Ganzhou (, Hakka: Kam-chû-sṳ), alternately romanized as Kanchow, is a prefecture-level city in the south of Jiangxi province, China, bordering Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, and Hunan to the west. Its administrative seat is at Zhanggong District.

History

Early settlement and administration

In 201 CE, Emperor Gaozu of Han established a county in the territory of modern Ganzhou. In 236 CE, during the Three Kingdoms period, the was established in the area. In the early years, Han Chinese settlement and authority in the area was minimal and largely restricted to the Gan River basin. The river, a tributary of the Yangtze via Poyang Lake, provided a route of communication from the north as well as irrigation for rice farming.

Sui dynasty

In 589 CE, during the Sui dynasty, the was abolished, and the area was reorganized as Qianzhou.

Republic of China

In 1912, the Republic of China abolished the area's dynasty-era subdivisions, replacing them all with counties administered by the provincial government of Jiangxi.

People's Republic of China

On August 14, 1949, the People's Liberation Army established control of Gan County. Ganzhou is a large city covering the southern third of Jiangxi, with an area of . More than 70% of its administrative area is forested, and over 83% is also mountainous. Several of the major tributaries of the Gan River, Ganzhou's namesake, join at a confluence in the center of the city. Bordering prefecture-level cities are:

Fujian:

  • Sanmingeast
  • Longyaneast

Guangdong:

  • Meizhousouth
  • Heyuansouth
  • Shaoguansouth

Hunan:

  • Chenzhouwest

Jiangxi:

  • Ji'annorth
  • Fuzhounorth

Climate

Ganzhou has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) affected by the East Asian monsoon, with long, humid, very hot summers and cool and drier winters with occasional cold snaps. extremes

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Demographics

Ganzhou has a total population of 7.94 million, mainly composed of Han, She, Hui, Manchu, Mongolian, Zhuang and other ethnic groups.

Its population was 8,970,014 at the 2020 Chinese census whom 2,588,060 in the built-up (or metro) area made of Zhanggong, Nankang, and Ganxian Districts.

As of 2019, Ganzhou's birth rate is 12.96 per 1,000.

Economy

As of 2021, Ganzhou's gross domestic product (GDP) totaled ¥416.9 billion, an 9.5% increase from the previous year. Of this, ¥37.632 billion (10.83%) came from the city's primary sector, ¥136.819 billion (39.38%) came from the city's secondary sector, and ¥172.983 billion came (49.79%) from the city's tertiary sector.

In 2011, Ganzhou's gross domestic product totaled ¥133.598 billion.

Tourism

right|thumb|Bajing Pavilion in Ganzhou

Ganzhou is known as the "Orange Capital of the World" as well as the "Tungsten Capital of the World". The world's largest mechanical clock is located in Ganzhou called the Harmony Clock Tower, which was manufactured by UK-based clockmakers Smith of Derby Group. Though encircled by mountain scenery, other notable attractions in Jiangxi are Jingdezhen, Nanchang and Lushan among others. Some of the places of interest in Ganzhou include:

  • Mount Jiulian (), Longnan County
  • Mei Pass, Dayu County
  • Cuiwei Peak (), Ningdu County
  • Hakka architecture: Some of the most representative Hakka houses include Guanxi Xinwei () of Longnan; Yanji Wei (), of Yangcun (); Longguang Wei () of Taojiang (); and Dongsheng Wei () of Anyuan, etc.
  • Yugu Pavilion, Zhanggong District
  • Bajing Pavilion, Zhanggong District
  • Dongjin Bridge: Pontoon bridges have been constructed over the Zhang and Gong rivers since the Song dynasty. The Dongjin Bridge is one that can still be seen. It is 400 metres long, made up of wooden planks placed on around 100 wooden boats linked together with iron chains.
  • (), Zhanggong District: An alley dating to at least the Song dynasty, with a length of .

Zhanggong has a city wall dating to the Song dynasty, as well as a number of pavilions and Buddhist and Taoist temples from the Ming and Qing. Altogether there are some 17 National Cultural Relic Protection Units in Ganzhou and 48 Provincial-level Cultural Relic Protection Units.

Media

Ganzhou Daily covers news about Ganzhou.

Transportation

Roads and highways

  • China National Highways: G 105, G 206, G 319, G 323.
  • Expressways of China: G45 Daqing–Guangzhou Expressway and G76 Xiamen–Chengdu Expressway.

Railway

thumb|Ganzhou Railway Station.

The Beijing-Jiulong Railway goes through Ganzhou from north to south, and it meets the Ganzhou–Longyan Railway (Ganlong line) at East Ganzhou Railway Station in Zhanggong District. Nanchang–Shenzhen high-speed railway is under construction. The Ganzhou–Shenzhen high-speed railway opened on 10 December 2021 and connects Ganzhou with Shenzhen.

Major railway stations in Ganzhou are:

  • Ganzhou, Xingguo, Nankang, Xinfeng, Longnan and Dingnan (Beijing-Jiulong Railway)
  • Ganxian, Yudu, Huichang, Ruijin (Ganzhou-Longyan Railway)

Air

thumb|The terminal building of Ganzhou Huangjin Airport.

The new Ganzhou Huangjin Airport, located in Nankang, was opened on March 26, 2008. Its name inherited from the old Huangjin Airport in Huangjin Town, Zhanggong District, which was closed since it was too close to the expanding Ganzhou urban area. It has domestic routes to Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Nanchang, Xiamen, Nanjing, Shanghai, Nanning, Chongqing and Beijing.

Notable people

  • Nobel Laureate Gao Xingjian (Nobel Prize for literature in 2000) was born in Ganzhou.
  • Artist Hu Zhiying was born November 12, 1959, in Ganzhou.
  • Actress Zhu Xijuan was born in Ganzhou.
  • Professor Li Peng was born in Ganzhou.

Sister cities

  • McAllen, Texas, United States, since 1994.
  • Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise, France, since 2008.
  • Freetown, Sierra Leone, since 2008.
  • Brunswick, Georgia, United States, since 2008.
  • Phocis, Greece, since 2011.
  • Limeira, São Paulo, Brazil, since 2013.

Notes

  • Ganzhou, Jiangxi (Chinese)