Ｎａｎｃｈａｎｇ：Ａ Ｂｌｅｎｄ ｏｆ Ｈｉｓｔｏｒｙ，Ｂｅａｕｔｙ ａｎｄ Ｍｏｄｅｒｎ Ｄｙｎａｍｉｓｍ

ＨＡＮ　ＬＩ

NANCHANG earned its reputation as a beautiful city 1,300 years ago, when renowned Tang Dynasty poet Wang Bo wrote his famous prose work Foreword to Prince Teng Pavilion, and his words have been attracting literati and commoners alike to the citys Prince Teng Pavilion ever since. Today, the pavilion still stands on the bank of the Ganjiang River, which runs through the city center, and it continues to be a treasured architectural and historic landmark.

The city is celebrated for more recent historic events, as well. On August 1, 1927, veteran revolutionaries Zhou Enlai, Zhu De and others organized and launched the “August First Uprising” in Nanchang, marking the beginning of the armed revolution of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the birth of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA).

But while Nanchangs residents still feel tremendous pride over the role their ancestors played in Chinas history, todays generation is even prouder of what has been achieved in recent memory.

Where the Chinese Army Flag First Rose

Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi Province, sits on the Poyang Lake Plain, which spreads out around the lower reaches of the Ganjiang River. It is the only provincial capital that borders Chinas economic powerhouses on the Yangtze and Pearl River deltas and the Southeast Fujian Triangle. Three expressways and two railway lines (Beijing-Kowloon and Hangzhou-Zhuzhou) converge in Nanchang, and the citys Changbei Airport has been upgraded to handle international arrivals and departures. Nanchang is also accessible by water, as the Ganjiang River joins the sea via Poyang Lake.

Nanchang has been a regional capital since it was built 2,200 year ago. It has more than 50 protected cultural and historic sites, the best known of which is the Prince Teng Pavilion, a wood-like reinforced concrete structure in the Tang and Song dynasty style, with vermilion pillars, green-tiled roofs, upturned eaves, painted beams and engraved windows and doors. The pavilion park covers 4.6 hectares at the junction of the Ganjiang and Fuhe rivers.

The Ruzi Pavilion Park in Nanchangs West Lake commemorates Xu Ruzi, an accomplished scholar of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). During the Southern Tang Dynasty, locals built a Ruzi Terrace in his memory, and later built the pavilion during the Qing Dynasty. A park was built around the pavilion, with lawns dotted by elegant pavilions and winding streams spanned by elegant bridges.

In Qingyunpu District, a museum stands in memory of Zhu Da, who painted under the name Badashanren in the 17th century. He was an important figure in the tradition of Chinese ink and wash, and the museum that houses his work is a courtyard complex that occupies 11,000 square meters.

Ancient trees which seem to tower to the heavens grace its grounds, and apart from displaying Zhu Das artistic achievements, the museum also offers a glimpse into the secluded life he lived.

Downtown Nanchang has several other historic sites, such as the ancient Youmin Temple, the Wanshou Taoist Temple, dedicated to Jin Dynasty Taoist Xu Zhenjun, the Water Guanyin Pavilion, first built in the Tang Dynasty, and the Guanao Pavilion, Supu and Hundred Flower Islet. They are tranquil retreats hidden amid the bustle of modern urban life.

For locals, however, the most important of their historic legacies has to be the “Nanchang August First Uprising,” which marked the birth of the Communist-led armed forces. A number of sites recall the event, such as August First Square, Boulevard, Bridge, Auditorium, Stadium, Middle School and Memorial Hall. Aside from these officially designated landmarks, countless smaller sites have been named in honor of the event by local residents.

A Cityscape of Hills and Rivers

The locals rightly consider the waters and lush hills that grace their city as its soul, and Municipal Party Secretary Yu Xinrong and Mayor Hu Xian spare no effort in promoting, to both investors and locals, the idea that the city wants serene waters and a lush landscape as much as it does “gold and silver hills.” As a result, municipal planners follow a coordinated strategy of economic development coupled with environmental protection.

Nanchang is endowed with rich water resources. In addition to the Ganjiang River, Nanchang has four inner lakes – the East, West, South and North lakes – and four outer lakes – Qingshan, Aixi, Xianghu and Diezi lakes. In the past, the lakes were polluted and silted over. In 2001, however, the city began a dredging project, removing more than 1.45 million cubic meters of silt from Qingshan Lake alone, and building a 5,000-meter drainage system along its bank. The municipal government has since invested RMB 320 million to dredge anddevelop Nanchangs river system. Today the Yudai (Jade Belt) River connects the citys two rivers and eight lakes, creating a beautiful, flowing cityscape.

Running waters and green hills have also meant that local residents now breathe fresh air, and the municipal government has set its eyes on even greater municipal improvements.

Since 2003, it has undertaken six projects to reinforce municipal and environmental construction work and urban management. These projects have renovated 477 city roads and streets, upgraded the urban drainage system to allow a heavy rainfall to be channeled out in a matter of hours, and provided decent housing for everyone, the poor included.

Honggutan New District is the new municipal administration center, but just a few years ago it was a riverside wasteland. Connected by the August First Bridge to the old town, the new district now has a square famous for the largest fountain in Asia, one of the worlds tallest Ferris wheels, Jiangxis tallest skyscraper – the International Finance Building – and Ganjiang Citizen Park. The new district now functions as an administrative, business, as well as residential area. Many investors call it the “Pudong of Nanchang” after Chinas leading financial and commercial hub on the East China Sea coast.

Honggutan is a model of municipal development. With a residential population in the old town bordering on a million, the municipal governments decision to build Honggutan on wasteland on the other side of the Ganjiang River effectively created a vibrant new neighborhood that is as practical as it is beautiful.

Friendly Investment

Environment

In the spring of 2001, the municipal government decided to build Nanchang into a garden city that is congenial both for living and business. City planners knew, however, that the city lagged behind eastern coastal areas in terms of economic development and would have to leapfrog if it was to catch up.

“Nanchang must upgrade its secondary industry and develop an open economic model if it is to play a leading role in the ‘Central China Resurrection Strategy set by the central government,” said Mayor Hu Xian during the 2008 session of the National Peoples Congress in Beijing.

Nanchang is a city based on manufacturing, which accounts for 95 percent of its industry. New Chinas first aircraft, tractor, motorcycle and marine defense missile were all developed in Nanchang. Today, its industry comprises more than 30 sectors, including automobiles, electronic information, pharmaceuticals of traditional Chinese medicine, textiles, garments, and new materials.

But these are not enough, insists Mayor Hu. To sustain Nanchangs modern development and its contact with the outside world, Nanchang must integrate with the economic development of the Yangtze and Pearl River deltas, the Southeast Fujian Triangle and the world, and promote chain operations and economies of scale. The first step, he emphasized, must be to put in place a congenial investment environment for the realization of the citys economic blueprint.

As an inland area, Nanchang must solve its sea-bound transport problem in order to smooth its logistics traffic. The municipal transportation department has worked out a joint water-railway transport model by building a direct link to the ports of Xiamen, Shenzhen and Ningbo. Customs procedures, inspection, account settlement and tax refund of imports and exports to and from Nanchang are handled by the customs agency at Nanchangs railway station.

Industrial parks have played a major role in Chinas foreign-oriented economic development. In recent years, Nanchang has witnessed the growth of several industrial parks. The national-level Nanchang High and New Technology Industry Development Zone has developed into an IT and application software, precision machinery, bio-pharmaceuticals and new materials industrial base over the past 15 years.

The national-level Nanchang Economic and Technology Development Zone is a major section of the Honggutan New District north of the Ganjiang River. It is a manufacturing base for home electrical appliances, electronic information, automobiles, rare earth metallurgy, machinery, foodstuff, pharmaceuticals and light industry.

While industrial enterprises create wealth, it is the municipal governments responsibility to build a friendly environment for them to do it in. Its efforts have won the appreciation of investors and entrepreneurs, as well as local citizens. KFC was once reluctant to enter Nanchang, but it was there that it witnessed its single day, single outlet revenue record. “Im sorry that we came here late,” a KFC spokesperson in Nanchang was quoted as saying at the time.

Nanchang was once on the “not recommended” mainland city list of the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association, and now it is “particularly recommended” by the association for its members to do business in. So far, 20 of the worlds top 500 businesses and more than 200 large domestic enterprises have come to Nanchang. Among the big names are Microsoft, Kohler, Ford and Tsinghua Science Park.

Today, the old and new urban districts of Nanchang on the banks of the Ganjiang River tell of the historic citys glorious past and dynamic present.