Dongshan County
| Dongshan County 东山县 | |
|---|---|
| County | |
  Dongshan | |
| Coordinates: 23°41′58″N 117°25′13″E / 23.69944°N 117.42028°ECoordinates: 23°41′58″N 117°25′13″E / 23.69944°N 117.42028°E | |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Province | Fujian |
| Prefecture-level city | Zhangzhou |
| Area | |
| • Total | 194 km2 (75 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 200,000 |
| • Density | 1,000/km2 (2,700/sq mi) |
| Time zone | China Standard (UTC+8) |
Dongshan (help·info) (simplified Chinese: 东山县; traditional Chinese: 東山縣; pinyin: Dōngshān Xiàn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tang-soaⁿ-koān) is a county of far southern Fujian province, People's Republic of China, located along the Taiwan Strait.[1] It is under the administration of Zhangzhou City and comprises 44 islands for a total area of 194 square kilometres (75 sq mi). The total population was 200,000. Dongshan County has jurisdiction over 7 towns, a nationally managed forest and an economic and technological development district.[2] It is considered an important port for international trade and trade with Taiwan
History
In 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 generals, Qi Jiguan and Zheng Chenggong were based.
There is the ancient Tonghshan Castle situated in Tongling Town on northeastern Dongshan Island. This waterside 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, there is a path 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.[3]
In 1950, at the end of the Chinese Civil War, the island was the scene of fighting between the nationalist and communist forces, and again in 1953 during an unsuccessful attempt by the nationalists to retake the island.
Economy
Dongshan County is conveniently situated between two economically vibrant cities of Xiamen and Shantou. Both of which are Special Economic Zones 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. The tourism industry is based on rich ancient history, seaside resorts and breath taking scenery.[2]
Administration
There are six Towns (镇, zhen) under the county's administration:
- Tongshan (铜山), the county seat
- Tongling （铜陵）
- Xipu (西埔)
- Qianlou (前楼)
- Chencheng (陈城)
- Kangmei (康美)
- Zhangtang (樟塘)
- Xingchen (杏陈)
Geography and climate
Dongshan is located in the southernmost part of the province, with Kaohsiung, Taiwan 110 nautical miles (200 km; 130 mi) to the east and Hong Kong 210 nautical miles (390 km; 240 mi) to the southwest.
The climate of the Dongshan Islands is humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa) and moderated by their coastal location, with no frost throughout the year. In winter, north-east winds, and in summer south-east winds prevail. The annual average temperature is 20.9 °C (69.6 °F). The coolest month of the year is February with an average temperature of 13.1 °C (55.6 °F); the hottest, July, with an average temperature of 27.5 °C (81.5 °F). The annual average rainfall is only 1,256 millimetres (49.4 in), which causes a shortage of fresh water, especially from October to January. Additional water must be acquired in from outside for both domestic and industrial use.[2]
| Climate data for Dongshan County (1971−2000) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 16.2 (61.2) |
16.1 (61) |
18.1 (64.6) |
22.3 (72.1) |
26.0 (78.8) |
28.8 (83.8) |
30.7 (87.3) |
30.7 (87.3) |
29.7 (85.5) |
26.8 (80.2) |
22.8 (73) |
18.5 (65.3) |
23.9 (75.0) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 11.5 (52.7) |
11.2 (52.2) |
12.9 (55.2) |
16.9 (62.4) |
21.1 (70) |
24.2 (75.6) |
25.2 (77.4) |
25.2 (77.4) |
24.5 (76.1) |
21.8 (71.2) |
17.8 (64) |
13.7 (56.7) |
18.8 (65.9) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 31.4 (1.236) |
65.1 (2.563) |
89.8 (3.535) |
135.7 (5.343) |
152.7 (6.012) |
210.0 (8.268) |
139.4 (5.488) |
217.4 (8.559) |
102.0 (4.016) |
49.5 (1.949) |
33.2 (1.307) |
29.6 (1.165) |
1,255.8 (49.441) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 6.5 | 9.9 | 12.4 | 12.6 | 13.9 | 14.0 | 9.3 | 11.0 | 8.3 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 110.0 |
| Source: Weather China [4] | |||||||||||||
Transport
Dongshan Port is one of the main ports in Fujian opened to foreign vessels and is the very near to Taiwan and Hong Kong. The port has 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. Dongshan Port has been opened to foreign vessels since 2003.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dongshan Island - A Natural Wonderland
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 (Japanese) http://www.gef.or.jp/20club/E/Dongshang-e.htm
- ↑ Zhangzhou - Fujian Province travel guide - China travel guide, Fujian China travel services, Fujian tours
- ↑ "东山城市介绍" (in Simplified Chinese). Weather.com.cn. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
External links
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