The China Zone |
Fujian
is one of the provinces on the southeast coast of China. Fujian
borders Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong
to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait.
The name Fujian comes from the combination of Fuzhou and Jian'ou,
two cities in Fujian. The name was coined during Tang Dynasty.
Most of Fujian is administered by the People's
Republic of China. However, the archipelagos of Kinmen and Matsu
are under the control of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Thus,
there are two provinces (in the sense of government organizations;
PRC's Fujian and ROC's Fujian). The Tanshishan 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 site (ca.1325 BC), also in suburban Fuzhou, was of the Bronze Age in character. This area was also the place for the kingdom
of Minyue. The word "Minyuè" was derived by
combining "Min", perhaps an ethnic name and associated
with the Chinese word for barbarians, and "Yue", after
the State of Yue, a Spring and Autumn Period kingdom in Zhejiang
Province to the north. This is because the royal family of Yuè
fled to Fujian after their kingdom was annexed by the State
of Chu in 306 BC. Min is also the name of the main river in
this area, but the ethnonym is probably earlier. The province 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 (controlled by the Republic of China), Haitan Island, and Nanri Island. The River Min Jiang and its tributaries cut through much of northern and central Fujian. Other rivers include the Jinjiang River and the Jiulong River. Due to its uneven topography, Fujian has many cliffs and rapids. Fujian is separated from Taiwan by the 180-km-wide Taiwan Strait. Some of the small islands in the Taiwan Strait are also part of the province. Small parts of the province, namely the islands of Quemoy and Matsu, are under the administration of the Republic of China. Fujian has a subtropical climate, with warm winters. In January the coastal regions average around 7-10 °C while the hills average 6-8 °C. In the summer, temperatures are high, and the province is threatened by typhoons coming in from the Pacific. Average annual precipitation is 1400-2000 mm.
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