Gutian County

Gutian County
古田县
County

Location in Ningde City
Gutian

Location in Fujian

Coordinates: 26°37′N 118°51′E / 26.617°N 118.850°ECoordinates: 26°37′N 118°51′E / 26.617°N 118.850°E
Country People's Republic of China
Province Fujian
Prefecture-level city Ningde
Time zone China Standard (UTC+8)

 Gutian  (simplified Chinese: 古田县; traditional Chinese: 古田縣; pinyin: Gǔtián Xiàn; Foochow Romanized: Kŭ-chèng Gâing) is a county lying in the northeastern Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of Ningde City and is located in the southwest part of the municipality. It is also known as "the town of the former worthy", as Zhu Xi, a famous Chinese scholar once lived there. In earlier English documents it is also known as Kutien or Kucheng.

History

The county was set up in the Tang Dynasty in 741 AD. Since Zhuxi, one of the famous scholars in China, lived there, it is also called "the town of the former worthy."

In 1895 the county was the site of a massacre of Christian missionaries.

Geography

The Min River (Fujian) runs through Gutian, covering a distance of 35 kilometres (22 mi).

Scenic Areas

There are a number of scenic areas in Gutian.

Subdivision

Gutian has jurisdiction over 8 towns and 7 villages. It has a total population of 430,000.

Agriculture

Gutian county is known as "The Land of Fungi" (食用菌之乡). Fungal exports include snow fungus (Tremella fuciformis) (白木耳) and shiitake (Lentinula edodes) (香菇). Other exports include perch (鲈鱼), carp (鲤鱼), honey peaches (水蜜桃), reddish slab stones (桃花红石板材) and Younai plums (油柰).

Communications and public works

Gutian's transportation systems include railways, highways and seaways. Waifu (外福) Railway is 33.2 km long. Abundant water resources have led to the building of the first national underground hydropower station, Gutian Xishui Hydroelectric Power Station, which has the largest volume in the Huadong district.

Miscellaneous

Gutian is the original home of many countrymen residing abroad. The number of overseas Chinese from this area amounts to more than 200,000, many now resident in Sitiawan, Perak in Malaysia. It is also a "national model county", which is famous for its culture, physical education and broadcasting TV programs.

See also

References