全景中国——福建：山海交辉的文化福地

    It is easy to have a quick look at Chinas past and present,but it takes time to gain a panoramic knowledge of China.The “Pan-oramic China”series is meant to assist readers ,especially those overseas,in this respect.Each volume in the series focuses on a province,municipalityt or autono-mous region,describing,with illustrations,the outstanding char-acteristics of each area from dif-ferent perspectives.

It is easy to have a quick look at China's past and present, but it takes time to gain a panoramic knowledge of China. The "Panoramic China" series is meant to assist readers, especially those overseas, in this respect. Each volume in the series focuses on a province, municipality or autonomous region, describing, with illustrations, the outstanding characteristics of each area from different perspectives.

Fujian, lying between mountains and sea, is a beautiful, indeed a uniquely favored place.

The verdant Wuyi Mountain rising in the north of Fujian, has the steepness and grandeur of Mount Huangshan, plus the prettiness and elegance of Guilin’s mountains and waters. It is the most magnificent in Southeast China. Its extraordinary beauty brought into being the Neo-Confucian school of idealist philosophy under the great master Zhu xi; the mountain-dwelling She people, and the Hakka people respecting the culture, customs and traditions of the Central Plains each have their unique mountain culture. The Wuyi Mountain, representative of Fujian mountain culture was honored by the United Nations as a World Natural and Cultural Heritage site.

Fujian’s indented 3,300-km-long coast-line also created a typical maritime culture, represented by Citong Port and Mawei Shipyard. In particular, Xiamen, a garden city located at the southern extremely of Fujian, poised between blue sky and green sea, and its famous Gulangyu Islet with its rare flowers, winds and sea waves, together witnessed the humiliations of modern China’s history. As a place where the cultures of East and West joined together, it absorbed many aspects of Western civilization, which enriched the province’s maritime culture. Now, the garden city of Xiamen, with its culture, openness and beauty, has become one of the world’s most congenial cities for living in.

Overview Multi-Faceted Fujian
Where Was the Starting Point of Fujian Civilization?
The Short but Eventful History of Minyue
Birthplace of Zhu Xi s Neo-COnfu-Cianism
The Cult of Mazu the Sea Goddess
start of the Maritime Silk Road
Starting Point of Zheng He s Voyages
Cradle of Modern Shipbuilding and Navigation
The Hakka-Upholders of Orthodoxy
The She People_Sons of the Mountain and Forest
Across the Narrow Straits
Bringing Home the Fruits of Prosperity
Appendices
Ⅰ Major Agencies
Ⅱ Climate
Ⅲ Major Hotels Catering to Over-seas Visitors
Ⅳ Fujian Tourist Map

Introduction

China has 23 provinces, four municipalities directly under the Central Government, five autonomous regions and two special administrative regions. Due to geographic and topographical differences and climatic varieties, each area has its own unique natural scenery. The mountains in the north of the country are rugged, the Gobi in the northwest shines brilliantly in the sunlight, the hills in the southeast are often shrouded in floating fog, green waves of sorghum and soybean crops undulate over the vast fields of the northeast, and the mountains in the southwest, with sequestered villages and terraced fields, look tranquil and picturesque.

There are 56 ethnic groups in China. The Han, making up the overwhelming majority of the population, mainly live in the eastern and central parts of the country, while many ethnic groups, regardless of size, are equal and respect each other. Each ethnic group has its own folk customs, religious beliefs and cultural traditions, and most use their own language and script. Regional autonomy is practiced in areas where ethnic minorities live in compact communities. All the ethnic groups call themselves “Chinese.” They are courteous and friendly. In the ethnic-minority areas, the quiet environment, quaint buildings, exquisite fashions, unsophisticated folk customs and hospitality of the local people hold a great appeal to visitors from afar.

China boasts 5,000 years of recorded civilization and a brilliant culture. The country is home to such world-renowned cultural treasures as the Great Wall, terracotta warriors and horses of the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, Mogao Grottoes at Dunhuang, and Ming and Qing imperial palace and mausoleums, and large numbers of ancient architectural masterpieces, including temples, Buddhist pagodas, residential buildings, gardens, bridges, city walls and irrigation works. There are also cultural relics unearthed from ancient sites, including painted pottery, jade ware, bronze wa ……