How is the Jiangnan area divided?

The definition of modern Jiangnan can be divided into two types: broad Jiangnan and narrow Jiangnan.

Jiangnan in a broad sense refers to the whole Jiangnan area in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, namely, southern Jiangsu, southern Zhejiang, southern Anhui, southern Jiangxi, southern Hunan and southern Hubei. Some areas in Fujian are sometimes called Jiangnan. The broad definition of Jiangnan begins with Gusi (Jiangnan Road) and is often described in literary works. For example, Du Fu's Random Encounter Li Guinian was written in Changsha. The Jiangnan referred to in the weather forecast is roughly the Jiangnan zone in a broad sense. Three famous buildings in the south of the Yangtze River (Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan, Yueyang Tower in Yueyang and Wangtengting Pavilion in Nanchang) are all located in the south of the Yangtze River.

Jiangnan in a narrow sense generally refers to southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang, but the specific scope is not very clear. This concept probably began in the late Tang Dynasty and took shape in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The clearest core area in Jiangnan only includes several cities around Taihu Lake, such as Suzhou, Hangzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Huzhou and Jiaxing. This is the six traditional houses in the south of the Yangtze River. Nanjing is also located in the core area of the south of the Yangtze River, but because the language of Nanjing has gradually become Mandarin (Jianghuai Mandarin) in the changes of the times, the recognition of Nanjing in Wu dialect area is not high. Shanghai's administrative history is relatively short, but because of its important economic status, it has basically been included in the modern concept of "Little Jiangnan".

Greater Jiangnan area includes

Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi

Jiangnan area was originally a regional concept with a wide range and a long history.

Jiangnan in a broad sense includes all of southern Jiangsu, southern Anhui and Zhejiang;

In a narrow sense, Jiangnan area refers to the northeast plain, namely Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou in southern Jiangsu, Hangjiahu and Shanghai in Zhejiang.