Antiquity During the
Qin dynasty (221 BC), a large number of troops were sent to southern China in order to conquer the
Baiyue territories in
Fujian and
Guangdong, as a result, numerous
Han Chinese emigrated to
Jiangxi in the years following. In the early years of the
Han dynasty (202 BC),
Nanchang was established as the capital of the Yuzhang
Commandery () (this name stems from the original name of
Gan River), along with the 18 counties () of
Jiangxi Province. The population of the Yuzhang Commandery increased from 350,000 (in AD 2) to 1,670,000 (by AD 140); it ranked fourth in population among the more than 100 contemporary commanderies of China. As the largest commandery of
Yangzhou, Yuzhang accounted for two-fifths of the population and Gan gradually took shape during this period.
Middle Ages As a result of continuous warfare in the regions of central and Northern China, the first large-scale emigration in the history of China took place. Large numbers of people in central China relocated to southern China in order to escape the bloodshed caused by the
upheaval of the Five Barbarians and in this process, Jiangxi played the role of a transfer station. Also, during this period, ancient Gan began to be exposed to the northern dialects. After centuries of rule by the
Southern Dynasties, Gan still retained many original characteristics despite having absorbed some elements of northern speech. Up until the
Tang dynasty, there was little difference between old Gan and the contemporary Gan of that era. Beginning in the
Five Dynasties period, however, inhabitants in the central and northern parts of
Jiangxi Province began to migrate to eastern
Hunan, eastern
Hubei, southern
Anhui and northwest
Fujian. During this period, following hundreds of years of migration, Gan spread to its current areas of distribution.
Late traditional period Mandarin Chinese evolved into a
standard language based on
Beijing Mandarin, owing largely to political factors. At the same time, the differences between Gan and Mandarin continued to become more pronounced. However, because
Jiangxi borders on Jianghuai, a Mandarin,
Xiang, and
Hakka speaking region, Gan proper has also been influenced by these surrounding varieties, especially in its border regions.
Modern times After 1949, as a "dialect" in
mainland China, Gan faced a critical period. The impact of
Mandarin is quite evident today as a result of official governmental language campaigns. Currently, many youths are unable to master Gan expressions, and some are no longer able to speak Gan at all. Recently, however, as a result of increased interest in protecting the local language, Gan now has begun to appear in various regional media, and there are also newscasts and television programs broadcast in Gan Chinese. ==Languages and dialects==