Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi, China. Located in the north-central part of the province and in the hinterland of Poyang Lake Plain, it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake. Because of its strategic location connecting the prosperous East and South China, it has become a major railway hub in Southern China in recent decades.
As the Nanchang Uprising in 1927 is distinctively recognized by the ruling Communist Party as "firing the first gunshot against the Nationalists",Schwartz, Benjamin, Chinese Communism and the Rise of Mao, Harper & Row (New York: 1951), p. 93. the current government has therefore named the city since 1949 "the place where the People's Liberation Army was born", and the most widely known "place where the military banner of the People's Liberation Army was first raised".
Nanchang is also a major city, appearing among the top 100 cities in the world by scientific research outputs, as tracked by the Nature Index and home to Nanchang University.
History
Imperial era The territories encompassing modern-day Jiangxi Province—including Nanchang—was first incorporated into China during the Qin dynasty, when it was conquered from the Baiyue peoples and organized as Jiujiang Commandery (). In 201 BC, during the Han dynasty, the city was given the Chinese name Nanchang and became the administrative seat of Yuzhang Commandery (), and was governed by Guan Ying, one of Emperor Gaozu of Han's generals. The name Nanchang means "southern flourishing", derived from a motto of developing what is now southern China that is traditionally attributed to Emperor Gaozu himself.
In AD 589, during the Sui dynasty, this commandery was changed into a prefecture named Hongzhou (), and after 763 it became the provincial center of Jiangxi, which was then beginning the rapid growth that by the 12th century made it the most populous province in China.
In 653 the Tengwang Pavilion was constructed, and in 675 Wang Bo wrote the classic "Tengwang Ge Xu", a poetic introductory masterpiece celebrating the building, making the building, the city, and the author himself known to literate Chinese-speaking population ever since.Wang: 236-246. The Pavilion has been destroyed and rebuilt several times throughout history.Wang: 1. Its present form was reconstructed in the 1980s after being destroyed in 1929 during the Chinese Civil War.Wang: 31.
In 959, under the Southern Tang regime, Nanchang was made superior prefecture and the southern capital. After the conquest by the Song regime in 981 it was reverted to the name Hongzhou. In 1164 it was renamed Longxing prefecture, which name it retained until 1368. During the Yuan dynasty it was the capital of Jiangxi Province, an area that included Guangdong as well. At the end of the Yuan (Mongol) period (1279–1368), it became a battleground between Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), and the rival local warlord, Chen Youliang. At the beginning of the 16th century, it was the power base from which Zhu Chenhao, the Prince of Ning, launched a rebellion against the emperor.
During the Yuan Dynasty, it might have been the centre of porcelain trade.
During the reign of the Wanli Emperor of the Ming dynasty, it housed relatives of the emperor who had been exiled because they were potential claimants of the imperial throne, members of the imperial family constituting about one quarter of the city's population; as a result of this, Matteo Ricci came here when trying to gain entry to Beijing.Mary Laven, Mission to China: Matteo Ricci and the Jesuit Encounter with the East, , 2011, p. 103
In the 1850s it suffered considerably as a result of the Taiping Rebellion (1850–64), and its importance as a commercial centre declined as the overland routes to Canton were replaced by coastal steamship services in the latter half of the 19th century. Nanchang has, however, remained the undisputed regional metropolis of Jiangxi.
Republican era On August 1, 1927, Nanchang was the site of one of a series of insurrections organized by the communists. The Nanchang Uprising, led by pro-communist Kuomintang officers under Soviet direction, succeeded in holding the city for only a few days, and provided a core of troops and a method of organization from which the People's Liberation Army (PLA) later developed.
In 1939, the Battle of Nanchang, a ferocious battle between the Chinese National Revolutionary Army and the Imperial Japan Army in the Second Sino-Japanese War took place.Hsu Long-hsuen and Chang Ming-kai, History of the Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945), 2nd Ed., 1971. Translated by Wen Ha-hsiung, Chung Wu Publishing; 33, 140th Lane, Tung-hwa Street, Taipei, Taiwan Republic of China. pp. 293-300 Map. 14-15Peattie, M., Drea, E. & Ven, H. (2011). The battle for China : essays on the military history of the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-1945. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press.http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/sino-japanese.htm Sino-Japanese Air War 1937–45 After the Battle of Wuhan, the Chinese National Revolutionary Army took control of the Nanchang-Jiujiang railway. This action successfully stopped the Imperial Japan Army and blocked them in the north of Xiushui. On March 17, 1939, the 38th year of the Republic, the Imperial Japanese Army launched its brutal attack on the city of Nanchang. With the Chinese National Revolutionary Army's fightback, the Battle of Nanchang commenced. Overall, the Battle of Nanchang led to more than 80,000 Chinese National Revolutionary Army soldiers being wounded or killed, and the Imperial Japan Army has more than 20,000 casualties.
People's Republic era By 1949, Nanchang was still essentially an old-style administrative and commercial city, with little industry apart from food processing; it had a population of about 275,000. Nanchang first acquired a rail connection in 1915, only connecting to the port city of Jiujiang by the Yangtze. Several other rail links have since been opened. After World War II a line was completed to Linchuan and Gongqi in the Ru River Valley to the south-southeast.
Since 1949, Nanchang has been extensively industrialized. It is now a large-scale producer of cotton textiles and cotton yarn. Paper making is also a major industry, as is food processing (especially rice milling). Heavy industry began to gain prominence in the mid-1950s. A large thermal-power plant was installed and uses coal brought by rail from Fengcheng to the south. A machinery industry also grew up, at first mainly concentrating on the production of agricultural equipment and diesel engines. Nanchang then became a minor centre of the automotive industry in China, producing trucks and tractors and also accessories such as tires. An iron-smelting plant helping to supply local industry was installed in the later 1950s. There is also a large chemical industry, producing agricultural chemicals and insecticides as well as pharmaceuticals.
Geography
Nanchang is located in inland southeastern China, south of the Yangtze River and is situated on the right bank of the Gan River just below its confluence with the Jin River and some southwest of its discharge into Poyang Lake.
Climate
Nanchang has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) with four distinct seasons. Winters are short and cool with occasional frosts; it begins somewhat sunny and dry but becomes progressively wetter and more overcast. Spring begins especially gloomy, and from April to June, each month has more than of rainfall. Summer is long and humid, with amongst the highest temperatures of any Chinese provincial capital, and with the sun shining close to 60 percent of the time in July and August, is the sunniest time of year. Autumn is warm to mild with the lowest rainfall levels of the year. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in July, while the annual mean is . Annual precipitation stands at around ; with monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 27 percent in March to 56 percent in August, the city receives 1,809 hours of sunshine annually in average. Extremes since 1951 have ranged from on 29 December 1991 to on 23 July 1961.
As of the 2020 Chinese census, Nanchang had a population of 6,255,007, of which 5,382,162 lived in built-up (urbanized) area consisting of 6 urban districts plus Nanchang County largely being urbanized. 37 ethnic groups were counted amongst its prefecture divisions while 99.2% are Han chinese. The sex ratio in Nanchang is approximately 109 males to 100 females. The aged group (above 60) counts for 14.97% of the entire population.
Administration
Map Division code English Chinese Pinyin Area in km2 Seat Postal code Subdivisions Subdistricts Towns Townships Residential communities Villages 360100 Nanchang 71947432.18 km2 according to the Ministry of Land and Resources. Honggutan District 330000 32 49 31 625 1161 360102 Donghu District 30 Gongyuan Subdistrict () 330000 9 159 21 360103 Xihu District 43 Chaoyangzhou Subdistrict () 330000 10 1 136 13 360104 Qingyunpu District 40 Sanjiadian Subdistrict () 330000 5 1 63 12 360111 Qingshanhu District 250 Jingdong () 330000 3 6 116 101 360112 Xinjian District 2160 Changleng () 330100 10 9 39 300 360113 Honggutan District Shajing Subdistrict () 330100 2 1 360121 Nanchang County 1811 Liantang () 330200 11 7 47 311 360123 Anyi County 660 Longjin () 330500 7 3 16 105 360124 Jinxian County 1946 Minhe () 331700 9 2 37 263 Honggutan New District () is an economic management area and not a formal administrative division.
Economy
Nanchang is a regional hub for agricultural production in Jiangxi province with its grain yield being 16.146 million tons in 2000. Products such as rice and oranges are economic staples. The Ford Motor Company has a plant in Nanchang, assembling the Ford Transit van as part of the Jiangling Motor joint venture. Much of its industry revolves around aircraft manufacturing, automobile manufacturing, metallurgy, electro-mechanics, textile, chemical engineering, traditional Chinese medicine, pharmaceuticals and others. Nanchang has a rapid economic development and ranks 15th among the fastest growing 20 cities in the world. It is one of the cities with the most potential for development in China and the world in the future.
In 2017, the city's gross regional product (GDP) was 500.319 billion yuan (US$80.03 billion), an increase of 9.0% over the previous year. The primary industry's added value was 19.213 billion yuan, an increase of 4.0%; the secondary industry's added value was 266.61 billion yuan, an increase of 8.4%; The added value of the three industries was 214.496 billion yuan, an increase of 10.2%. The per capita GDP of 81,598 yuan was converted to 12,285 US dollars according to the average annual exchange rate. Additionally, the total fiscal revenue for the year was 78.282 billion yuan, an increase of 14.3% over the previous year.
The GDP of Nanchang in 2008 was 166 billion Yuan (US$24.3 billion). The GDP per capita was 36,105 Yuan (US$5,285). The total value of imports and exports was 3.4 billion US dollars. The total financial revenue was 23 billion Yuan.
Industrial zones National level development zones Nanchang Export Processing Zone Nanchang National Export Expressing Zone is located in Nanchang Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, it was approved by the State Council on May 8, 2006, and passed the national acceptance inspection on Sep 7th, 2007. It has a planning area of 1 km2 and now has built 0.31 km2. It enjoys simple and convenient customs clearances, and special preferential policies both for Nanchang National Export Expressing Zone and NCHDZ. Nanchang National High-tech Industrial Development Zone