A Clear Sign

The Jiangxi Province, Sinclair's birthplace, will always have special significance to us and her. We may not get to tour around much while we are there, but we would like to pass on some of the amazing facts we have learned about this special province.

Jiangxi (jyong-shee) is a southern province of China, bordered to the north by the famous Yangtze River. The Gan River runs through the entire province from south to north, emptying into Lake Poyang which in turn empties into the Yangtze River. In fact, the short name for Jiangxi is "Gan" after the river. The subtropical Jiangxi province has a warm and humid climate with cold springs and winters, hot summers and dry autumns. The average temperature of the province is 37-48 degrees Fahrenheit in January and 80-88 degrees in July. Jiangxi province has a large forest area, mountainous terrain and beautiful scenery. It is one of the more wild places of central China especially around the marshes of Lake Poyang where every year about 2800 white cranes migrate to spend their winter. The lake has been well known as "a land of abundance" and is reputed as a "bright pearl." On the east side of this lake is Mount Lushan, Lushan National Park, and the location of a well-known Buddhist monastery, the Donglin Temple. In 2007, Survivor was filmed in the Zhelin Reservoir of Jiangxi Province!

The capital and main industrial center of Jiangxi is Nanchang. It is home to the Tengwang Pavilion, a towering pavilion dating back to 653 AD and the setting of the first communist-led armed uprising against the nationalists in 1927. Bayi Square is the second largest public square in China, after Beijing's Tiananmen Square. It is also home to the The Star of Nanchang, formerly the world's tallest Ferris wheel. We will most likely first meet Sinclair Bo-Zheng in Nanchang!

Another famous city in this province is Jingdezhen which has been producing pottery from the white clay of a nearby mountain since the Han Dynasty. It is known as the "capital of porcelain" and regarded as the producer of the best porcelain in China.

There are several crops grown in the Jiangxi province, with rice as the most predominant. Cash crops commonly grown include cotton, rapeseed and oranges. The Black Tea produced in Ningzhou City and the Green Tea produced in Wuyuan City are well-known throughout China.

We think it is very interesting that chili peppers are also grown in Jiangxi province and the people here eat spicy food. Girls from this province are known as "Spicy Girls!" It is no coincidence that we would be matched with a baby from this province, though the CCAA had no idea that Anita's grandparents come from New Mexico from where they still order and roast red chilis for sauces for their food. Anita's whole family loves spicy food. Our Spicy Girl will fit in perfectly!

Labels: China, Jiangxi province