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Fujian Province 福建省
Province
Name transcription(s)
• Chinese	福建省 (Fújiàn Shěng)
• Abbreviation	FJ / wikt:閩 (pinyin: Mǐn, POJ: Bân)
• Hokkien POJ	Hok-kiàn
• Foochow	Hók-gióng
Map showing the location of Fujian Province
Coordinates: 25°54′N 118°18′E / 25.9°N 118.3°E / 25.9; 118.3Coordinates: 25°54′N 118°18′E / 25.9°N 118.3°E / 25.9; 118.3
Capital	Fuzhou
Largest city	Xiamen
Divisions	9 prefectures, 85[1]counties, 1107[1]townships
Government
• Secretary	Yu Weiguo
• Governor	Tang Dengjie
Area[2]
• Total	121,400 km2 (46,900 sq mi)
Area rank	23rd
Highest elevation	2,158 m (7,080 ft)
Population (2011)[3]
• Total	36,894,216
• Rank	17th
• Density	300/km2 (790/sq mi)
• Density rank	14th
Demographics
• Ethnic composition	Han – 98% She – 1% Hui – 0.3%
• Languages and dialects	Min (inc. Hokkien dialects, Fuzhounese), Mandarin, Hakka
ISO 3166 code	CN-FJ
GDP (2017)	CNY 3.23 trillion USD 478.37 billion[4] (10th)
• per capita	CNY 82,976 USD 12,289 (6th)
HDI (2014)	0.758[5] (high) (11th)
Website	www.fujian.gov.cn

Fujian
"Fujian" in Chinese characters
Chinese	福建
Literal meaning	"Fu(zhou) and Jian(zhou)"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Fújiàn Bopomofo ㄈㄨˊ   ㄐㄧㄢˋ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Fwujiann Wade–Giles Fu2-chien4 IPA [fǔ.tɕjɛ̂n] ( listen) Wu Romanization Foh-ji Hakka Romanization Fuk-kian Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Fūk-gin IPA [fók̚.kīːn] Jyutping Fuk1-gin3 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Hok-kiàn Eastern Min Fuzhou BUC Hók-gióng Pu-Xian Min Hinghwa BUC Ho̤h-ge̤̍ng Northern Min Jian'ou Romanized Hŭ-gṳ̿in.g
Abbreviation
Simplified Chinese	闽
Traditional Chinese	閩
Literal meaning	[the Min River]
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Mǐn Bopomofo ㄇㄧㄣˇ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Miin Wade–Giles Min3 IPA [mìn] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Máhn Jyutping Man5 Southern Min Tâi-lô Bân Eastern Min Fuzhou BUC Mìng Pu-Xian Min Hinghwa BUC Máng Northern Min Jian'ou Romanized Mâing

Fujian (Chinese: 福建; pinyin: Fújiàn; pronounced [fǔtɕjɛ̂n] ( listen)), formerly romanised as Foken, Fouken, Fukien, and Hokkien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, along with Taiwan 150 km (93 mi) to the east, across the Taiwan strait.^[6] The name Fujian came from the combination of Fuzhou and Jianzhou (present Nanping), two cities in Fujian, during the Tang dynasty. While its population is chiefly of Han origin, it is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse provinces in China.

Historical Fujian is now divided by China and Taiwan and both territories are named the Fujian province in their respective Republics. The majority of the territory of historical Fujian (the mainland territory and a few islands) currently make up the Fujian province in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The archipelagos of Kinmen and Matsu make up the Fujian province in the Republic of China (ROC) based in Taiwan.

Prehistoric Fujian[edit]

Recent^[when?] archaeological discoveries demonstrate that Fujian had entered the Neolithic Age by the middle of the 6th millennium BC. From the Keqiutou site (7450–5590 BP), an early Neolithic site in Pingtan Island located about 70 kilometres (43 mi) southeast of Fuzhou, numerous tools made of stones, shells, bones, jades, and ceramics (including wheel-made ceramics) have been unearthed, together with spinning wheels, which is definitive evidence of weaving.

The Tanshishan (昙石山) site (5500–4000 BP) in suburban Fuzhou spans the Neolithic and Chalcolithic Age where semi-underground circular buildings were found in the lower level. The Huangtulun (黄土崙) site (ca.1325 BC), also in suburban Fuzhou, was of the Bronze Age in character.

Tianlong Jiao (2013)^[7] notes that the Neolithic appeared on the coast of Fujian around 6,000 B.P. During the Neolithic, the coast of Fujian had a low population density, with the population depending on mostly on fishing and hunting, alongside with limited agriculture.

There were four major Neolithic cultures in coastal Fujian, with the earliest Neolithic cultures originating from the north in coastal Zhejiang.^[7]

• 
  Keqiutou culture 壳丘头文化 (c. 6000–5500 BP, or c. 4050–3550 BC)


• 
  Tanshishan culture 昙石山文化 (c. 5000–4300 BP, or c. 3050–2350 BC)


• 
  Damaoshan culture 大帽山文化 (c. 5000–4300 BP)


• 
  Huangguashan culture 黄瓜山文化 (c. 4300–3500 BP, or c. 2350–1550 BC)

There were two major Neolithic cultures in inland Fujian, which were highly distinct from the coastal Fujian Neolithic cultures.^[7]

• 
  Niubishan culture 牛鼻山文化 (c. 5000–4000 BP)


• 
  Hulushan culture 葫芦山文化 (c. 4000–3500 BP, or c. 2050–1550 BC)

Minyue[edit]

Fujian was also where the kingdom of Minyue was located. The word "Mǐnyuè" was derived by combining "Mǐn" (simplified Chinese: 闽; traditional Chinese: 閩; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bân), which is perhaps an ethnic name (simplified Chinese: 蛮; traditional Chinese: 蠻; pinyin: mán; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bân), and "Yuè", after the State of Yue, a Spring and Autumn period kingdom in Zhejiang to the north. This is because the royal family of Yuè fled to Fujian after its kingdom was annexed by the State of Chu in 306 BC. Mǐn is also the name of the main river in this area, but the ethnonym is probably older.

Imperial China[edit]

Han dynasty[edit]

Minyue was a de facto kingdom until one of the emperors of the Qin dynasty, the first unified imperial Chinese state, abolished its status. In the aftermath of the Qin dynasty's fall, civil war broke out between two warlords, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang. The Minyue king Wuzhu sent his troops to fight with Liu and his gamble paid off. Liu was victorious and founded the Han dynasty. In 202 BC, he restored Minyue's status as a tributary independent kingdom. Thus Wuzhu was allowed to construct his fortified city in Fuzhou as well as a few locations in the Wuyi Mountains, which have been excavated in recent years. His kingdom extended beyond the borders of contemporary Fujian into eastern Guangdong, eastern Jiangxi, and southern Zhejiang.^[8]

After Wuzhu's death, Minyue maintained its militant tradition and launched several expeditions against its neighboring kingdoms in Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang, primarily in the 2nd century BC. This was stopped by the Han dynasty as it expanded southward. The Han emperor eventually decided to get rid of the potential threat by launching a military campaign against Minyue. Large forces approached Minyue simultaneously from four directions via land and sea in 111 BC. The rulers in Fuzhou surrendered to avoid a futile fight and destruction and the first kingdom in Fujian history came to an abrupt end.

The Han dynasty collapsed at the end of the 2nd century AD, paving the way for the Three Kingdoms era. Sun Quan, the founder of the Kingdom of Wu, spent nearly 20 years subduing the Shan Yue people, the branch of the Yue living in mountains.

First Han Chinese migration[edit]

The first wave of immigration of the noble class arrived in the province in the early 4th century when the Western Jin dynasty collapsed and the north was torn apart by invasions by nomadic peoples from the north, as well as civil war. These immigrants were primarily from eight families in central China: Lin (林), Huang (黄), Chen (陈), Zheng (郑), Zhan (詹), Qiu (邱), He (何), and Hu (胡). The first four remain as the major surnames of modern Fujian.

Nevertheless, isolation from nearby areas owing to rugged terrain contributed to Fujian's relatively undeveloped economy and level of development, despite major population boosts from northern China during the "barbarian" invasions. Population density in Fujian remained low compared to the rest of China. Only two commanderies and sixteen counties were established by the Western Jin dynasty. Like other southern provinces such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan, Fujian often served as a destination for exiled prisoners and dissidents at that time.

During the Southern and Northern Dynasties era, the Southern Dynasties reigned south of the Yangtze River, including Fujian.

Sui and Tang dynasties[edit]

During the Sui and Tang eras a large influx of migrants settled in Fujian.^[9]

The Tang dynasty (618–907) oversaw the next golden age of China, which contributed to a boom in Fujian’s culture and economy. Fuzhou's economic and cultural institutions grew and developed. The later years of the Tang dynasty saw a number of political upheavals in the Chinese heartland, prompting another wave of Chinese to immigrate to Fujian.

As the Tang dynasty ended, China was torn apart in the period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. During this time, a second major wave of immigration arrived in the safe haven of Fujian, led by General Wang, who set up an independent Kingdom of Min with its capital in Fuzhou. After the death of the founding king, however, the kingdom suffered from internal strife, and was soon absorbed by Southern Tang, another southern kingdom.^[10]

Quanzhou was blooming into a seaport under the reign of the Min Kingdom^{[citation needed]} and was the largest seaport in the world.^[when?] Its population is also greater than Fuzhou.^[11][12] Due to the Ispah Rebellion, Quanzhou was severely damaged.

Song dynasty[edit]

The Lý dynasty monarchs of Vietnam were of Chinese ethnicity.^[13] Fujian province, Jinjiang village was the origin of Lý Thái Tổ 李公蘊, the ancestor of the Lý dynasty ruling family.^{[a][14][15][16]} China, Fujian was the home of Lý Công Uẩn. The ethnic Chinese background of Lý Công Uẩn has been accepted by Vietnamese historian Trần Quốc Vượng.^[17]

The founder of the Trần Dynasty in Vietnam, Emperor Trần Thái Tông, was the great-grandson of a Chinese person who came to Vietnam from Fujian from the Chinese Chen clan. Several members of the family, like the prince Trần Quốc Tuấn, continued to know how to speak Chinese.^[18][19] The name of the prince’s great grandfather was Trần Kinh.

People from the Song dynasty of China, like Zhao Zhong and Xu Zongdao, fled to the Trân dynasty after the Mongol invasion of China. The Daoist cleric Xu Zongdaowho, who recorded the Mongol invasion and called them "Northern bandits", also came from Fujian.^[20]

Fujian was the origin of the ethnic Chinese Tran who migrated to Vietnam along with a large number of other Chinese, during the Vietnamese Ly dynasty, where they served as officials. Distinctly Chinese last names are found in the Tran and Ly dynasty Imperial exam records.^[21] Ethnic Chinese are recorded in Tran and Ly dynasty records of officials.^[22] Clothing, food, and language were all Chinese dominated in Van Don where the Tran had moved after leaving their home province of Fujian. The Chinese language could still be spoken by the Tran in Vietnam.^[18] The side of Vietnam that borders the ocean was colonized by Chinese migrants from Fujian. This included the Tran among them who settled in the capital's southeastern area.^[19][23] The Red River Delta was subjected to migration from Fujian. The Tran and Van Don port arose as a result of this interaction.^[24] Guangdong and Fujian Chinese moved to the Van Don coastal port during Ly Anh Tong's rule to engage in commerce.^[25] The usurpation of the Ly occurred after they married with the fishing Fujianese Tran family.^[26]

In 1172 Fujian was attacked by Pi-she-ye pirates from Taiwan.^[27]

Ming dynasty[edit]

In the early Ming dynasty, Quanzhou was the staging area and supply depot of Zheng He's naval expeditions. Further development was severely hampered by the sea trade ban, and the area was superseded by nearby ports of Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Ningbo and Shanghai despite the lifting of the ban in 1550.^{[citation needed]} Large-scale piracy by Wokou was eventually wiped out by Chinese military and Japanese authority of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.^{[citation needed]}

An account of Ming dynasty Fujian was written by No In 鲁认.^[28][29]

The Pisheya appear in Quanzhou Ming era records.^[30]

Qing dynasty[edit]

The late Ming and early Qing dynasty symbolized an era of large influx of refugees and another 20 years of sea trade ban under the Kangxi Emperor, a measure intended to counter the refuge Ming government of Koxinga in the island of Taiwan.

The seaban implented by the Qing forced many people to evacuate the coast in order to deprive Koxinga's Ming loyalists of resources. This has led to the myth that it was because Manchus were "afraid of water".

Incoming refugees did not translate into a major labor force, owing to their re-migration into prosperous regions of Guangdong. In 1683, the Qing dynasty conquered Taiwan and annexed it into the Fujian province, as Taiwan Prefecture. Settlement of Taiwan by Han Chinese followed. Today, most Taiwanese are descendants of Hokkien people from Southern Fujian. Fujian arrived at its present extent after Taiwan was developed into an independent province (Fujian-Taiwan-Province) starting in 1885.^[31] Just ten years later, the Qing ceded Taiwan to Japan via the Treaty of Shimonoseki after losing the First Sino-Japanese War.

Republican China[edit]

People's Republic[edit]

Owing to the mountainous landscape, Fujian was the most secluded province of the PRC in eastern China due to the lack of rail and underdeveloped networks of paved roads before the 1950s. The first railway to the province, the Yingtan-Xiamen Railway, was completed in 1957. Despite its secluded location, Fujian has had a strong academic tradition since the Southern Song dynasty. At the time, north China was occupied by the Jurchen Jin dynasty during the Jin-Song wars, which caused a shift of the cultural center of China to the south, benefiting Fuzhou and other southern cities. In the Chinese Academy of Science and Chinese Academy of Engineering, there are more members from Fuzhou than from any other city.^{[citation needed]} Fujian's slow development in its early days has proved a blessing for the province's ecology; today, the province has the highest forest coverage rate and the most diverse biosphere in China whereas central China suffers from severe overpopulation and displays severe signs of soil erosion, with frequent droughts and floods due to lack of forest coverage.^{[citation needed]}

Since the late 1970s, the economy of coastal Fujian has greatly benefited from its geographic and cultural proximity to Taiwan. In 2003, Xiamen ranked number eight in GDP per capita among 659 Chinese cities, ahead of Shanghai and Beijing, while Fuzhou was no. 21 (number 4 among 30 provincial capitals).^{[citation needed]} The development has been accompanied by a large influx of population from the overpopulated areas in the north and west, and much of the farmland and forest as well as cultural heritage sites such as the temples of king Wuzhu have given way to ubiquitous high-rise buildings. The government faces challenges at all levels to sustain development while at the same time preserving Fujian's unique and vital natural and cultural heritage.

Geography[edit]

Wuyi Mountains

Min River (閩江) in Nanping (南平)

The province is mostly mountainous, and is traditionally said to be "Eight parts mountain, one part water, and one part farmland" (八山一水一分田). The northwest is higher in altitude, with the Wuyi Mountains forming the border between Fujian and Jiangxi. It is the most forested provincial level administrative region in China, with a 62.96% forest coverage rate in 2009.^[32] Fujian's highest point is Mount Huanggang in the Wuyi Mountains, with an altitude of 2,157 metres (1.340 mi).

Fujian faces East China Sea to the east, South China Sea to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the southeast. The coastline is rugged and has many bays and islands. Major islands include Quemoy (also known as Kinmen) (controlled by the Republic of China), Haitan Island, and Nanri Island. Meizhou Island occupies a central place in the cult of the goddess Matsu, the patron deity of Chinese sailors.

The Min River (閩江) and its tributaries cut through much of northern and central Fujian. Other rivers include the Jin and the Jiulong. Due to its uneven topography, Fujian has many cliffs and rapids.

Fujian is separated from Taiwan by the 180 kilometres (110 mi)-wide Taiwan Strait. Some of the small islands in the Taiwan Strait are also part of the province. The islands of Quemoy and Matsu are under the administration of the Republic of China.

Fujian contains several faults, the result of collision between the Asiatic Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate. The Changle-Naoao and Longan-Jinjiang fault zones in this area have annual displacement rates of 3–5 mm. They could cause major earthquakes in the future.^[33]

Fujian has a subtropical climate, with mild winters. In January, the coastal regions average around 7–10 °C (45–50 °F) while the hills average 6–8 °C (43–46 °F). In the summer, temperatures are high, and the province is threatened by typhoons coming in from the Pacific. Average annual precipitation is 1,400–2,000 millimetres (55–79 in).

Transportation[edit]

The province has improved its infrastructure considerably by adding 166 kilometres (103 mi) of new roads and 155 kilometres (96 mi) of railways.^[when?]

Roads[edit]

As of 2012^[update], there are 54,876 kilometres (34,098 miles) of highways in Fujian, including 3,500 kilometres (2,200 miles) of expressways. The top infrastructure projects in recent years have been the Zhangzhou-Zhaoan Expressway (US$624 million) and the Sanmingshi-Fuzhou expressway (US$1.40 billion). The 12th Five-Year Plan, covering the period from 2011 to 2015, aims to double the length of the province's expressways to 5,500 kilometres (3,400 mi).^[34]

Railways[edit]

Fuzhou train station

Due to Fujian's mountainous terrain and traditional reliance on maritime transportation, railways came to the province comparatively late. The first rail links to neighboring Jiangxi, Guangdong and Zhejiang Province, opened respectively, in 1959, 2000 and 2009. As of October 2013, Fujian has four rail links with Jiangxi to the northwest: the Yingtan–Xiamen Railway (opened 1957), the Hengfeng–Nanping Railway (1998), Ganzhou–Longyan Railway (2005) and the high-speed Xiangtang–Putian Railway (2013). Fujian's lone rail link to Guangdong to the west, the Zhangping–Longchuan Railway (2000), will be joined with the high-speed Xiamen–Shenzhen Railway (Xiashen Line) in late 2013. The Xiashen Line forms the southern-most section of China's Southeast Coast High-Speed Rail Corridor. The Wenzhou–Fuzhou and Fuzhou–Xiamen sections of this corridor entered operation in 2009 and links Fujian with Zhejiang with trains running at speeds of up to 250 km/h (155 mph).

Within Fujian, coastal and interior cities are linked by the Nanping–Fuzhou (1959), Zhangping–Quanzhou–Xiaocuo (2007) and Longyan–Xiamen Railways, (2012). To attract Taiwanese investment, the province intends to increase its rail length by 50 percent to 2,500 km (1,553 mi).^[35]

Air[edit]

The major airports are Fuzhou Changle International Airport, Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport, Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport, Nanping Wuyishan Airport, Longyan Guanzhishan Airport and Sanming Shaxian Airport. Xiamen is capable of handling 15.75 million passengers as of 2011. Fuzhou is capable of handling 6.5 million passengers annually with a cargo capacity of more than 200,000 tons. The airport offers direct links to 45 destinations including international routes to Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Hong Kong.^[35]

Major cities:

• 
  Fuzhou (Foochow)


• 
  Xiamen (Amoy)


• Ningde


• Putian


• 
  Quanzhou (Chinchew)


• 
  Zhangzhou (Changchow)


• Longyan


• Sanming


• Nanping


• Pingtan

Administrative divisions[edit]

The People's Republic of China controls most of the province and divides it into nine prefecture-level divisions: all prefecture-level cities (including a sub-provincial city):

Administrative divisions of Fujian
Prefecture-level city district areas      County-level cities
№	Division code[36]	Division	Area in km2[37]	Population 2010[38]	Seat	Divisions[39]
						Districts	Counties	CL cities
	350000	Fujian Province	121400.00	36,894,216	Fuzhou city	29	44	12
1	350100	Fuzhou city	12155.46	7,115,370	Gulou District	6	6	1
2	350200	Xiamen city	1699.39	3,531,347	Siming District	6
6	350300	Putian city	4119.02	2,778,508	Chengxiang District	4	1
8	350400	Sanming city	22928.79	2,503,388	Meilie District	2	9	1
7	350500	Quanzhou city	11245.00	8,128,530	Fengze District	4	5*	3
9	350600	Zhangzhou city	12873.33	4,809,983	Longwen District	2	8	1
4	350700	Nanping city	26280.54	2,645,549	Jianyang District	2	5	3
3	350800	Longyan city	19028.26	2,559,545	Xinluo District	2	4	1
5	350900	Ningde city	13452.38	2,821,996	Jiaocheng District	1	6	2
Sub-provincial cities * - including Jinmen County claimed by the PRC controlled by the ROC (included in the total Counties' count)

All of the prefecture-level cities except Longyan, Sanming, and Nanping are found along the coast.

The nine prefecture-level divisions are subdivided into 85 county-level divisions (28 districts, 13 county-level cities, and 44 counties). Those are in turn divided into 1,107 township-level divisions (605 towns, 328 townships, 18 ethnic townships, and 156 subdistricts). Note: these are the official PRC numbers. Thus, Quemoy (Jinmen) is included as one of the 45 counties and Matsu (Mazu) as one of the 334 townships.

Quemoy (Jinmen) County is nominally controlled by Quanzhou Prefecture-Level city, but it is administered in its entirety by the Republic of China. The PRC-administered Lianjiang County, under the jurisdiction of Fuzhou Prefecture-level City, nominally includes the Matsu Islands (Mazu), but Matsu (Mazu), in reality, is controlled by the Republic of China, which administers Matsu as Lienchiang County (which is the same name but romanized differently). The Wuchiu (Wuqiu) islands are nominally administered in the PRC by Xiuyu District of Putian Prefecture, but, in reality, is controlled by the Republic of China, which administers Wuchiu (Wuqiu) as part of Quemoy (Jinmen) County.

Urban areas[edit]

Politics[edit]

List of the Secretaries of the CPC Fujian Committee

• 
  Zhang Dingcheng (张鼎丞): June 1949-October 1954


• 
  Ye Fei (叶飞): October 1954-June 1958


• 
  Jiang Yizhen (江一真): acting 1958–1970


• 
  Han Xianchu (韩先楚): April 1971-December 1973


• 
  Liao Zhigao (廖志高): December 1974-February 1982


• 
  Xiang Nan (项南): February 1982-March 1986


• 
  Chen Guangyi (陈光毅)； March 1986-December 1993


• 
  Jia Qinglin (贾庆林): December 1993-October 1996


• 
  Chen Mingyi (陈明义): October 1996-December 2000　


• 
  Song Defu (宋德福): December 2000-February 2004


• 
  Lu Zhangong (卢展工): February 2004-November 2009


• 
  Sun Chunlan (孙春兰): November 2009-December 2012


• 
  You Quan (尤权): December 2012 – October 2017


• 
  Yu Weiguo (于伟国): October 2017 – present

List of Governors

• 
  Zhang Dingcheng (张鼎丞): August 1949-October 1954 　


• 
  Ye Fei (叶飞): October 1954-January 1959


• 
  Jiang Yizhen (江一真): October 1959-December 1962


• 
  Wen Jinshui (魏金水): December 1962-August 1968　


• 
  Han Xianchu (韩先楚): August 1968-December 1973


• 
  Liao Zhigao (廖志高): November 1974-December 1979


• 
  Ma Xingyuan (马兴元): December 1979-January 1983


• Hu Ping (胡平): January 1983-September 1987


• 
  Wang Zhaoguo (王兆国): September 1987-November 1990


• 
  Jia Qinglin (贾庆林): November 1990-April 1994


• 
  Chen Mingyi (陈明义): April 1994-October 1996


• 
  He Guoqiang (贺国强): October 1996-August 1999


• 
  Xi Jinping (习近平): August 1999-October 2002


• 
  Lu Zhangong (卢展工): October 2002-December 2004


• 
  Huang Xiaojing (黄小晶): December 2004-April 2011


• 
  Su Shulin (苏树林): April 2011-November 2015


• 
  Yu Weiguo (于伟国): November 2015 – January 2018


• 
  Tang Dengjie (唐登杰): January 2018 – present

Economy[edit]

Fuzhou, the capital and largest city in Fujian province

Fujian is one of the more affluent provinces with many industries spanning tea production, clothing and sports manufacturers such as Anta, 361 Degrees, Xtep, Peak Sport Products and Septwolves. Many foreign firms have operations in Fujian. They include Boeing, Dell, GE, Kodak, Nokia, Siemens, Swire, TDK and Panasonic.^[41]

In terms of agricultural land, Fujian is hilly and farmland is sparse. Rice is the main crop, supplemented by sweet potatoes and wheat and barley.^[44] Cash crops include sugar cane and rapeseed. Fujian leads the provinces of China in longan production, and is also a major producer of lychees and tea. Seafood is another important product, with shellfish production especially prominent.

Because of the geographic location with Taiwan, Fujian has been considered the battlefield frontline in a potential war between mainland China and Taiwan. Hence, it received much less investment from Chinese central government and developed much slower than the rest of China before 1978. Since 1978, when China opened to the world, Fujian has received significant investment from overseas Fujianese around the world, Taiwanese and foreign investment. Today, although Fujian is one of the wealthier provinces of China, its GDP per capita is only about the average of China's coastal administrative divisions.^[45]

See also List of Chinese administrative divisions by GDP per capita

Minnan Golden Triangle which includes Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou accounts for 40 percent of the GDP of Fujian province.

Fujian province will be the major economic beneficiary of the opening up of direct transport with Taiwan which commenced on December 15, 2008. This includes direct flights from Taiwan to major Fujian cities such as Xiamen and Fuzhou. In addition, ports in Xiamen, Quanzhou and Fuzhou will upgrade their port infrastructure for increased economic trade with Taiwan.^[46][47]

Fujian is the host of China International Fair for Investment and Trade annually. It is held in Xiamen to promote foreign investment for all of China.

In 2011, Fujian's nominal GDP was 1.74 trillion yuan (US$276.3 billion), a rise of 13 percent from the previous year.^[48] Its GDP per capita was 46,802 yuan (US$7,246 (9th)).^[45]

By 2015 Fujian expects to have at least 50 enterprises that have over 10 billion RMB in annual revenues. The government also expects 55 percent of GDP growth to come from the industrial sector.^[49]

Economic and Technological Development Zones[edit]

Mud clams, oysters and shrimp are raised in Anhai Bay off Shuitou.^[50]

• Dongshan Economic and Technology Development Zone


• 
  Fuzhou Economic & Technical Development Zone


• Fuzhou Free Trade Zone


• Fuzhou Hi-Tech Park


• Fuzhou Taiwan Merchant Investment Area


• 
  Jimei Taiwan Merchant Investment Area


• 
  Meizhou Island National Tourist Holiday Resort


• 
  Wuyi Mountain National Tourist Holiday Resort


• 
  Xiamen Export Processing Zone


• Xiamen Free Trade Zone


• Xiamen Haicang Economic and Technological Development Zone


• Xiamen Torch New & Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone (Chinese version)


• 
  Xinglin Taiwan Merchant Investment Area

Demographics[edit]

She ethnic townships in Fujian

As of 1832, the province was described as having an estimated "population of fourteen millions."^[51]

Han Chinese make up 98% of the population. Various Fujianese peoples (Min-speaking groups) make up the largest subgroups of Han Chinese in Fujian. This includes the Hoklo people, Fuzhounese people, Teochew people and Putian people.

Hakka, a Han Chinese people with its own distinct identity, live in the southwestern parts of the province bordering Guangdong. Hui'an, also a Han branch with their distinct culture and fashion, populate Fujian's southeast coastline near Chongwu in Hui'an County. The She, scattered over mountainous regions in the north, is the largest minority ethnic group of the province.^[52]

Many ethnic Chinese around the world, especially in Southeast Asia, trace their ancestries to Fujian. Descendants of Fujianese emigrants make up the predominant majority ethnic Chinese populations of Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines. Fujian, especially Fuzhou City, is also the major source of Chinese immigrants in the United States, especially since the 1990s.^[53]

Religion[edit]

The predominant religions in Fujian are Chinese folk religions, Taoist traditions and Chinese Buddhism. According to surveys conducted in 2007 and 2009, 31.31% of the population believes and is involved in Chinese ancestral religion, while 3.5% of the population identifies as Christian.^[54] The reports didn't give figures for other types of religion; 65.19% of the population may be either irreligious or involved in Chinese folk religion, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, folk religious sects, and small minorities of Muslims.

Culture[edit]

Because of its mountainous nature and the numerous waves of migration from central China in the course of history, Fujian is one of the most linguistically diverse places in all Han Chinese areas of China. Local dialects can become unintelligible within 10 kilometres (6.2 mi). This is reflected in the expression that "if you drive five miles in Fujian the culture changes, and if you drive ten miles, the language does".^[55] Most varieties spoken in Fujian are assigned to a broad Min category. Early classifications, such as those of Li Fang-Kuei in 1937 and Yuan Jiahua in 1960, divided Min into Northern and Southern subgroups. More recent classifications subdivide Min into^[56][57]

• 
  Southern Min, including the Amoy dialect and Taiwanese
  


• 
  Pu-Xian, spoken in central coastal areas


• 
  Eastern Min (the former Northern group), including the Fuzhou dialect
  


• 
  Northern Min, spoken in inland northern areas


• 
  Central Min, spoken in the west of the province


• 
  Shao-Jiang, spoken in the northwest

(The seventh subdivision of Min, Qiong Wen, is not spoken in Fujian.) Hakka, another subdivision of spoken Chinese, is spoken around Longyan by the Hakka people who live there.

As is true of other provinces, the official language in Fujian is Mandarin, which is used for communication between people of different localities,^[55] although native Fujian peoples still converse in their native languages and dialects respectively.

Several regions of Fujian have their own form of Chinese opera. Min opera is popular around Fuzhou; Gaojiaxi around Jinjiang and Quanzhou; Xiangju around Zhangzhou; Fujian Nanqu throughout the south, and Puxianxi around Putian and Xianyou County.

Kompyang (房村光饼) sold on the streets of Fujian cities

Fujian cuisine, with an emphasis on seafood, is one of the eight great traditions of Chinese cuisine. It is composed of traditions from various regions, including Fuzhou cuisine and Min Nan cuisine. The most prestigious dish is Fotiaoqiang (literally "Buddha jumps over the wall"), a complex dish making use of many ingredients, including shark fin, sea cucumber, abalone and Shaoxing wine (a type of Chinese alcoholic beverage).

Many well-known teas originate from Fujian, including oolong, Wuyi Yancha, Lapsang souchong and Fuzhou jasmine tea. Indeed, the tea processing techniques for three major classes tea, namely, oolong, white tea and black tea were all developed in the province. Fujian tea ceremony is an elaborate way of preparing and serving tea. In fact, the English word "tea" is borrowed from Hokkien of the Min Nan languages. (Mandarin and Cantonese pronounce the word chá.)

Fuzhou bodiless lacquer ware, a noted type of lacquer ware, is noted for using a body of clay and/or plaster to form its shape; the body later removed. Fuzhou is also known for Shoushan stone carvings.

Tourism[edit]

Hekeng village, in Shuyang Town, is one of the many tulou villages of Fujian's Nanjing County.

Places of interest include:

• 
  Fujian Tulou, listed by the UNESCO as one of the World Heritage Site (2008)


• 
  Guanghua Temple, mainland Putian
  


• 
  Gulangyu Island, Xiamen
  


• 
  Kaiyuan Temple, Quanzhou
  


• 
  Mount Taimu, Fuding
  


• 
  Nanshan Temple, Zhangzhou
  


• The Matsu pilgrimage centers around Meizhou Island (Putian Municipality), because she was born there and died on the Matsu Islands.


• 
  Wuyi Mountains, listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1999


• 
  Yongquan Temple, Fuzhou
  

Notable individuals[edit]

The province and its diaspora abroad also has a tradition of educational achievement, and has produced many important scholars, statesmen and other notable persons since the time of the Song dynasty, such as:

• 
  Huang Qiaoshan (871–953), Vice-Minister of Works, Tang dynasty


• 
  Zheng Qiao (1108–1166), historian


• 
  Zhu Xi (1130–1200), Confucian philosopher


• 
  Huang Senping (14th–15th century), royal son-in-law of Sultan Muhammad Shah of Brunei
  


• 
  Hong Chengchou (1593–1665), Ming dynasty official


• 
  Shi Lang (1621–1696), Qing dynasty admiral


• 
  Koxinga (1624–1662), Ming dynasty general who expelled the Dutch from Taiwan


• 
  Lin Zexu (1785–1850), scholar and official


• 
  Wong Nai Siong (1849–1924), scholar, revolutionary, discovered the town of Sibu in Sarawak, east Malaysia in 1901


• 
  Lin Shu (1852–1924), translator


• 
  Yan Fu (1854–1921), scholar and translator


• 
  Lin Yutang (1894–1976), writer


• 
  Zheng Zhenduo (1898–1958), literary historian


• 
  Ong Schan Tchow (Chinese: 翁占秋) (1900–1945), artist well known for the painting of the “Book of Chrysanthemums”


• 
  José Rizal (1861–1896), National Hero of the Philippines whose lineage is from Fujian


• Tsai Chi-Kun (1912–2004), "father of the Taiwan Symphony"


• 
  Go Seigen (1914–2014), pseudonym of Go champion Wú Qīngyuán


• 
  Kaisen Huang (born 1963), Chef


• 
  Zhang Jingchu (born 1980), actress


• 
  Raymond Lam (born 1979), Hong Kong actor


• 
  Lin Dan (born 1983), professional badminton player


• 
  Gong Beibi (born 1978), Actress

Miscellaneous topics[edit]

Corporations with headquarters in Fujian include:

• China Clean Energy

Professional sports teams in Fujian include:

• 
  Chinese Basketball Association
  
  • Fujian Xunxing


• 
  Chinese Football Association Jia League
  
  • Xiamen Lanshi F.C.

Education[edit]

High schools[edit]

• Fuzhou Gezhi High School


• Fuzhou No.1 Middle School


• Fuzhou No.3 Middle School


• Quanzhou No.5 Middle School


• Xiamen Shuangshi High School


• Xiamen Foreign Language School


• Xiamen No.1 Middle School

Colleges and universities[edit]

National[edit]

• 
  Xiamen University (founded 1921, also known as University of Amoy, "985 project", "211 project") (Xiamen)


• 
  Huaqiao University (Quanzhou, Xiamen)

Provincial[edit]

• 
  Fuzhou University (founded 1958, one of "211 project" key Universities)u(Fuzhou)


• 
  Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (Fuzhou)


• 
  Fujian College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Fuzhou)


• 
  Fujian Medical University (Fuzhou)


• 
  Fujian Normal University (founded 1907) (Fuzhou)


• 
  Fujian University of Technology (Fuzhou)


• 
  Xiamen University (Xiamen)


• 
  Jimei University (Xiamen)


• 
  Xiamen University of Technology (Xiamen)


• 
  Longyan University (Longyan)


• 
  Minnan Normal University (Zhangzhou)


• 
  Minjiang University (Fuzhou)


• 
  Putian University (Putian)


• 
  Quanzhou Normal College (Quanzhou)


• 
  Wuyi University (Wuyishan)

Private[edit]

• 
  Yang-en University (Quanzhou)

See also[edit]

• Major national historical and cultural sites in Fujian

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

Economic data

• Economic profile for Fujian

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fujian.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Fu-kien.

• 
  Fujian travel guide from Wikivoyage


• 
  (in Chinese) Fujian Government Website (PRC)
  


• 
  (in Chinese) Fujian Provincial Government (ROC)
  


• 
  (in English) (in Chinese) Complete Map of the Seven Coastal Provinces from 1821-1850