Jiangxi History

Xie Jin (1369—1415), styled Dashen, art-name Chunyu, was born in Jishui County, Jiangxi Province—a region known as the “Land of Literary Integrity and Righteousness” (文章节义之邦), which produced 552 jinshi (进士, successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) and 6 zhuangyuan (状元, top scorers) from the Tang to Qing dynasties [1]. Coming from a distinguished Jishui family—his father Xie Kai (解开, 1312—1398) served as a county school official and authored the 40-volume Shu Jie Wen Ji [4]—Xie Jin displayed extraordinary talent from childhood. At 5 he could recite texts after a single reading; at 7 he composed poetry already with “old composure” (老成语); at 10 he memorized thousands of words daily and retained them for life; and at 13 he had mastered the Four Books and the entire Confucian canon [2]. ...

Yuzhang Commandery, Jiujiang Commandery, Jiangzhou, Jiangnan West Circuit, Chaisang County, Xunyang County, Huichang County, Ruichang City, Jiujiang Prefecture, Linjiang Military Prefecture Do you know where the name “Jiangxi” comes from? The answer lies in 733 AD. That year, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty divided the empire into fifteen circuits. One of them was called the “Jiangnan West Circuit.” Later, “Jiangnan West Circuit” was shortened to “Jiangxi.” A province’s name, derived from an administrative division made over a thousand years ago. ...

Geographic Connections Lianhua Bridge, Qinting, Shengfang, Huatang, Hetang (Longxi Lifuzhai), Qingtang, Heshan, Lukou, Liushi, Gaozhou, Chenghuangjie, Fenjieshan, Feiyun Ridge. I. 1927: The Solitary Vigil of the ‘One Gun’ in the Embers of Revolution The year 1927 (the 16th year of the Republic) was a tumultuous turning point in modern Chinese history. Following the betrayals of the revolution by Chiang Kai-shek and Wang Jingwei, the “White Terror” swept across western Jiangxi. Lianhua County, a strategic node on the Hunan-Jiangxi border, faced unprecedented trials. During this time, the local revolutionary armed forces were nearly wiped out. However, under extremely harsh conditions, communists like Liu Renkan and He Guoqing risked their lives to guard the final hope of the revolution with just one Type-38 rifle hidden deep in the mountain forests [1, 2]. ...