Ganzhou

Ganzhou (zh-stp|s=赣州|t=贛州|p=Gànzhōu) (also formerly known in English as Kanchou) is a prefecture-level city in Jiangxi province, China. Its administrative seat is at Zhanggong (章贡).

History

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

During the Sui Dynasty the county administration was promoted to prefecture status and the area called Qianzhou (虔州). During the Song Dynasty immigration from the north bolstered the local population and drove local aboriginal tribes further into the hills. Especially after the fall of the Northern Song capital of Kaifeng, migrants increased dramatically. The name was officially changed to Ganzhou in the Southern Song.

During the late 1800s Ganzhou was opened as one of the southern treaty ports and became a minor base for foreign companies. Between 1929 and 1934, Ganzhou formed a part of the Jiangxi Soviet, one of the bases of the Communist Party of China. Due to its proximity to the Red capital Ruijin (瑞金), Ganzhou was subject to a number of Kuomintang encirclement campaigns.

Administration

Ganzhou has jurisdiction over 1 district, 2 county-level cities and 15 counties:

District:
*Zhanggong District (章贡区)

County-level cities:
*Nankang (南康市)
*Ruijin (瑞金市)

Counties:
*Gan County (赣县)
*Yudu County (于都县)
*Xingguo County (兴国县)
*Ningdu County (宁都县)
*Shicheng County (石城县)
*Huichang County (会昌县)
*Xunwu County (寻乌县)
*Anyuan County (安远县)
*Dingnan County (定南县)
*Longnan County (龙南县)
*Quannan County (全南县)
*Xinfeng County (信丰县)
*Dayu County (大余县)
*Chongyi County (崇义县)
*Shangyou County (上犹县)

Geography

Ganzhou is a large city covering the southern third of Jiangxi province, with an area of 39,400 square kilometers. It borders Hunan province to the west, Guangdong to the south, and Fujian to the west, as well as the cities of Ji'an and Fuzhou to the north. More than 70% of the area is forested. The vast majority of the province, more than 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.

Climate

The hottest part of the year is late July and early August; the coolest part of the year is January.The average annual rainfall is about 1,400 mm (56 inches).

Infobox Weather
metric_first= yes
single_line= yes
location = Ganzhou, China
Jan_Hi_°C = 12
Feb_Hi_°C = 13
Mar_Hi_°C = 18
Apr_Hi_°C = 23
May_Hi_°C = 28
Jun_Hi_°C = 32
Jul_Hi_°C = 34
Aug_Hi_°C = 34
Sep_Hi_°C = 31
Oct_Hi_°C = 26
Nov_Hi_°C = 20
Dec_Hi_°C = 14
Year_Hi_°C = 23.67
Jan_Lo_°C = 5
Feb_Lo_°C = 6
Mar_Lo_°C = 11
Apr_Lo_°C = 16
May_Lo_°C = 21
Jun_Lo_°C = 23
Jul_Lo_°C = 26
Aug_Lo_°C = 25
Sep_Lo_°C = 22
Oct_Lo_°C = 17
Nov_Lo_°C = 12
Dec_Lo_°C = 6
Year_Lo_°C = 15.83
Jan_Precip_cm = |Jan_Precip_mm = 61.0
Feb_Precip_cm = |Feb_Precip_mm = 96.5
Mar_Precip_cm = |Mar_Precip_mm = 160.0
Apr_Precip_cm = |Apr_Precip_mm = 200.7
May_Precip_cm = |May_Precip_mm = 215.9
Jun_Precip_cm = |Jun_Precip_mm = 208.3
Jul_Precip_cm = |Jul_Precip_mm = 96.5
Aug_Precip_cm = |Aug_Precip_mm = 121.9
Sep_Precip_cm = |Sep_Precip_mm = 94.0
Oct_Precip_cm = |Oct_Precip_mm = 76.2
Nov_Precip_cm = |Nov_Precip_mm = 53.3
Dec_Precip_cm = |Dec_Precip_mm = 38.1
Year_Precip_cm = |Year_Precip_mm = 1422.4
source =cite web| url = http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/CHXX0436?from=36hr_bottomnav_business| work = Weather.com|title=Monthly averages for Ganzhou, China| publisher=The Weather Channel Interactive, Inc.|accessdate= 2007-09-13 ]

Tourism

Ganzhou receives a small number of domestic tourists each year. Although it is encircled by mountain scenery, it is largely overshadowed by more famous attractions in Jiangxi, such as Lushan and Jingdezhen among others. Some of the places of interest in Ganzhou include:
* Mount Jiulian (九连山), Longnan County
* Mei Pass (梅关), Dayu County
* Cuiwei Peak (翠微峰), Ningdu County
* Hakka architecture (赣南客家围屋) Some of the most representative Hakka houses include Fort Xin 新围, Longnan 龙南; Fort Yanji 燕翼围, Yangcun 杨村; Fort Longguang 龙光围, Taojiang 桃江; Fort Dongsheng 东生围, Anyuan 安远 etc.
* Yugu Pavilion(郁孤台), Zhanggong District
* Bajing Pavilion(八境台), Zhanggong District
* Dongjin Bridge (东津桥): Pontoon bridges have been constructed over the Zhang and Gong rivers since the Song Dynasty. One of the bridges, the Dongjin Bridge, 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.

The town of Zhanggong has a city wall dating to the Song Dynasty, as well as a number of pavilions and 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.

Transportation

Roads and highways

*China National Highways:

G 105, G 206, G 319, G 323.

*Expressways of China:

Ganyue Expressway

Railway

The Beijing-Jiulong Railway goes through Ganzhou from north to south, and it meet the Ganzhou-Longyan Railway(Ganlong line) at East Ganzhou Railway Station in Zhanggong Distrcit.

Major railway stations in Ganzhou are:
*Ganzhou, Xingguo, Nankang, Xinfeng, Longnan and Dingnan (Beijing-Jiulong Railway)
*Gan County, Yudu, Huichang, Ruijin (Ganzhou-Longyan Railway)

Air

The new Ganzhou Huangjin Airport (赣州黄金机场), 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 domenstic routes to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Nanjing, Chongqing and Nanchang.

Waterway

ister Cities

*flagicon|United StatesMcAllen, United States;since 1994.
*flagicon|FranceRoissy-en-France, France;since 2008. [http://www.aaecf.com/shownew.asp?id=543 "Ganzhou and Roissy become sister cities", Association Amitié Euro-Chinoise (Chinese)]
*flagicon|Sierra LeoneFreetown, Sierra Leone;since 2008.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.gz.jx.cn/ Official Website (Chinese)]