Fujian Travel Guide

Geographic location

Fujian Province is situated in southeast China on the coast of the East China Sea. It faces Taiwan Province across the Taiwan Straits and adjoins Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Guangdong Provinces on the northeast, northwest and southwest. Its coastline stretches 3,324 kilometers, and the surrounding sea is dotted with 1,401 islands. Fujian is a vital navigation hub between the East China Sea and the South China Sea.

Climate

Fujian has a sub-tropical climate, warm and humid. There is a marked difference in climate between the north and south, coastal and inland regions, and valleys and mountains. It has an average annual temperature of 17ºC-21ºC (63ºF-70ºF) and an average annual precipitation of 1,100-2,000 millimeters.

History and culture

Thanks to numerous waves of migrants from central China, Fujian is one of the most linguistically diverse places in China. Local dialects are often unintelligible within a small area. It is said that if you drive five miles in Fujian the culture changes, and if you drive ten miles, the language does. Classifying these various dialects has confounded linguists. During the Qing dynasty, traders in Fujian also used Pidgin English.

Fujian cuisine is one of the eight great traditions of Chinese cuisine. The most prestigious dish is Fotiaoqiang, which literally means "Buddha jumps over the wall." It's a complex dish using many ingredients, including shark's fin, sea cucumber, abalone, and Shaoxing wine.

Oolong, Wuyi Yancha, and Fuzhou jasmine tea are grown in Fujian. The English word "tea" is borrowed from the Min Nan dialect. In standard Mandarin and standard Cantonese, tea is pronounced cha.

Fuzhou bodiless lacquer ware uses a clay and/or plaster form to shape the body of the item. The clay is later removed. Fuzhou is also famous for Shoushan stone carvings.

People

At the end of the year 2005, the total population of Fujian Province was 35.35 million. Han people make up most of the population. Hakka, a Han people with its own distinct identity, live in the southwestern parts of the province. The She people, who live in the mountainous regions in the north, are the largest minority ethnic group.

Travel suggestions

Fujian has many cultural sites from the Qin (221-207 BC), Han (206 BC-AD 220), Tang (618-907), Song (960-1279), Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) Dynasties. There are numerous temples, pagodas, bridges and castles, as well as former residences of celebrities. Fujian has a wide variety of navigation relics and religious artifacts.

The province is blessed with beautiful mountains: Wuyi Mountain, Gushan (Drum Hill) in Fuzhou, Tailao Mountain in east Fujian and Wanshiyan in Xiamen, superb beaches: the bathing beach on Gulangyu Islet of Xiamen, Luanwan Beach on Dongshan Island, Longwangtou Beach at Pingtan and Meizhou Island at Putian, scenic rivers and lakes: the Jiuqu (Nine-Bend) Stream in Wuyi Mountain and Jinhu Lake, the largest artificial lake in Fujian.

Northwest Fujian is noted for danxia and karst terrain, which forms grotesque rocks and fantastic caves. The Wuyi and Meihua mountain nature reserves preserve vast expanses of virgin forests, with a wide variety of plants and animals. Fujian also has a host of gardens, parks and hot springs. Colorful ethnic customs, unique local cultures and desirable products make Fujian an attractive place for tourism.

Currently, Fujian boasts two national tourist holiday resorts, nine national scenic spots, four national nature reserves (forest parks), four national-level historical and cultural cities, 29 key cultural sites under state protection, 19 provincial-level scenic spots, six provincial tourism economic development areas, and 204 cultural sites under provincial protection.