Lianjiang County

Lianjiang County 连江县
County
Lianjiang Location in Fujian
Coordinates: 26°12′N 119°32′E / 26.200°N 119.533°E / 26.200; 119.533Coordinates: 26°12′N 119°32′E / 26.200°N 119.533°E / 26.200; 119.533
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Fujian
Prefecture-level city	Fuzhou
Area
• Total	1,168.1 km2 (451.0 sq mi)
Population
• Total	620,000
• Density	530/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)

Lianjiang (simplified Chinese: 连江; traditional Chinese: 連江; pinyin: Liánjiāng; Wade–Giles: Lien²-chiang¹; BUC: Lièng-gŏng) is a suburban county of Fuzhou on the eastern coast of Fujian province, People's Republic of China. Most of the county is controlled by the People's Republic of China (PRC), while a number of outlying islands, collectively referred to as the Matsu Islands, are administered as a separate Lienchiang County (same Chinese name but in Wade–Giles Romanization) by the Republic of China (ROC), based in Taiwan since 1949. As a result, the county has two governments governing separate jurisdictions.

See Matsu Islands for a description of ROC-governed Lienchiang County.^{[Notes 1]}

Administration

PRC jurisdiction:

• Capital: Fengcheng Town
• Population: 620,000
• Area: 1,168.1 km² (451.0 sq mi)
• Geographic coordinates: 26°03'-26°27' N, 119°17'-120°31' E
• Coastline length: 209 km (130 mi)

Towns (镇, zhen)

The PRC governs 14 towns:

• Fengchang (凤城镇) ("Phoenix City Town")
• Mabi (马鼻镇) ("Horse Snout Town")
• Danyang (丹阳镇)
• Dongdai (东岱镇)
• Donghu (东湖镇) ("East Lake Town")
• Guanban (官坂镇) (Traditional: 官阪镇)
• Tailu (苔菉镇)
• Aojiang (敖江镇) ("Ao River Township")
• Pukou (浦口镇) ("River Mouth Township")
• Toubao (透堡镇)
• Huangqi (黄岐镇)
• Xiao'ao (晓澳镇)
• Guantou (琯头镇 - Guàntóu; officially 倌头 Guāntou)
• Xiaocheng (筱埕镇 - Xiǎochéng)

Townships (乡, xiang)

• Xiagong (下宫乡)
• Xiaocang She-nation Ethnic Township (小沧畲族乡; Traditional: 小滄佘族鄉)
• Changlong (长龙乡) ("Long Dragon Township")
• Ankai (安凯乡)
• Kengyuan (坑园乡)
• Liaoyan (蓼沿乡)
• Pandu (潘渡乡)

These townships are divided into 266 villages.

History

Lianjiang, in 282, during the Jin Dynasty, was Wenma, named after a shipyard there, Wensha Ship-hamlet (溫麻船屯). It was incorporated into Min Prefecture (閩縣) in 607, during the Sui Dynasty.

Wenma was changed to the present name and made its own county during in 623, during the Tang Dynasty, when Baisha (白沙) or Fusha (伏沙) of Aojiang was the capital of Lianjiang County. The capital was changed to Fengcheng as today in 742.

After the Republic of China was established, Lianjiang switched back and forth numerous times between two special regions:

• Minhou Special Region (閩侯專區) (total 18 years)
• Fu'an (Ningde) Special Region (福安（寧德）專區) (total 16 years)

In 1949, the county was split in two due to the Chinese Civil War, as it remains today.

Beginning on 1 July 1983, the PRC side reverted control to Fuzhou Municipality.

Culture

Residents of Lianjiang, both mainland and Matsu speak Fuzhou dialect, a branch of Eastern Min. The dialect is also known as Bàng-uâ (平話).

Economy

Food products:

• Farm: loquats, rice, sweet potato, bean, cotton, sugar cane, tea plant, jasmine, watermelon, mushroom, grapes.
• Sea: rhubarb, hairtail, shad, pomfret, cuttlefish, garoupa, prawn, crab, clam.
• Other: Yuanhong wine (“元紅”)

Transportation

Luochang Express Way runs through the county 104 national Highway in 500.3 kilometres (310.9 mi). 42.6-kilometre (26.5 mi) navigable river length.

Guantou and Kemen (可門) are the largest seaports in Lianjiang with national access.

Tourism

There are hot springs in Gui'an (貴安) and Tanghui (湯尾) of Pandu. There is a Dragon King Palace-Temple (龍宮廟) in the Xiaocang She Nationality Rural Township.

Notes

External links

• Tourism website (Chinese)
• Tourism (Matsu National Scienic Area)
• County Official Website (ROC) (Chinese (Taiwan))