() is a

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

of far southern

Fujian Province 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 ...

, People's Republic of China, located along the

Taiwan Strait The Taiwan Strait is a -wide strait separating the island of Taiwan and continental Asia. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is wide. The Taiwan Strait is itself a ...

. It comprises 44 islands for a total area of and is under the administration of Zhangzhou City. The total population was 200,000. Dongshan County has jurisdiction over seven towns, a nationally managed forest and an economic and technological development district.Case Study Reports 5
Global Environmental Forum (GEF), Japan, n.d. It is an important port for

international trade International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (see: World economy) In most countries, such trade represents a significa ...

and trade with Taiwan.

History

On one of the islands, there are several ancient relics, including the 'Mountain of the Nine Immortals', and the Dongshan ancient city, where two famous

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

generals,

Qi Jiguang Qi Jiguang (, November 12, 1528 – January 17, 1588), courtesy name Yuanjing, art names Nantang and Mengzhu, posthumous name Wuyi, was a Chinese military general and writer of the Ming dynasty. He is best known for leading the defense on t ...

and Zheng Chenggong were based. Tongling Town on Northeastern Dongshan Island has an ancient waterside castle. Tonghshan Castle was built of stone in 1387 by Zhou Dexing of the Ming Dynasty to protect against Japanese pirates. The gate tower still stands intact. Inside, a path is linked by corridors and the exquisite Temple of Guan Yu. The entrance to the temple is flanked by ancient houses, the birthplace of Huang Daozhou, an official of the Ming Dynasty. In 1950, at the end of the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on main ...

, the island was the scene of fighting between the nationalist

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Ta ...

and

Chinese Communist The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Ci ...

forces, and again in 1953 during the so-called Dongshan Island Campaign, an unsuccessful attempt by the nationalists to retake the island.

Economy

Dongshan County is situated between two economically vibrant cities of

Xiamen Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong' ...

and

Shantou Shantou, alternately romanized as Swatow and sometimes known as Santow, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong, China, with a total population of 5,502,031 as of the 2020 census (5,391,028 in 2010) and an administrative ...

. Both are

Special Economic Zones A special economic zone (SEZ) is an area in which the business and trade laws are different from the rest of the country. SEZs are located within a country's national borders, and their aims include increasing trade balance, employment, increas ...

which have spillover economic effects for Dongshan County, such as increased tourism. The total GDP of islands in 2003 was 3.62 billion yuan. The main industries are fishery, fish farming and asparagus farming.

Tourism

The tourism industry is based on rich ancient history, seaside resorts and breath taking scenery.

Administration

There are seven towns () under the county's administration: *

Xibu Xibu () is the chief town of Dongshan County, in Zhangzhou, 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 ...

(), the county seat * Tongling (), former county seat * Qianlou () * Chencheng () * Kangmei () * Zhangtang () * Xingchen () The county has jurisdiction over a nationally managed forest and an economic and technological development district.

Geography and climate

Dongshan is located in the southernmost part of the province, with

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung City ( Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Ka ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

to the east and

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

to the southwest. The climate of the Dongshan Islands is

humid subtropical A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

( Köppen ''Cfa'') and moderated by their coastal location, without frost through the year. In winter, north-east winds, and in summer south-east winds prevail. The annual average temperature is . The coolest month of the year is February with an average temperature of ; the hottest, July, with an average temperature of . The annual average rainfall is only , which causes a shortage of fresh water, especially from October to January. Additional water must be acquired from outside for both domestic and industrial use.

Transport

Dongshan Port is one of the main ports in Fujian, open to foreign vessels since 2003 and very close to Taiwan and Hong Kong. The port has a large body of water, large hinterland, and a deep, sediment-free harbour. The harbour is big enough for twenty-two 10,000 tons berths. Currently, the port has two deep water harbours built to accommodate 3,000 tons berths. These facilities provide Dongshan Port an important commercial link between Xiamen and Shantou.

References

External links

Dongshan Island - A Natural Wonderland
diedao.com {{Authority control County-level divisions of Fujian Island counties of China Zhangzhou