Geography and climate
Fujian borders Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west and faces East China Sea to the east, South China Sea to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the southeast.
The province is mostly mountainous, and is traditionally described to be "Eight parts mountain, one part water, and one part farmland" (八山一水一分田). The northwest is higher in altitude, with the Wuyi Mountains forming the border between Fujian and Jiangxi. The highest point of Fujian is Huanggang Peak in the Wuyi Mountains, with an altitude of 2157 m.
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 has a subtropical climate, with warm winters. In January the coastal regions average around 7-10 °C(45-50℉) while the hills average 6-8 °C(43-46℉). In summer temperatures are high, and province is threatened by typhoons coming in from the Pacific. Average annual precipitation is 1400-2000 mm.


Fujian is one of the provinces on the southeast coast of China, it has an area of 47,500 sq mi (123,100 sq km). The name Fujian comes from the combination of Fuzhou and Jian’ou, two cities in Fujian. The name was coined during Tang Dynasty.
Administrative divisions
Fujian province is divided into nine prefecture-level divisions, all of them prefecture-level cities are:
• Fuzhou
• Xiamen
• Zhangzhou
• Quanzhou
• Sanming
• Putian
• Nanping
• Longyan
• Ningde
All of the prefecture-level cities except Longyan, Sanming, and Nanping are found along the coast.
The nine prefecture-level divisions are subdivided into 85 county-level divisions (26 districts, 14 county-level cities, and 45 counties). Those are in turn divided into 1107 township-level divisions (605 towns, 328 townships, 18 ethnic townships, and 156 subdistricts). (Note: Quemoy is included as one of the 45 counties and Matsu as one of the 334 townships.)


History
Fujian province’s boundaries were established during the Nan Song dynasty (1127 – 1279), when it became an important shipbuilding and commercial centre for overseas and coastal trade. It declined when the Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644) banned maritime commerce. Its coastal cities were occupied by the Japanese in 1939 – 45 during World War II, and the 3rd Field Army took control of the province in 1949.
Ethnic group
Han Chinese makes up most of the population. Hakka, a Han Chinese people with its own distinct identity, live in the southwestern parts of the province. The She, scattered over mountainous regions in the north, is the largest minority ethnic group of the province.
Many ethnic Chinese around the world, especially Southeast Asia, trace their ancestry to Southern Fujian (Min Nan). Descendants of Southern Fujian emigrants make up the majority of the majority ethnic Chinese population of Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia. Fujian, especially Fuzhou, is also the major source of undocumented Chinese American aliens residing in the United States. In some villages, a stay within the United States is considered a rite of passage.


Economy
Fujian is hilly and farmland is sparse. Rice is the main crop, supplemented by sweet potatoes and wheat. Cash crops include sugar cane and rapeseed. Fujian leads the provinces of China in longan production, and is also a major producer of lychees and tea. Seafood is another important product, with shellfish production especially prominent.
Fujian is one of the wealthier provinces of China. Xiamen was one of the first cities in China to be classified as a Special Economic Zone. Because of the closeness both geographically and culturally with Taiwan, Fujian receives much investment from there.
Tourism
Places of interest include:
• Guanghua Temple, mainland Putian
• Gulangyu Island, Xiamen
• Kaiyuan Temple, Quanzhou
• Mount Tailao, Fuding
• Mount Wuyi
• Nanshan Temple, Zhangzhou


Culture
Because of its mountainous nature and the numerous waves of migration from central China in the course of history, Fujian is one of the most linguistically diverse places in all Han Chinese areas of China. Local dialects can become unintelligible within 10 km. This is reflected in the expression that "if you drive five miles in Fujian the culture changes, and if you drive ten miles, the language does". Classifications of these various dialects have confounded linguists. In general, most dialects of Fujian are put into a broad Min category, then subdivided into Min Bei, Min Dong, Min Zhong, Min Nan, Pu Xian, and Shao Jiang. (The seventh subdivision of Min, Qiong Wen, is not spoken in Fujian.) The Fuzhou dialect is part of Min Dong; the Xiamen dialect is part of Min Nan. Hakka, another subdivision of spoken Chinese, is spoken around Longyan by the Hakka people who live there.
As is true of other provinces, the official language in Fujian is Standard Mandarin, which is used for communication between people of different localities. During the Qing dynasty, traders in Fujian also used pidgin English as a common language, although this is now extinct.
Broadly speaking, two distinct subcultures have evolved in Fujian. The Northern Min culture centered on Fuzhou is marked by the early adoption of Buddhism, and shows influences of Japanese culture and Japanese cuisine through contacts made with the Ryukyu Islands. The Southern Min culture of the Xiamen-Quanzhou-Zhangzhou region is considered to be more adventurous and entrepreneurial, and has been influenced by Southeast Asia through continuing contact with the descendants of Southern Min natives who emigrated there over the last 300 years. Each of the two cultures has its own traditional operas and ballads, recording a thousand years of Fujian’s history.
Several regions of Fujian have their own form of Chinese opera. Minju is popular around Fuzhou; Gaojiaxi around Jinjiang and Quanzhou; Xiangju around Zhangzhou; Fujian Nanqu throughout the south, and Puxianxi around Putian and Xianyou County.
Fujian cuisine, with an emphasis on seafood, is one of the eight great traditions of Chinese cuisine. It is composed of traditions from various regions, including Fuzhou cuisine and Min Nan cuisine. The most prestiged dish is Fotiaoqiang (literally "Buddha Jumps Over Wall"), a complex dish making use of many ingredients, including shark fin, sea cucumber, abalone, and Shaoxing wine (a form of "Chinese alcoholic beverage").
Many famous teas originate from Fujian, including oolong, Wuyi Yancha, and Fuzhou jasmine tea. Fujian tea ceremony is an elaborate way of preparing and serving tea. In fact, the English word "tea" is borrowed from Min Nan language.
Fuzhou bodiless lacquerware, a famous type of lacquerware, is noted for using a body of clay and/or plaster to form its shape; the body later removed. Fuzhou is also famous for Shoushan stone carvings.