Jiang Jieshi See Chiang Kai-shek Jiang Jinguo See Chiang Ching-kuo
Jiang Qing Xje-'aq-'chiqV or Chiang Ch'ing orig. Li Jinhai (b.
1914?, Zhucheng, Shandong, China—d. May 14, 1991, Beijing) Third wife of Mao Zedong and member of the radical Gang of Four. Jiang mar¬ ried Mao in the 1930s but entered politics only in the 1960s. As first deputy head of the Cultural Revolution, Jiang acquired far-reaching pow¬ ers over China’s cultural life and oversaw the total suppression of a wide variety of traditional cultural activities. Arrested after Mao’s death and accused of fomenting the widespread civil unrest that characterized the Cultural Revolution, she refused to confess guilt and received a suspended death sentence that was commuted to life imprisonment. Her death was reported as a suicide.
Jiang Zemin Vje-'aq-zo-'minV (b. Aug. 17, 1926, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China) General secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP; 1989— 2002) and president of China (1993-2003). He started his career in Shang¬ hai as an engineer, received training abroad, and gradually rose through the ranks of the CCR He was named mayor of Shanghai in 1985 and chairman of China’s Central Military Commission in 1989. It is thought that Jiang was a compromise candidate to replace Zhao Ziyang as gen¬ eral secretary in June 1989 following the Tiananmen Square incident. He combined a commitment to continued free-market reform with a deter¬ mination to preserve the CCP’s monopoly on political power. After serv¬ ing the maximum two five-year terms as president, Jiang was succeeded
by Hu Jintao. He remained in charge of the Central Military Commission until stepping down in favour of Hu in 2004.
Jiangsu \je-'aq-'su\ or Chiang-su conventional Kiangsu Province (pop., 2000 est.: 74,380,000), eastern China. It lies on the Yellow Sea and is also bordered by Shandong, Anhui, and Zhejiang provinces and Shang¬ hai municipality. With an area of 39,600 sq mi (102,600 sq km), it is one of the smallest and most densely populated provinces of China, and it is also one of the wealthiest. Its capital is Nanjing (Nanking). It occupies a wide alluvial plain that is divided into two sections by the estuary of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang). Once a part of the ancient state of Wu, the region was part of the Nanjing province under the Ming dynasty (1368— 1644). It became a separate province in 1667 and served as the headquar¬ ters (1853-64) for the Taiping Rebellion. It was an important base for China’s Nationalist Party, which made Nanjing the nation’s capital from 1928 to 1937 and again from 1946 to 1949. The province was occupied by Japan during the Sino-Japanese War (1937-45) and came under com¬ munist control in 1949. It produces steel, electronics, and agricultural products.
Jiangxi \je-'aq-'she\ or Chiang-hsi conventional Kiangsi Province (pop., 2000 est.: 41,400,000), south-central China. It is bordered by Hubei, Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Hunan provinces. It has an area of 63,600 sq mi (164,800 sq km), and its capital is Nanchang. Located in the drainage basin of the Gan River, it is one of China’s richest agri¬ cultural provinces, and it is also renowned for its porcelain industry, which dates from the 11th century. The opening of the Grand Canal under the Tang dynasty (618-907) set it on the main trade route between northern and southern China. During the Mongol dynasty (1206-1368), it included part of Guangdong; its current boundaries were established in the Ming dynasty. It was taken in 1926 by Chiang Kai-shek and was fought over by the Nationalists and the communists. It was occupied by the Japanese from 1938 to 1945 and came under communist control in 1949. Agricul¬ tural production, as well as a thriving timber industry, contribute to the economy.
Jibrll \ji-'brel\ or Jabrail In Islam, the archangel who acts as interme¬ diary between God and humankind and who bore divine revelations to Muhammad and previous prophets. His biblical counterpart is Gabriel. Jibrll aided Muhammad in times of crisis and guided him during his ascent into heaven. Muslim belief holds that Jibrll appeared to Adam after his expul¬ sion from Paradise to show him how to write, raise wheat, and work iron and also that Jibrll aided Moses in delivering the Israelites from Egypt.
jicama Vhe-ko-moX Vine ( Pachyrhizus erosus, or P. tuberosus ), also called yam bean. A legume native of Mexico and Central and South America, it is grown for its edible root. The irregularly globular, brown¬ skinned tubers are white-fleshed, crisp, and juicy. There are two variet¬ ies, those with clear juice and those with milky juice. Both have a mild flavour and are eaten raw or cooked. Sometimes very young seedpods of the plant are eaten, but the mature seeds are highly toxic.
Jiddah or Jeddah City (pop., 1992: 2,046,251), western Saudi Arabia. Located on the Red Sea, it is a major port and the country’s diplomatic capital. It takes its name (which means “ancestress” or “grandmother”) from the reputed tomb of Eve, which was located there until it was destroyed by the Saudi government in 1928. Jiddah has long been a point of entry for Muslim pilgrims journeying to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. It belonged to the Ottoman Empire until 1916, when it surren¬ dered to British forces during World War I (1914-18). It was captured by the tribal leader Ibn Sa'ud in 1925 and was incorporated into Saudi Ara¬ bia in 1927.
jigs and fixtures Components of machine-tool installations, specially designed in each case to position the workpiece, hold it firmly in place, and guide the motion of the power tool (e.g., a punch press). Jigs can also be guides for tools or templates, as in the furniture industry. Special cramping jigs that ensure squareness are set up so that, for example, a wardrobe can be glued up in one operation by power-driven rams. See also ASSEMBLY LINE, INTERCHANGEABLE PARTS, MASS PRODUCTION.
jihad \ji-‘had\ In Islam, the central doctrine that calls on believers to com¬ bat the enemies of their religion. According to the Qur’an and the HadIth, jihad is a duty that may be fulfilled in four ways: by the heart, the tongue, the hand, or the sword. The first way (known in Sufism as the “greater jihad”) involves struggling against evil desires. The ways of the tongue and hand call for verbal defense and right actions. The jihad of the sword
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involves waging war against enemies of Islam. Believers contend that those who die in combat become martyrs and are guaranteed a place in paradise. In the 20th and 21st centuries the concept of jihad has sometimes been used as an ideological weapon in the effort to combat Western influ¬ ences and secular governments and to establish an ideal Islamic society.
Jill \je-'le\, al- (b. 1365—d. c. 1424) Islamic mystic. Little is known of his life, though he is believed to have visited India in 1387 and to have studied in Yemen (1393-1403). Influenced by Ibn al-'Arabi, he developed his doctrine of the “perfect man,” which he outlined in his Studies in Islamic Mysticism. He asserted that the perfectly moral individual can attain unity with God, a unity already experienced by Muhammad and the other prophets, and then become a channel by which the whole commu¬ nity can enjoy contact with the divine being.
Jilin Vje-'liM or Chi-lin conventional Kirin Vke-rin\ Province (pop., 2000 est.: 27,280,000), northeastern China. It is bordered by Russia and North Korea, Heilongjiang and Liaoning provinces, and Inner Mongolia. With an area of 72,200 sq mi (187,000 sq km), it is China’s most urban¬ ized province; its capital is Changchun, and its second largest city is Jilin. Its major river is the Sungari River, a tributary of the Amur. It was made a province in 1907. Occupied by the Japanese army in 1931, it became part of the puppet state of Manchukuo (1932—45). Chinese communist forces seized the province from the Nationalists in 1948. Industrialization since the late 20th century has been rapid.