Its administrative seat is at Zhanggong District. Its population was 8,, at the census whom 1,, in the built-up or "metro" area made of Zhanggong and Nankang, and Ganxian largely being urbanized. In , Emperor Gaozu of Han established a county in the territory of modern Ganzhou. In those early years, Han Chinese settlement and authority in the area was minimal and largely restricted to the Gan River basin.
The river, a tributary of the Yangtze via Poyang Lake , provided a route of communication from the north as well as irrigation for rice farming. During the Song , immigration from the north bolstered the local population and drove local aboriginal tribes further into the hills. After the fall of the capital to the Jin in in the Jingkang Incident , immigration increased dramatically. During the late s Ganzhou was opened as one of the southern treaty ports and became a minor base for foreign companies.
Due to its proximity to the Red capital Ruijin , Ganzhou was subject to a number of Kuomintang encirclement campaigns. Between and , Chiang Ching-kuo was appointed by the Government of the Republic of China as commissioner of Ganzhou Prefecture mountain South , then the name of the surrounding regions of Ganzhou. There he banned smoking, gambling and prostitution, studied governmental management, allowed for economic expansion and a change in social outlook. During his time in Gannan, from he implemented a "public information desk" where ordinary people could visit him if they had problems, and according to records, Chiang Ching-kuo received a total of 1, people during such sessions in In regards to the ban on prostitution and closing of brothels, Chiang implemented a policy where former prostitutes became employed in factories.
Ganzhou has jurisdiction over 3 districts , 2 county-level city and 13 counties :. Several of the major tributaries of the Gan River, Ganzhou's namesake, join at a confluence in the center of the city. Bordering prefecture-level cities are:. The monthly hour average temperature ranges from 8. After the heavy rains subside in June, summer is especially sunny. Autumn is warm and relatively dry. According to the official website, [5] there are 8,, people living within prefecture limits.
Ganzhou also contains the largest Hakka community in Jiangxi. Though encircled by mountain scenery, other notable attractions in Jiangxi are Jingdezhen , Nanchang and Lushan among others. Some of the places of interest in Ganzhou include:. Zhanggong has a city wall dating to the Song Dynasty, as well as a number of pavilions and temples from the Ming and Qing.
