Sanming (,

Foochow Romanized Foochow Romanized, also known as Bàng-uâ-cê (BUC for short; ) or Hók-ciŭ-uâ Lò̤-mā-cê (), is a Latin alphabet for the Fuzhou dialect of Eastern Min adopted in the middle of the 19th century by Western missionaries. It had varied at dif ...

: Săng-mìng), also known as Minzhong (), is a

prefecture-level city A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. During the Republican era, many of China' ...

in western

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

province, China. It borders

Nanping Nanping (), historically known as Yanping (), is a third-tier prefecture-level city in northwestern Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. It borders Ningde to the east, Sanming to the south, and the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangxi to th ...

City to the north,

Fuzhou Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute t ...

City to the east,

Quanzhou Quanzhou, postal map romanization, alternatively known as Chinchew, is a prefecture-level city, prefecture-level port city on the north bank of the Jin River, beside the Taiwan Strait in southern Fujian, China. It is Fujian's largest metrop ...

City to the southeast,

Longyan Longyan (; Hakka: ''Liùng-ngàm''; Longyan dialect: ''Lengngia'') is a prefecture-level city in south-western Fujian Province, China, bordering Guangdong to the south and Jiangxi to the west. History In 736 AD, (the Tang dynasty), the prefect ...

City to the south and the province of

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

to the west. Sanming lies between Wuyi and Daiyun mountains.

Geography and climate

The prefecture level city of Sanming has a total area of , of which 82 percent of this extension is composed of mountainous areas, 8.3 percent of

arable land Arable land (from the la, arabilis, "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for the ...

and 9.7 percent of water or other type of terrain. Sanming is well known by its beautiful nature landscape with different landforms, including unique

Danxia Landform The Danxia landform () refers to various landscapes found in southeast, southwest and northwest China that "consist of a red bed characterized by steep cliffs". It is a unique type of petrographic geomorphology found in China. Danxia landform ...

and abundant

Karst topography Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

. The most famous spots include global

geopark A geopark is a protected area with internationally significant geology within which sustainable development is sought and which includes tourism, conservation, education and research concerning not just geology but other relevant sciences. In 20 ...

Taining Golden Lake in

Taining County Taining County () is a county in the northwest of Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It is the northernmost county-level division of the prefecture-level city of Sanming. Area: . Population: 130,000. Postal Code: 354400. The county ...

, Yuhua Cave in

Jiangle County Jiangle County () is a county of western Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to t ...

and Goose Cave in

Ninghua County Ninghua () is a county of the prefecture-level city of Sanming, in western Fujian province, People's Republic of China, bordering Jiangxi to the west. The town of Shibi of Ninghua is well known as the cradle of the Hakka. Ninghua is also marked ...

Demographics

According to the 2010 Census, Sanming has a population of 2,503,338, 70,687 inhabitants less than in 2000 Census (the average annual population growth for the period 2000-2010 was of -0.28%). Compilation by LianXin website
Data from the Sixth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China
The emigration of population from Sanming to other areas of Fujian is a constant process, even encouraged by government politics since the 1960s.

Administration

The

of Sanming administers 2

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

, 1

county-level city A county-level municipality (), county-level city or county city, formerly known as prefecture-controlled city (1949–1970: ; 1970–1983: ), is a Administrative divisions of China#County level (3rd), county-level administrative divi ...

, 8

counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

. The information here presented is in km² and using data from 2010 Census.

History

In 1940 Sanyuan County was established. In 1956, Mingxi and Sanyuan Counties were combined to Sanming County, then in 1960 it was replaced with Sanming city.

Environment and tourism

Sanming has four well preserved and protected National Parks. The city was labeled as the most "green" city of the most "green" province in China. Da Jin Hu, which is the most famous tourist spot in Sanming, is also well known as Taining Gorden Lake

Geopark A geopark is a protected area with internationally significant geology within which sustainable development is sought and which includes tourism, conservation, education and research concerning not just geology but other relevant sciences. In 20 ...

marked by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. The Geopark is famous for its unique

. The lake situated inside Taining County at the south end of Wuyi Mountain is the major State-level place of scenic beauty with the length of 60-plus kilometres and water area of more than 50 thousand mu. The best tour season of Taining Jinhu Lake is from April to October each year. Besides, there are quite a number of places of historic interest and scenic beauty which include the State-level Taining Jinhu Lake, Yong-an Taoyuan Cave--------Linying Stone Forest, and the provincial level Jiangle Yuhua Cave, Sha Xian Qixian Cave, Ninghua Tian-er Cave and Meilie Ruiyun Mountain in Sanming. The natural reserves in Jiangle Longxi mountain, Xingkou Geshikao, Shaxian Nanmu Forest and Yong-an Tianbao Rock have been well known for the rare animals. The ancient architectural structure in Taining, Shibi Village, the originating place of the Hakkas in Ninghua and the birthplace of Zhu Xi in Youxi have all been noticeable both in China and overseas. Yong-an Taoyuan Cave, situated by Yan River on the north of Yong-an City, is a major State-level place of scenic beauty with an area of 10 kilometres. Linying Stone Forest, a marvellous spectacle located in Dahu Village northwest of Yong-an City, is a State-level major place of scenic beauty with a total area of . The architectural structure group built in the ancient Ming Dynasty situated at the center of the urban district of Taining County is a State-level cultural relics under protection, having a high value in studying the ancient Chinese architecture, especially that in the Ming Dynasty. The city is served by

Sanming Shaxian Airport Sanming Shaxian Airport is an airport serving the city of Sanming in Fujian Province, China. It is located in Fenggang Subdistrict of Shaxian District. The airport was opened on 7 March 2016. History Construction of Sanming Airport was first ...

. Sanming University is the sole university in Sanming.

Cuisine

Local food style in Sanming City normally includes various snacks especially the famous Sha County Snacks. Sha County snack is one of well-known snack styles in China, which can be found in hundreds of cities around mainland China.

Sha County Shaxian District (), formerly Sha County, is a District of Sanming, Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Shaxian District is the hometown of Shaxian delicacies, which are considered part of the food heritage of China. Transportation Shax ...

snacks have a long history and are known to be living artifacts of the Han people's food culture. Currently, 39 varieties of

snacks have been labeled as "Famous Chinese Snacks" and 63 kinds as "Famous Fujian Snacks." The China Cuisine Association awarded Sha County the title of "Snack Culture City“ in China on December 8, 2006. The production process of

snacks was listed in Fujian

intangible cultural heritage An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. Int ...

in 2007, and has been declared a national intangible cultural heritage. Representing Fujian, Sha County snacks are also available on the Chinese Food Street at the Shanghai 2010 World Expo. Besides

snacks, Yong'an snacks and

snacks attract local people a lot as well.

Twin towns – sister cities

Lansing Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, makin ...

, United States

References

External links

Government website of Sanming
{{authority control Cities in Fujian Prefecture-level divisions of Fujian