Tangjiang Town

Tangjiang Town

　　One of Jiangxi's Four Famous Towns—Tangjiang Town Tangjiang Town is located in the central part of Nankang City, Jiangxi Province. It is a national key town for small-town development and a reform pilot town for small towns in Jiangxi. The town covers an area of 96 square kilometers, governs 30 administrative villages, 3 communities, and has a population of 97,000.

　　Tangjiang has a long history. Ancient street shops and modern supermarkets in the town area shine side by side, while traditional styles along both riverbanks complement modern architecture. Since ancient times, Tangjiang has been an important commercial and trade hub in southern Jiangxi. Locals often say “First Tangjiang, second Yingqian,” reflecting its millennia of cultural and commercial heritage.

　　Tangjiang enjoys a prominent geographical location. To the east, it connects to Ganzhou City; to the south, it leads to Nankang City; to the north, it borders the resource-rich northern mountainous areas. The town boasts well-developed water and land transportation. The Shangyou River runs through it, and the Ganfeng Second-Class Highway and Kanglong Highway intersect here. Both the Ganyue Expressway and the Kuncha Expressway pass through the area. The soon-to-be-completed Ganzhou Airport is located to the east of Tangjiang. Rural road construction is progressing rapidly, with completed and operational sections including: Er Dian Qian–Xue Tian Road; Tangjiang–Baishi Road; Tangxi–Xingwu Road; Tuqiaowan–Baishi Road; Tangwo–Xiawan Road; and Jiubieqiao–Yaodian Road. Roads currently under construction include: Xingwu–Youshu; Xutiankeng–Chating; and Pingtian–Tonggu–Shangkeng Road. A comprehensive, well-connected transportation network has largely taken shape.

　　Tangjiang Town has a thriving economy. In recent years, the town has initially formed industrial clusters in furniture production, woodworking machinery, food processing, warp knitting textiles, and passenger and freight transportation. Notable enterprises include Nankang Huazhou Artificial Board Co., Ltd., with an annual output value of 30 to 32 million yuan; and Nankang Tongda Passenger Transport Co., Ltd., which owns over 80 passenger vehicles and is recognized as a star enterprise in Jiangxi Province... By the end of 2004, Tangjiang Town had over 260 enterprises with annual output values exceeding 1 million yuan, three with over 5 million yuan, and two with over 10 million yuan. The town’s total industrial output reached nearly 600 million yuan.

　　Tangjiang Town has a very active commercial scene. It features numerous trading zones, including a small commodities market, vegetable trading center, draft cattle market, fish fry market, and Zhongtian Commercial Plaza. Among them, the draft cattle market is the largest of its kind in southern Jiangxi. The fish fry trade extends to neighboring cities such as Shangyou, Chongyi, Suichuan, and Ji’an. Tangjiang is also a green vegetable supply base for coastal areas like Guangdong and Fujian, with pollution-free agricultural products moving toward industrialized development.

　　The private economy in Tangjiang is growing rapidly. In 2005, the town had 213 private enterprises and 2,295 individual businesses, including 155 in the furniture industry. The private sector employed over 1,300 people, with total industrial output valued at 520 million yuan.

　　Legends of Tangjiang Town

　　According to old tales, “First Tangjiang, second Yingqian, third Gubi,” referring to several major towns in southern Jiangxi, with Tangjiang ranked first.

　　It is said that before the Tang Dynasty, the Tangjiang market town, situated east of the Shangyou River, was a wild hilly basin inhabited only by a few scattered Hakka families. One of these families, surnamed Lu, lived at the crossroads that ran both north-south and east-west. At that time, transportation was extremely underdeveloped, and goods such as salt, rice, and cloth were transported entirely on foot or by boat. Merchants and travelers passing through this crossroads would often ask the Lu family for tea. On rainy or snowy days, they would take shelter in the Lu home, and on hot summer days, they would come in for water and shade. The Lu family would chat with them about all sorts of things, filling the house with laughter.

　　The Hakka people are known for their hospitality, and the Lu family became widely known for their generosity. Travelers from near and far treated the Lu home as a place to rest and quench their thirst. However, the Lu house was small, and when there were many travelers, newcomers could not even find standing room and had to wait outside. Moved by this, the kind, hardworking, and hospitable Lu patriarch decided to build a new house. He invited a feng shui master to choose the foundation, select an auspicious date for breaking ground, laying the foundation, installing the door, and raising the ridge beam.

　　The early stages—breaking ground, laying the foundation, and building the walls—went smoothly, and Old Lu remained in high spirits throughout.

　　But just as they were about to raise the ridge beam, a heavily pregnant woman walked across the beam placed in the main hall. Old Lu took this as a bad omen and gently scolded her: “Hey, you’re ruining my good fortune.” The pregnant woman felt wronged, thinking, “Can’t a pregnant woman even go out?” So she lifted her head and, in front of the disapproving eyes, declared loudly, “What’s there to fear? Aren’t all officials, generals, and common people born from a mother’s womb?” As soon as she finished speaking, the auspicious time arrived. Firecrackers sounded, the beam was raised, and everything went smoothly and auspiciously.

　　From then on, others followed Old Lu’s example, building rows of new houses and setting up stalls on both sides of the crossroads. Coupled with the convenience of water transport along the nearby Shangyou River, it wasn’t long before the Tangjiang trading area gradually became bustling. Watching how people came in small numbers one day and in groups the next, Old Lu thought: it would be more convenient if these merchants gathered on fixed days. One day, during a lively gathering, he shared his idea with everyone. The crowd strongly agreed and appointed Old Lu to invite the most respected local feng shui master, Yang, to choose an auspicious date. Old Lu approached Master Yang, who flipped through his books, counted on his fingers, and said, “The first day of the next lunar month at dawn—Tangjiang shall open its market. On that day, three wonders will occur: a snake will beat a drum, a man will ride a horse, and someone will carry the sky on their head.”

　　Within days, news of the three wonders expected at the opening of the Tangjiang market spread quickly throughout the surrounding area. On the first day of the lunar month, people from all directions gathered in Tangjiang out of curiosity, while also doing some trading. They beat drums, set off firecrackers, and the town became lively.

　　At dawn, an eagle carrying a snake flew over Tangjiang. Startled by the deafening sound of drums and firecrackers, the eagle dropped the snake, which landed on a drum with a loud “thud.” Some people were startled, while others immediately shouted, “The snake is beating the drum!” When the “snake beating the drum” spectacle was reported, crowds rushed over to see it. Just then, a carpenter carrying a wooden horse squeezed through the crowd. Spotting him from a height, Old Lu loudly exclaimed, “Look, the ‘man riding a horse’ wonder has just appeared behind you!” Coincidentally, a man who had just bought a wok and placed it on his head heard the shouts about the snake and the horse. Looking up, he saw the man with the wok and heard Old Lu shout again, “Quick, look, here comes someone carrying the sky on their head!” Following Old Lu’s pointing finger, the crowd burst into laughter, and the man with the wok laughed so hard he couldn’t close his mouth.

　　Perhaps it was because the opening of Old Lu’s first shop and the launch of the Tangjiang market both fell on auspicious days that business continued to grow. More and more merchants came, and business thrived. Thus, Tangjiang became a famous major market town in southern Jiangxi.