Jiangnan refers to the south of the river.

1. Jiangnan (geographical region concept) [jiāng nán]: Jiangnan literally means Jiangnan, and in the concept of human geography, it refers to the south of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Jiangnan in a narrow sense refers to the south bank of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Jiangnan in a broad sense includes the south of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Nanling and Wuyishan, that is, the whole territory of Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Shanghai and the area south of the Yangtze River in Hubei, Anhui and Jiangsu. In different historical periods, the literary image of Jiangnan is different. Jiangnan first appeared in the pre-Qin and Han dynasties, referring to the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in Hunan and Hubei and the Jiangnan part of Jiangxi.

In ancient times, Jiangnan was once called Wu Chu by the Central Plains. Later, with the southward migration of the Han nationality in the Central Plains, Jiangnan became a beautiful and rich area with developed culture and education, which reflected the ancient people's yearning for a better life and was a paradise in people's minds. Since ancient times, "Jiangnan" has always been a constantly changing and flexible regional concept. Jiangnan means south of the Yangtze River. In ancient times, Jiangnan often represented prosperous culture and education and beautiful and rich water town scenery. This area is roughly the Taihu Lake and West Lake basins on the south bank of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Second, the geographical environment

Literally means Jiangnan, Jiangnan is endless. In a narrow sense, it refers to the south bank of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. These include Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou and Zhenjiang in Jiangsu Province, Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou in the north of Qiantang River in Zhejiang Province, Shaoxing, Ningbo, Jinhua, Quzhou, Shanghai, Chizhou, Xuancheng, Maanshan, Wuhu, Tongling, Huangshan, Jingzhou, Ezhou, Huangshi, Wuhan and Nanchang, Changsha, Yueyang, Changde and Hunan in the south of Hubei Province.

Jiangnan in a broad sense includes Shanghai, Jiangxi, Hunan and Zhejiang, as well as areas south of the Yangtze River in Jiangsu, Anhui and Hubei provinces. Compared with Jiangnan Road in Tang Dynasty, there are fewer parts involving Guizhou Province. Northern Fujian is sometimes called Jiangnan. In a broad sense, Jiangnan has a vast territory and diverse landforms, so it is often regarded as "Great Jiangnan", which is roughly consistent with the meteorological scope of Jiangnan. Four rice markets and four famous buildings in Jiangnan are all within the scope of Jiangnan. This area includes three famous mountains, three rivers and three lakes-Qiantang River and Taihu Lake in Huangshan, Ganjiang River and Poyang Lake in Lushan, Xiangjiang River and Dongting Lake in Hengshan. These three rivers and lakes are the cradles of Wu culture, Jiangxi culture and Huxiang culture respectively. The definition of "Great Jiangnan" begins with the ancient division (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.

From the Yuan Dynasty, the term "Jiangnan" was also used in the administrative divisions of jiangnan province in the early Qing Dynasty. In other words, Jiangsu Province and Anhui Province are now collectively called Jiangnan (the whole territory of Jiangsu and Anhui). Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou are also the most representative administrative places in the Qing Dynasty. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Raozhou Prefecture, Jiujiang Prefecture and Nanchang Prefecture in Jiangxi Province and Chizhou Prefecture, Taiping Prefecture, Ningguo Prefecture and Huizhou Prefecture in Anhui Province were also very representative Jiangnan areas.