Zhanggong District lies in the south of Jiangxi province. It is the political, economic, cultural, transportation and informational center of Ganzhou, as well as the location of the Party Committee and the government of Ganzhou. It covers a total area of 425.5 square kilometers, governing six towns, four sub district offices, 66 administrative villages, 43 neighborhood committees and 10 town residential committees. By the end of 2005, the total population of the district was 478,000. Zhanggong District resides in a hilly and a slightly saddle-shaped terrain which tilts from the higher part of southeast and northwest to the lower central part. The climate of the district is of humid subtropical monsoon kind, with four distinctive seasons, abundant rainfall and sunshine. The city is surrounded by rivers on three sides, and rests against mountains on the fourth side. It has beautiful sceneries, with the Zhang Jiang River and the Gong Jiang River merging into the Ganjiang River under the ancient wall which can be dated back to the Song dynasty, thus the name"first city along the thousand-li Ganjiang River".
Zhanggong District boasts a long history of about 2,200 years since the set up of the county in the Han dynasty (201 BC). It has been a place of strategic importance in the south of the Changjiang River since ancient times, joining Hunan, Fujian, Guangdong provinces, and has been the governmental location of various levels of administration. In the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, "Ganzhou was the trading center of China, with merchants gathering and goods pouring from all parts of the country". And now, it is one of the 36 big cities and one of the 44 economic centers in China. Natural landscapes and places of historical interest can be found here and there in the district, relics of the Song dynasty in particular, thus the praise “the Museum for the Song dynasty".
Fast-growing Industry. By now, there are 29 categories of industries in the district, including metallurgy, machinery, paper-making, chemical industry, food processing, electronics, etc. In recent years, the local government spares no efforts in promoting the development of industry. As a result, industry in the district has been growing continuously and has become a leading force in promoting economic growth of the district. Five leading industries have been established, namely, nonferrous metallurgy, machinery manufacturing, modern light textile, food pharmaceutical, and information & communication. In 2005, the gross industrial production made by enterprises which are district- or above-facilitated reached 3.512 billion Yuan, with a tax revenue of 395 million Yuan. The construction of Shahe Industrial Zone is going on smoothly and rapidly, and is gradually gaining impetus. In 2004, Shahe Industrial Zone was approved as the provincial science and technology zone run by private citizens and the provincial electromechanical industry zone of Jiangxi province. It was also awarded the title"Provincial Model Industrial Zone" in terms of attracting investments from overseas, and "the Most Profitable Industrial Zone of Ganzhou", and "Model Industrial Zone of Jiangxi Province" in 2005.
Steadily-developing Agriculture and Rural Economy. The local government holds on that the development of agriculture should be similar to that of industry, and makes every effort in promoting the development of rural cooperative economic organizations and leading industrialized agricultural enterprises. By means of the development of leading industrialized agricultural enterprises, orders agriculture, and demonstration bases, the structure of agricultural industry has been adjusted and perfected. So far, production bases of vegetable, fruit, aquatic products, livestock breeding, and a pollution-free agricultural production base have been set up successively, and a number of agricultural product processing enterprises have been nurtured. As a result, the efficiency in agriculture has been improved and the incomes of farmers increased, especially since the construction of a New Socialist Countryside in 2004, there has appeared a new atmosphere in the rural region, and farmes' living standard has been improved considerably.
Fairly-developed Business and Trade. Up to now, there are more than 50 wholesale trade markets of all kinds in the district, with a total market area of over 700 thousand square meters (ranked first for the area per capita in Jiangxi Province) and a business volume of more than 10 billion Yuan.Zhanggong District has now become a commodity collecting and distributing center which radiates more than 30 neighboring counties and cities of Jiangxi, Guangdong, Fujian and Hunan provinces. A market system with developed networks and a wide coverage has primarily established.
According to the 2005 survey, there are 27 national minorities with about 3,000 people dispersed in the district, such as the She, Hui, Man, Mongolian, Tibetan, Uygur, Zhuang, Miao nationalities. There are three She village groups, including 213 households, and more than 1,900 people. The Party's religious policy has been abided by, and a system of "district- town-village three-level network and the town-village two-level responsibility" has been established. By the end of 2005, there are three religions in our district, namely, Buddhism, Christianity, and Taoism, with more than 9,800 religious believers and 55 priests. Among them more than 2,400 are Buddhists, with 40 Buddhist monks and nuns; more than 7,400 are Christians with 10 priests; More than 50 are Taoist believers, together with 5 Taoist priests. There are 23 venues for religious activities, five for Buddhist activities, and 18 for Christianity.