the lake southward where it passes Nanchang 25 miles (40 km) downstream. The northern side of Puyang Lake empties into the Yangtze River.
Jiangxi Demographics
Jiangxi is mostly inhabited by Han Chinese who constitute 99.7% of the population. She make up another 0.2%. Hui, Miao, and Yao are also present.
Jiangxi History
Jiangxi is home to the Gan River, which runs from the North China Plane, the historic center of China, to Guangdong province, an important center for international trade. Northern Jiangxi first entered Chinese dynastic history during the Spring and Autumn Period (722 BC – 481 BC) when it was incorporated into the state of Wu. When the Qin Dynasty (221 BC – 206 BC) established the first unified Chinese state, Jiangxi was governed from Jiujiang, in modern Anhui. During the Western Jin Dynasty (265 AD – 316 AD) Jiangxi China became an independent province. Jiangxi province provided the early Chinese Communist movement with peasant forces and bases. The Nanchang Uprising during the Chinese civil war took place in Jiangxi in 1927.
Jiangxi Industry
Jiangxi province’s central plains, climate, and proximity to prosperous and high-volume trade provinces make it a good location for agriculture. However, this proximity also contributes to its stagnation in terms of industrial development due to its young and educated population seeking the neighboring prosperous trade regions and special economic zones. While Jiangxi’s forest coverage rate is 53.3%, far higher than the national average, it remains one of China’s main producers of grain. Its economy still lags far behind its wealthy provincial neighbors to the south and east.