Fujian

Quanzhou

Situated on the coast of the East China Sea and having in view Taiwan from across the Straits, Quanzhou is the hometown of many overseas Chinese and Taiwan compatriots. Covering a land area of 11,015 square kilometers, it has under its jurisdiction Licheng County, Fengze County, Luojiang County, Jinjiang County, Shishi County, Nan’an County, Hui’An County, Anxi County, Yongchun County, Dehua County, Jinmen County (to be unified) and Xiaocuo Zone.

Quanzhou is an old city that maintains its historical and cultural traditions, as well as a modern port city for industries, trade and tourism. With a long history, it has accumulated rich cultural resources and is one of the first batch 24 historical and cultural cities proclaimed by the State Council. Quanzhou takes the lead in ocean shipping, and even as early as in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) it had already been one of China’s four major ports of foreign trade. During the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Quanzhou witnessed its overall prosperity and became the break-ground port of the so-called Maritime Silk Road. Also known as the biggest oriental port, Quanzhou has been engaged in trade with over 100 countries and regions, creating the all-time prosperity.

There are beautiful scenes and rich human and cultural resources in Quanzhou. It now possesses a national key resort, a state-level natural protection zone and 50 cultural protection units, of which 12 are classified as state-level and 37 as provincial level. So many places of interest win Quanzhou praises. It is said that to see underground relics, you should go to Xi’an; and to appreciate aboveground scenes, go to Quanzhou. Quanzhou is also a museum of world religions. Economic and cultural exchanges are closely accompanied by the spread of Buddhism, Islam, Christianity (including Catholics), Hindu, Manicheism and Judaism.

Fuzhou

Fuzhou is an ancient city along the southeast coast and an old foreign trade port of China. It was once called as the Metropolis in Southeast China and the City of Treasure and Fortune.

Fuzhou has a long history of more than 2,200 years. There are a lot of scenic spots, many of which are kept intact. For example, the Hualin Temple, the oldest wooden temple south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, which was built 1,000 years ago; one of the Top Four Steles: the Dezheng Stele of the King of Liangya with thousand years of history; the 1,200 year-old Wushi Mountain Cliffside Stone Carvings inscribed by the well-known calligraphist Li Yangbing; the relics of the Neolithic Age primitive society in Tanshi Village of Minhou County.

With the Yushan, Wushan and Pingshan mountains leaning to each other, Fuzhou is endowed with enchanting scenery. Gushan Mountain was once one of the Top Five Jungles and the Top Ten Temples. Along the way from Maweigang District to Minjingkou there are other scenic spots such as the Luoxing Pagoda, the Leg of Buddha's Warrior Attendant, South-North Tortoise, Five Tigers Isle, and the Emperor Oasis, etc. The gilded Iron Buddha in the Kaiyuan Temple is 5.3meters tall. Its head is beyond the reach of the hand even one stands on his shoulder. The Buddha is sitting there with his legs crossed and palms put together.

Fuzhou also retains a lot of flavor of its traditional culture. The Fuzhou opera, lacquer ware, stone carving, woodcarving, ivory carving and jade caving are all with the unique Fuzhou flavor.

As an open city along the coastal line, Fuzhou was proclaimed a national historical and cultural city by the State Council in 1986.

Zhangzhou

Lying in the south of Fujian Province and the lower reaches of the Jiulong River, Zhangzhou was proclaimed as a historical and cultural city by the State council in 1986. Zhangzhou is a transportation pivot in the Fujian and Guangdong area. The Yingtan-Xiamen Railway connects many other cities all over the country. The road network in the city extends in all directions.

The ancient city with thousands years of history is surrounded by the clear Jiujiang River, the green banana orchards and litchi gardens. Zhishan Mountain with 12 peaks stands in the northwest of the city. Some 10 kilometers east of the city is Heming Mountain, which is full of oddly shaped stones and miraculous valleys, is claimed to be the Top One Cave. Zhangzhou has a large collection of cultural relics and historic sites. The Xiantong Depository of Buddhist Scriptures in the Central Park has Buddha sculptures and Buddhist scriptures carved on the pillar. The Nanshan Temple, with the Heavenly King Hall, the Great Hall and the Depository Hall, was built in the Kaiyuan reign of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and restored in the successive dynasties. The round buildings in Zhangzhou are really a wonder. They have 4 to 5 storeys built of rammed earth. There are buildings in round shape, in square shape and well shape, which were grouped into a shape of a crescent and a block. The remains of the relics amount to over one thousand. The Sanping Temple for pilgrimage is well known home and abroad because of its unique charm. The other famous scenic spots are the Yundong Cliff, which was reputed as No. 1 Stele in South Fujian; the Ciji Palace in Baiqiao, which was claimed the Forbidden City of South Fujian; the Jiangdong Bridge, which was the biggest one with stone beams; the Nanshan Temple with a thousand-year history; the Zhao Family Village of the Song Dynasty (960-1279); the Eryi Building; the Tengfei Gymnasium for the national female volleyball team; the flower corridor and the national park with beach and mountain scenery.

Zhangzhou enjoys a pleasant environment with a mild climate and abundant rain. With an average annul temperature of 21.4oC, sunshine of over 2,000 hours, a precipitation of 1,500mm, and a frost-free period of 330 days, Zhangzhou is a natural green house in the subtropical monsoonal climate zone. Wheat and rice have three times of harvest here, and it is entitled the land of flowers, rice, fish and fruit, as all of these have big output. Orange, litchi, banana, longan, pomelo and olive here are of international fame. Zhangzhou also has three treasures, namely narcissus, Pianzaihuang (Chinese herb), and Babao Inkpad.

Changting

Changting, also known as Tingzhou, is situated in the west of Fujian Province, and is a stronghold on the border of Fujian and Jiangxi provinces. It is a famous old revolutionary base. Being the fifth largest county in Fujian Province, the whole county has 11 towns and 8 villages, with a total population of 480,000 and a total area of 3,099 square kilometers.

Changting has a hilly upland terrain and is of a subtropical maritime monsoon climate. It has an average temperature of 18.3 °C and an average annual precipitation of 1,731.9 mm, suitable for growing several kinds of grains and cash crops.

Changting is a famous historic cultural city. It is the capital of the Hakkas, and one of the birthplaces of ancient civilization in Fujian. Established as a county in the 24th year of the Kaiyuan reign in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Changting was the locus of the canton and the government office and is the political, economic and cultural center of western Fujian. The Tingjiang River, originated within Changting, is the mother river of the Hakkas; Tingzhou County was a representative place inhabited by the Hakkas in history and quite a lot of Hakkas from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan as well as Southeast Asian countries came here to trace their roots.

Changting boasts a historic cultural heritage of a long history and well-preserved relics inside the county include the ancient city gate, the Sanyuan Pavilion and the Baozhu Gate of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Chaotian Gate of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the ancient city walls from the Tang to the Ming Dynasty, the Temple of Literature of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and the Tingzhou Examination Hall of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the twin cypresses of the Tang Dynasty, the Shuangyin Tower of the Song Dynasty and the Zhuzi Ancestral Temple of the Qing Dynasty, etc. In the county, there are altogether seven key cultural relics sites under the national protection, six cultural relics sites under the provincial protection, and 27 cultural relics sites under the county-level protection.

Meizhou

Meizhou City is located in the northeast of Guangdong Province, adjoins to Wuping, Shanghang, Yongding and Pinghe counties in Fujian Province to the northeast, connects with Xunwu County in Jiangxi Province to the northwest, borders Longchuan County and Zijin County in Heyuan City of Guangdong Province to the west, and neighbors Luhe County of Shanwei City and Longcheng District and Jiexi County of Jiexi City in Guangdong Province to the south, and borders Chao’an County and Raoping County of Chaozhou City to the southeast. Under its jurisdiction there are Meijiang District, Meixian County, Jiaoling County, Dapu County, Fengshun County, Wuhua County and Pingyuan County.

Meizhou has a long history. It was established as a prefecture named Jingzhou in the Nanhan (911-971), changed into Meizhou in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) and Jiaying Prefecture in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). After several subsequent shift of jurisdiction and change of popedom, it was turned into Meizhou City in 1988. Now Meizhou is a famous historical and cultural city.

Meizhou has quite some scenic spots and human culture and historic sites, attracting numerous tourists. Guo Moruo described cultural relics in Meizhou as top-notch in his poem on his inspection tour to the city in 1965.

Meizhou has been reputed as the Town of Overseas Chinese, the Town of Soccer and the Tower of Culture. Currently, it has a population of about 4 million overseas Chinese sojourning in over 70 countries and regions worldwide. Meizhou has attached much importance to culture and education since ancient times, and enjoys advanced education now. The city is the hometown of Huang Zunxian, a diplomat and reformist, modern poet Li Jinhua, painter Lin Fengmian and marshal Ye Jianying.

Xiamen

Located on the southeastern coast of Fujian Province, Xiamen City consists of Xiamen Island, Gulangyu Islet and the coastal part of the northern banks of inland Jiulongjiang River, covering an area of 1,565 square kilometers. Built in 1955, the Gaoji (Gaoqi-Jimei) Causeway has turned Xiamen Island into a peninsula by linking it to the mainland.

Xiamen Municipality consists of six districts and one county. They include Kaiyuan, Siming, Gulangyu, Huli, Jimei and Xinglin Districts, and Tongan County. The city’s population is 1.2467 million, of which 40 percent are urban residents.

Xiamen enjoys a southern, subtropical monsoon climate: mild temperatures and rich rainfalls. The annual average temperature of Xiamen is 21 C with a high of 38.4 C and a low of 2 C. Annual rainfall ranges between 1,100 mm, with most of the rainfall in May, June and July. The winds in Xiamen average at 3 to 5 on the Beaufort scale, with the northeasterly wind prevailing.

Xiamen and its surrounding countryside offer spectacular scenery and pleasant tree-lined beaches. Gulangyu, also known as Piano Island, is a popular, peaceful weekend getaway. While Xiamen's Botanical Garden is a nature lover's paradise, the Buddhist Nanputao Temple, dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), is a national treasure.

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