Nanchang Overview

Basic Information

• Chinese Name: 南昌市
• Location: Located in the central part of Jiangxi province in southeastern China.
• Language: Mandarin, Nanchang dialect
• Population: 5,463,500
• Area: 7,402 square kilometers
• Zip code: 330000
• Tel code：0791
• Time zone: UTC+8
• Minority: Han (汉族), She (畲族), Miao (苗族), Tujia (土家族), Zhuang (壮族), Yao (瑶族), Dong (侗族), Li (黎族)

Administrative Division

Nanchang, as the capital city of Jiangxi province, is the hub of politic, economy, culture and technology. Nanchang covers 7,402 square kilometers and has direct jurisdiction over 6 districts, 3 counties, 3 state-level development zones and 3 state-level new districts. Read more about Nanchang Administrative Division. 

• 6 Districts: Donghu District (东湖区), Xihu District (西湖区), Qingyunpu District (青云谱区), Wanli District (湾里区), Qingshanhu District (青山湖区), Xinjian District (新建区)
• 3 Counties: Nanchang County (南昌县), Anyi County (安义县), Jinxian County (进贤县)
• 3 State-level Development Zones: Nanchang High-tech Industrial Development Zone (南昌高新技术产业开发区), Nanchang Economic and Technological Development Zone (南昌经济技术开发区), Nanchang Xiaolan Economic and Technological Development Zone (南昌小蓝经济技术开发区)
• 3 State-level New Districts: Honggutan New District (红谷滩新区), Linkong Economy New District (临空经济区), Nanchang Comprehensive Bonded District (南昌综合保税区)

Geography

Nanchang stretches in longitude from 115°27′ to 116°35′E and in latitude from 28°10′ to 29°11′ N. It is almost located in the central part of Jiangxi Province. It is in the downstream area of Ganjiang River (赣江) and Fuhe River (抚河). Also, it is bounded on the north by Yongxiu County (永修县), Duchang County (都昌县) and Poyang County (鄱阳县), on the west by Gaoan City (高安市), Fengxin County (奉新县), and Jingan County (靖安), on the south by Linchuang District (临川) and Fencheng City (丰城市), on the southeast by Poyang Lake (鄱阳湖) and on the east by Yugan County (余干县) and Dongxiang District (东乡区). The longest distance from the north to south in Nnchang is 121 kilometers and the longest distance from the east to the west here is 108 kilometers. Poyang plain (鄱阳平原) features almost the whole Nanchang, and its northwestern part is hilly.

Climate

Due to its locating in subtropical zone and influenced by east Asian monsoon, Nanchang City belongs to subtropics monsoon climate with these characteristics: humid, hot as well as abundant in sunshine and rain. Southerly winds prevail in winter while northerly winds reign in winter. Due to this, Nanchang City is abundant in heat, sunlight and rainfall, which provides agricultural production with favorable meteorological conditions, thus making Nanchang City become a place where the cultivation of rice and the breeding of fish flourish. Owing to difference in the strength and arrival time of east Asian monsoon every year, climate changes quickly, thus making meteorological disasters always break out, which brings about great inconvenience to people’s life. Read more about Nanchang Climate.

The Best Time to Visit Nanchang

Spring and autumn are the best seasons to visit Nanchang City because of the moderate temperature and great climate. With great climate, visitors could get around the city and enjoy their trips. In summer, it is so hot that visitors cannot go out because they would get sweaty soon once they get out of the air-conditioned room. Besides, it is not agreeable to visit Nanchang City in winter because the temperature is very low which brings about a lot of inconvenience for people’s trips.

Things to Do in Nanchang

Nanchang is a city that allows various cultures to mix together. Visitors can enjoy picturesque natural scenery in Nanchang because there are Poyang Lake, Qingshan Lake, Tianxiang Park, Xianghu Park, Nanji Mountain. People also can enjoy climbing and boating. Besides, long and splendid history endows the city with many cultural relics. Visitors can learn much knowledge related to Chinese famous poets and celebrities by visiting cultural relics of Nanchang. For example, by visiting Pavilion of Prince Teng, visitors can know some information about Wang Bo who is a famous and talented poet. Visitors also can learn more about Chinese revolutionary wars by visiting Bayi Square, Bayi Uprising Memorial Museum and so on. Except all of things above, visitors can enjoy night scenery.

Transportation

Because of its strategic location connecting the prosperous East and South China, it has become a major transportation hub in Southern China in recent decades. With the rapid development of transportation, Nanchang has been connected with more cities, including Jiujiang, Shangrao, Xinyu, Nanjing, Anqin, Yueyang, etc. Read more about Nanchang Transportation.

History

Nanchang is a city with a long history. As early as 50,000 years ago, the Sanmiao(三苗)- the descendant of the Emperor Yan (炎帝), had been lived around Aixi Lake (艾溪湖) and Qingyunpu (青云谱). It is recorded that it is Guanying (灌婴), a general of Han dynasty, who established Nanchang City in BC 202 and named it with his own name as Guanying City (灌婴城). During the Three Kingdoms (220-265), namely Wei, Shu Han and Wu, Guanying City became a part of Yuzhang Commandery (豫章郡), and it was developed very well during this period. In 589, during the Sui dynasty, Yuzhang Commandery (豫章郡) was changed into a prefecture named Hongzhou (洪州), and then it became one of the most popular because of its rapid growth. In 959, under the rule of, the Emperor Lijing (李璟) named Hongzhou (洪州) as the Nanchang prefecture (南昌府) and made it become the capital of the Southern Tang (南唐). However, an emperor of Song dynasty in 1164 renamed it as Longxing prefecture (隆兴府). At the end of the Yuan (Mongol) period (1279–1368), it became a battleground between Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元璋), the founder of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), and the rival local warlord, Chen Youliang (陈友谅). At the beginning of the 16th century it was the power base from which Zhu Chenhao (朱宸濠), the Prince of Ning (宁王), launched a rebellion against the emperor. In 1370, the government of Qing dynasty (清朝) named it Nanchang, and this name used until now. After the downfall of Qing dynasty, Nanchang City had suffered a lot. During the Taiping Rebellion (太平天国运动), it became a commercial center declined as the overland routes to Canton(Guangzhou). In 1939, the Battle of Nanchang(南昌战役) took place which is a ferocious battle between the Chinese National Revolutionary Army (中国国民革命军) and the Imperial Japan Army (日本帝国军队) in the Second Sino-Japanese War (中国抗日战争). In 1949, Nanchang became the provincial capital of Jiangxi, and since then it has developed rapidly.

Economy

Nanchang's economy is growing rapidly, ranking 15th among the 20 fastest-growing cities in the world, so it is one of the most potential cities in the future all over the world. Since 2013, the primary, the second and the service industry have grown rapidly due to its location and technology. There are a great number of high-tech agricultural companies in Nanchang, and with technology, all of these companies have ramped up production, thus helping develop Nanchang’s economy. With the help of Nanchang’s government, Nanchang became one of nationally designated innovation-based cities of China. There are 8 national industrial parks, including nearly 1000 enterprises. Besides, there are some industrial zones forming in Nanchang, such as Nanchang Export Processing Zone (南昌出口加工区), Nanchang National High-tech Industrial Development Zone (南昌国家高新技术产业开发区), Nanchang Economic and Technological Development Zone (南昌经济技术开发区), Jiangxi Sanghai Economic and Technological Development Zone (江西桑海经济技术开发区) and Nanchang Yingxiong Economic and Technological Development Zone (南昌英雄经济技术开发区). In 2018, the city’s gross regional product (GDP) was 524,467 billion yuan, 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%.

Tourism

Nanchang boasts more than 600 cultural sites, including 18 cultural landscapes and 26 natural landscapes, making it an excellent tourist city in China. It is a famous red tourist destination, a national historical and cultural city, the cradle of the Kahha (客家) and the East River. There are more than 50 national, provincial and municipal key cultural relics protection units in Nanchang. Due to its historical civilization, Nanchang is one of the most popular travel destinations in China. On October 29, 2018, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (文化旅游部) held a meeting for listing 5A scenic spots in Beijing, and Pavilion of Prince Teng (滕王阁) in Nanchang officially ranked the list of national 5A scenic spots.

Dining

The traditional cuisine of Nanchang is Nanchang Cuisine (Gan Cuisine), which plays a very important role in Chinese food culture. It pays attention to taste and garnishing. Gan cuisine features fresh ingredients and various cooking methods. In addition, there are, of course, some other cuisine like Sichuan cuisine, Guangdong cuisine, Hunan cuisine, etc. Read more about Nanchang Dining. 

Festival

Except traditional festivals, there are some unique festivals in Nanchang. Some festivals developed due to location and climate, and others emerged with the development of economy and tourism. Take the Crab Fest as an example, it is held because there is the Poyang Lake that is abound in crabs. No matter how these festivals developed, all of them congregate people successfully from all over the country at the same place where people can relax themselves and get more pleasure. Read more about Nanchang Festival.