Fujian

Fujian, province, southeastern China, on the Taiwan Strait opposite the island of Taiwan. Also called Fukien, it has an almost entirely mountainous terrain and an irregular coast, indented by numerous bays and harbors. Rice, double-cropped in the humid subtropical climate, is grown in small alluvial valleys; tea and fruit are produced in upland areas. The capital and largest city is Fuzhou; other urban centers are Xiamen (Amoy), Zhangzhou, and Nanping.

Fujian came under Chinese domination in the Qin (Ch’in) dynasty (221-206 bc), but was not effectively Sinicized before the 7th century ad. Its overseas trade prospered from the 12th to the 17th century and then declined with the rise of the port of Guangzhou (Canton) to the west. Fuzhou and Xiamen, opened to foreign trade in 1842, were important as tea ports in the 19th century. The presence of Nationalist forces on the strategic offshore islands of Matsu and Chinmen (Quemoy) since 1949 has adversely affected coastal shipping. The construction of railroads to neighboring provinces since the 1950s has alleviated the region's physical isolation. Area, 120,000 sq km (46,000 sq mi); population 34,880,000 (2003 estimate).