Yichun (宜春)

1. Introduction

Yichun City, historically known as Yuanzhou, is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Jiangxi Province, People's Republic of China. It is located in the western part of Jiangxi Province, bordering Jiujiang City to the north, Nanchang City and Fuzhou City to the east, Ji'an City and Xinyu City to the south, Pingxiang City to the southwest, and Changsha City and Yueyang City of Hunan Province to the west. Situated in the transitional zone between the mountainous and hilly areas of western Jiangxi and the Poyang Lake Plain, the terrain is higher in the west and lower in the east, surrounded by mountains on the north, west, and south. The Jiuling Mountains stretch across the northwest, while the Wugong Mountains tower in the southwest; the central area features alternating hills, ridges, and river valley basins; the eastern part is a plain. The Gan River flows from southwest to northeast through the eastern region, with the Jin River and Yuan River traversing the city from west to east before converging into the Gan River. In the north, the Liao River flows northward into the Xiushui River. The Municipal People's Government is located at Yiyang Tower in Yuanzhou District.

Yichun is an important member of the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, a regional central city in the Jiangxi-Hunan-Hubei area, a national lithium battery and new energy industry base, and a national health and wellness base.

nix

2. History

During the Qin Dynasty, the area belonged to Jiujiang Commandery. In the fifth year of Emperor Gaozu of Han (202 BCE), Chen Ying pacified the region south of the Yangtze River. The following year, Yichun City was established within the territory. It was named after the beautiful spring west of the city, known for being "cool in summer and warm in winter, radiant and charming like spring, and pleasant to drink from," and was placed under Yuzhang Commandery. During the Three Kingdoms period under the Wu state, it was under the jurisdiction of Ancheng Commandery. In the first year of the Taikang era of the Jin Dynasty (280 CE), after Sima Yan conquered Wu, the name was changed from Yichun to Yiyang to avoid the naming taboo of Empress Dowager Xuanmu, Zhang Chunhua.

In the eighteenth year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty (598 CE), the name Yichun was restored. Ancheng Commandery was abolished, and Yuanzhou was established, governing the three counties of Yichun, Pingxiang, and Xinyu, with its seat in Yichun. In the eighth year of the Kaibao era of the Song Dynasty (975 CE), Wanzai County was transferred from Junzhou to Yuanzhou. In the first year of the Yongxi era (984 CE), Fenyi County was carved out from Yichun and remained under Yuanzhou. In the third year of the Chunhua era (992 CE), Xinyu was transferred to Linjiang Commandery. In the nineteenth year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty (1282 CE), Yuanzhou was changed to Yuanzhou Route, under the jurisdiction of Jiangxi Province. In the second year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1369 CE), Yuanzhou Route was changed to Yuanzhou Prefecture. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Fengxin, Jing'an, Fengcheng, and Tonggu were under the jurisdiction of Nanchang Prefecture. The present-day territory of Yichun City was divided among Yuanzhou, Ruizhou, Linjiang, and Nanchang prefectures.

In 1913, Jiangxi was divided into four circuits: Eastern Gan, Western Gan, Southern Gan, and Northern Gan. The seat of Western Gan Circuit was established in Yichun County, governing 21 counties. In 1914, Western Gan Circuit was renamed Luling Circuit. In 1916, the seat was moved from Yichun to Ji'an.

In 1949, the People's Liberation Army captured the area west of the Gan River during the "Hunan-Jiangxi Campaign" and entered Yichun County on July 20. In December 1958, the Nanchang Commissioner's Office moved from Nanchang City to Yichun County and was renamed the Yichun Commissioner's Office. At that time, it governed 17 counties: Yichun, Pingxiang, Fenyi, Xinyu, Qingjiang, Fengcheng, Wanzai, Tonggu, Yifeng, Shanggao, Gao'an, Fengxin, Jing'an, Nanchang, Xinjian, Anyi, and Jinxian. Subsequently, counties such as Nanchang, Xinjian, Jinxian, Pingxiang, Xinyu, Fenyi, and Anyi were successively transferred out. In 1979, the urban area of Yichun County was established as the county-level Yichun City. In 1985, Yichun County and Yichun City were merged. In 1988, Fengcheng County was abolished and established as Fengcheng City; Qingjiang County was abolished and established as Zhangshu City. In 1993, Gao'an County was changed to Gao'an City.

On May 22, 2000, the State Council approved the abolition of Yichun Prefecture and its establishment as Yichun City. The former county-level Yichun City was changed to Yuanzhou District. Since then, Yichun City has governed one district and six counties: Yuanzhou, Fengxin, Jing'an, Yifeng, Shanggao, Tonggu, and Wanzai, and also administers three county-level cities: Fengcheng, Zhangshu, and Gao'an.

nix

4. Administrative Divisions

Yichun City currently administers 1 district, 6 counties, and oversees 3 county-level cities on behalf of the province.

• District: Yuanzhou District
• County-level Cities: Fengcheng City, Zhangshu City, Gao'an City
• Counties: Fengxin County, Wanzai County, Shanggao County, Yifeng County, Jing'an County, Tonggu County

Additionally, Yichun City has established the following county-level administrative areas: National-level Yichun Economic and Technological Development Zone, Yiyang New District, Mingyueshan Scenic Area.

| Division Code | Division Name | Chinese Pinyin | Area (km²) | Resident Population (2020 Census) | Government Seat | Postal Code | Subdistricts | Towns | Townships | | :---------------- | :---------------- | :----------------- | :------------- | :----------------------------------- | :------------------ | :-------------- | :--------------- | :-------- | :------------ | | 360900 | Yichun City | Yíchūn Shì | 18,669.03 | 5,007,702 | Yuanzhou District | 336000 | 25 | 115 | 44 | | 360902 | Yuanzhou District | Yuánzhōu Qū | 2,537.45 | 1,121,707 | Lingquan Subdistrict| 336000 | 10 | 19 | 3 | | 360921 | Fengxin County | Fèngxīn Xiàn | 1,648.17 | 268,617 | Fengchuan Town | 330700 | | 10 | 3 | | 360922 | Wanzai County | Wànzǎi Xiàn | 1,717.71 | 486,435 | Kangle Subdistrict | 336100 | 1 | 9 | 7 | | 360923 | Shanggao County| Shànggāo Xiàn | 1,347.23 | 343,767 | Aoyang Subdistrict | 336400 | 1 | 9 | 5 | | 360924 | Yifeng County | Yífēng Xiàn | 1,934.24 | 252,974 | Xinchang Town | 336300 | | 8 | 4 | | 360925 | Jing'an County | Jìng'ān Xiàn | 1,377.27 | 121,800 | Shuangxi Town | 330600 | | 5 | 6 | | 360926 | Tonggu County | Tónggǔ Xiàn | 1,551.94 | 116,418 | Yongning Town | 336200 | | 6 | 3 | | 360981 | Fengcheng City | Fēngchéng Shì | 2,836.44 | 1,065,641 | Hezhou Subdistrict | 331100 | 6 | 20 | 7 | | 360982 | Zhangshu City | Zhāngshù Shì | 1,289.22 | 485,649 | Ganyang Subdistrict | 331200 | 5 | 10 | 4 | | 360983 | Gao'an City | Gāo'ān Shì | 2,429.37 | 744,694 | Ruizhou Subdistrict | 330800 | 2 | 19 | 2 |

5. Economy

In 2011, the city's gross regional product reached 107.798 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 12.8%. Specifically: the added value of the primary industry was 18.5 billion yuan, up by 4.2%; the added value of the secondary industry was 63.78 billion yuan, up by 16.4%; and the added value of the tertiary industry was 25.519 billion yuan, up by 11%. The per capita gross regional product was 19,769 yuan, equivalent to 3,061 U.S. dollars. The total fiscal revenue amounted to 14.914 billion yuan, an increase of 38.2%, of which local fiscal revenue was 9.23 billion yuan, up by 39.3%.

6. Transportation

• Railway: Shanghai-Kunming Railway, Shanghai-Kunming High-Speed Railway
• Highways: National Highway 220, National Highway 320, G60 Shanghai-Kunming Expressway
• Aviation: Yichun Mingyueshan Airport

7. Education

• Higher Education Institutions: Yichun University, Yichun Vocational Technical College
• High Schools: In the central urban area of Yuanzhou District (all listed below): Yichun High School, Yichun No.1 High School, Yichun Experimental High School, Yichun No.3 High School, Yichun No.4 High School, Yichun No.5 High School, Yichun No.7 High School, Yichun No.8 High School, Yichun No.9 High School (Yichun Foreign Language School)
• Primary Schools: Yichun No.1 Primary School, Yichun No.2 Primary School, Yichun No.3 Primary School, Yichun No.4 Primary School, Yichun Experimental Primary School (Yichun No.5 Primary School), Yichun No.6 Primary School, Zhuangyuanzhou Primary School (Yichun No.7 Primary School, Yichun Special Education School), Yichun No.8 Primary School, Luzhou Primary School, Huacheng Primary School, Zaoshuyuan Primary School, Qinyuan Primary School
• Nine-Year Compulsory Education Schools: Yiyang School, Hanlin School, Jingdu School

8. Population

In 2021, the resident population of Yichun City was 4.9711 million, a decrease of 36,600 people compared to the 2020 Seventh National Population Census.

According to the 2020 Seventh National Population Census, the city's resident population was 5,007,702. Compared with the 5,419,591 people from the Sixth National Population Census, this represents a decrease of 411,889 people over ten years, a decline of 7.6%, with an average annual growth rate of -0.79%. Among them, the male population was 2,586,406, accounting for 51.65% of the total population; the female population was 2,421,296, accounting for 48.35% of the total population. The overall sex ratio (with females as 100) was 106.82. The population aged 0–14 was 1,147,404, accounting for 22.91% of the total population; the population aged 15–59 was 2,957,086, accounting for 59.05% of the total population; the population aged 60 and above was 903,212, accounting for 18.04% of the total population, of which the population aged 65 and above was 626,350, accounting for 12.51% of the total population. The urban population was 2,821,642, accounting for 56.35% of the total population; the rural population was 2,186,060, accounting for 43.65% of the total population.

8.1 Ethnic Groups

Among the city's resident population, the Han ethnic group population was 4,994,415, accounting for 99.73%; the total population of various ethnic minorities was 13,287, accounting for 0.27%. Compared with the 2010 Sixth National Population Census, the Han population decreased by 419,923, a decline of 7.76%, with its proportion of the total population decreasing by 0.17 percentage points; the total population of ethnic minorities increased by 8,034, a growth of 152.94%, with their proportion of the total population increasing by 0.17 percentage points.

There are 33 ethnic minorities, including Hui, Mongol, Tibetan, Miao, Yi, Zhuang, Bouyei, Manchu, Dong, Yao, Bai, Tujia, Hani, Dai, She, Li, Gaoshan, Shui, Naxi, Jingpo, Tu, Mulao, Blang, Gelao, and Gin.

nix

9. Culture

Yichun boasts a long history and splendid culture. When Han Yu served as the prefect of Yuanzhou, he wrote the verse, "Do not think Yichun is remote; its rivers and mountains offer many splendid journeys." The Northern Song thinker Li Gou authored "Record of the Yuanzhou Prefectural School," praising the flourishing state of education in Yuanzhou. Historical luminaries include the Tang dynasty poets Liu Shenxu and Zheng Gu; the Song dynasty historian Liu Shu; the Yuan dynasty scholar Du Ben, poets Jie Xisi and Fan Deji; the Ming dynasty historian Chen Bangzhan, scientist Song Yingxing, and anti-Japanese pirate general Deng Zilong; the Qing dynasty officials Xin Congyi, Yang Xifu, and the upright official Kuang Zhong. Modern and contemporary notable figures include democratic fighter Yang Xingfo, playwright Xiong Foxi, physicist Wu Youxun, and Xia Zhengnong, among others.

Yichun is one of the important birthplaces of Chan (Zen) Buddhism. Three of its five major schools are connected to Yichun. The Linji school sprouted at Huangbo in Yifeng; the Caodong school flourished at Dongshan in Yifeng; and the Weiyang school bore fruit at Yangshan in Hongjiang. Additionally, the Yangqi school established its foundation at Yangqi Mountain in the city's outskirts.

On October 3, 2009, the "Yichun Moon, Chinese Sentiment" 2009 CCTV Mid-Autumn Festival Gala was held at Yuanshan Park in Yichun City.

On June 5-6, 2019, the 2019 Jiangxi Provincial Tourism Industry Development Conference was successfully convened in Yichun City.

9.1 Language

The majority of dialects spoken in the city are Gan Chinese, with a few areas speaking Hakka Chinese. Hakka is primarily distributed in scattered areas such as Tonggu County and Huangmao Town in Wanzai County, while other regions speak Gan. The Gan dialects within Yichun mainly belong to the Yiliu and Changdu clusters of Gan Chinese. The dialect spoken in Yichun urban area is the Zhongnanlu dialect of the Yichun sub-cluster within the Yiliu cluster of Gan Chinese.

nix

nix

nix

nix

"Warm, clear as a mirror, radiant and charming like spring, drinking it is pleasant, hence the name Yichun County." — "Taiping Huanyu Ji"

Yuanzhou District

Yuanzhou District

Han Chinese population accounts for 99.73%; ethnic minorities account for 0.27%

nix

nix