CHIU-CHIANG

Pinyin Jiujiang, river port and city lying in northern Kiangsi sheng (province), China. It lies along the Yangtze River to the west of its junction with Lake P'o-yang and the Kan River's tributary system. Chiu-chiang is an important river port, although it does not have a good natural harbour. It is an outlet for trade from Kiangsi and is connected with the rest of the province both by waterways and by a railroad to Nan-ch'ang built in 1915. Originally a customs station in the late 3rd century AD, the settlement was fortified in the 5th century and was constituted as a county town in 589. Historically, it was both a strategic place, guarding the route into Kiangsi, and a commercial centre. Between the 17th and 19th centuries Chiu-chiang became one of the major centres of the Chinese tea trade. In 1861 it was opened as a treaty port to foreign trade, and in the latter part of the 19th century a sizable European settlement grew up there, not only in the port itself but also in nearby Ku-ling to the west, which became a summer resort. The tea trade, however, gradually declined, and much of Chiu-chiang's remaining export trade was siphoned off by the railway, opened in 1936-37, from Nan-ch'ang to the coast. Chiu-chiang declined to a local economic centre for northern Kiangsi, functioning as a collection centre for grain, cotton, ramie, tea, and other products from the Hsiu River valley and the region around Lake P'o-yang. There are copper deposits in the hills to the west. Until 1949 there was little industry in the city, except for some handicrafts. A large cotton textile industry, minor engineering works, oil presses, and rice mills have since been established. There are also brickworks and tile works, and hydroelectric projects have been constructed in northern Kiangsi to provide power for industry. Pop. (1990 est.) 291,187.