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.
Traditionally known as Gan, Jiangxi was ruled by the Zhou dynasty (722–481 B.C.); it received its present name only under the Southern Song dynasty (A.D. 1127–1280). The province, whose present boundaries date from the Ming dynasty, passed under Manchu rule in 1650.
Jiangxi is one of the earliest bases for the Communists and many peasants were recruited to join the growing people’s revolution. The province was a stronghold for the Communists until they were dislodged in 1934. The famous long march began from Jiangxi. Much of the province was occupied by the Japanese from 1938 to 1945. The People’s Republic of China took it in control in 1949.


Jiangxi is a southern province of the People’s Republic of China, spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River (Changjiang River) in the north into hillier areas in the south. It has an area of 63,600 sq mi (164,800 sq km).
Administrative divisions
Jiangxi is divided into eleven prefecture-level divisions, all prefecture-level cities are:
• Nanchang
• Jiujiang
• Jingdezhen
• Pingxiang
• Xinyu
• Yingtan
• Ganzhou
• Yichun
• Shangrao
• Ji’an
• Fuzhou
The eleven prefecture-level divisions of Jiangxi are subdivided into 99 county-level divisions (nineteen districts, ten county-level cities, and seventy counties). Those in turn are divided into 1548 township-level divisions (770 towns, 651 townships, seven ethnic townships, and 120 subdistricts).


Geography and climate
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.
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.
Jiangxi’s climate is subtropical. Average temperatures are about 3 to 9°C (37 to 48℉)in January and 27 to 31°C (81 to 88℉)in July. Annual precipitation is 1200 to 1900 mm.


Economy
Jiangxi is one of China’s leading rice producers; other food crops include wheat, sweet potatoes, barley, and corn. Commercial crops are cotton, oil-bearing plants (rapeseed, sesame, soybeans, and peanuts), ramie, tea, sugarcane, tobacco, and oranges. Ten percent of the province is forested, and a lumbering industry has developed. Tung and mulberry trees are grown; a large, integrated silk complex is at Nanchang. Livestock raising and fish culture are important. Jiangxi is an important source of tungsten; it also has high-grade coking coal (near Pingxiang) and kaolin, which supplies the ancient porcelain industry of Jingdezhen. Manganese, tin, lead, zinc, iron, and antimony are also found. The province has a variety of heavy and light industries that produce petrochemicals, textiles, processed food, and printed materials.
Ethnic group
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.
Tourism
Tourist destinations in Jiangxi include:
Near the northern port city of Jiujiang is the well-known resort area of Mount Lushan. Also near the city are Donglin Temple and Tiefo (Iron Buddha) Temple, two important Buddhist temples.
Near the small city of Yingtan is the resort area Longhushan which purports to be the birthplace of Taoism 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.
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 Survivor.