Historic city · Cultural centre · Industrial centre · Jiangxi
Ganzhou
赣州
Song-walled city of the Hakka south and the Red capital at Ruijin
Ganzhou is the largest prefecture-level city of Jiangxi by area, covering the southern third of the province where the Zhang and Gong rivers join to form the Gan. It keeps one of the best-preserved Song city walls in China and a Song drainage system still in use, is a heartland of Hakka culture with its walled houses, and includes Ruijin, capital of the Chinese Soviet Republic of 1931–1934. It is also a centre of tungsten and rare-earth mining.
Key facts
Overview
Ganzhou guarded the land route from the Yangtze valley over the Meiling Pass to Guangdong, the main north–south trade route of imperial China before the sea route took over. Its old city stands on a peninsula at the confluence of the Zhang and Gong rivers, protected by walls first built in stone and brick in the Northern Song.
The mountains of southern Jiangxi were settled by Hakka migrants and later became the base of the Central Soviet Area. Today the region is known for navel oranges, tungsten and rare earths, and Hakka walled houses.
Names and nicknames
虔州
Name of the prefecture until 1153, when it was changed to Ganzhou.
宋城
“Song city”
For its Song-dynasty walls and drainage channels.
客家摇篮
“cradle of the Hakka”
Southern Jiangxi was one of the first regions of Hakka settlement.
History
Qianzhou prefecture was established in the Sui. The Northern Song governor Liu Yi built the Fushou Gou drainage system around 1068–1077, which still carries rainwater under the old city. Xin Qiji served here in 1176. From 1931 to 1934 Ruijin, in the east of the prefecture, was the capital of the Chinese Soviet Republic; the Long March set out from Yudu in October 1934.
1068–1077
Fushou Gou drainage
The Song drainage tunnels, named after the characters fu and shou they trace, still protect the old city from flooding.
1153
Renamed Ganzhou
The Southern Song renamed Qianzhou after the Gan River.
1931–1934
Chinese Soviet Republic at Ruijin
Mao Zedong was chairman of the Soviet government based in Ruijin.
October 1934
Long March begins
The Central Red Army crossed the Yudu River to start the Long March.
Landmarks
Historic site
Song city wall
赣州古城墙
Several kilometres of wall along the rivers, many bricks stamped with Song, Ming and Qing inscriptions.
Historic site
Yugu Terrace
郁孤台
Terrace on the highest point of the old city, subject of Xin Qiji's famous ci.
Historic site
Guanxi Walled House
关西新围
A large Hakka square fortified house of the Qing dynasty in Longnan.
Historic site
Ruijin Revolutionary Sites
瑞金革命旧址
The Yeping and Shazhouba sites of the Soviet government.
Historic site
Floating bridge
古浮桥
Pontoon bridge of boats across the Gong River, in use since the Song.
Neighbourhoods
Zao'er Lane
灶儿巷
Old lane inside the Song walls with courtyard houses.
Food
Ganzhou stir-fried fish
小炒鱼
Fish slices stir-fried with vinegar and chilli.
Stuffed tofu
酿豆腐
Hakka tofu filled with minced pork.
Gannan navel oranges
赣南脐橙
The region's best-known product, harvested in November and December.
Culture
Ganzhou's culture is Hakka: tea-picking opera, mountain songs, walled houses and clan traditions. The Song walls and Xin Qiji's ci poem about Yugu Terrace give the city its literary identity.
郁孤台下清江水，中间多少行人泪。Yùgū Tái xià Qīng jiāng shuǐ, zhōngjiān duōshǎo xíngrén lèi.
“The clear river flowing below Yugu Terrace — how many travellers' tears are mingled in it?”
— Xin Qiji, to the tune “Pusaman”, written on a wall at Zaokou, Jiangxi (菩萨蛮·书江西造口壁), c. 1176
Getting around
- Ganzhou West station is on the high-speed line between Nanchang and Shenzhen; lines also run towards Longyan and Xiamen.
- Ganzhou Huangjin Airport serves domestic routes.
Day trips
Ruijin
瑞金
County-level city with the sites of the Chinese Soviet Republic.
Tongtianyan
通天岩
Danxia cliffs with Buddhist carvings from the Tang to the Song.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Ganzhou Municipal People's Government — Ganzhou Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Ganzhou — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)
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