Fujian Province

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Fujian province lies on the eastern coast of China. It borders Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces. Fuzhou is the capital of the province. The province has a population of more than 44 million. Many ethnic Chinese around the world, especially in Southeast Asia, trace their ancestry to Fujian.

Descendents of emigrants from Fujian make up the majority of ethnic Chinese in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Fujian's mountainous plains cover an area of more than 120-thousand square kilometers. The Wuyi mountain is widely considered the most scenic one in Fujian and the most outstanding biodiversity conservation zone of Southeast China. It entered UNESCO's natural and cultural list of World Heritage Sites in 1999.

Since China's opening up to the world in 1978, Fujian has greatly benefited from its coastal location. Its fledgling economy has grown rapidly on the back of significant investment from overseas.

The province is also the major economic beneficiary of the opening up of direct transport with Taiwan, which commenced in December 2008. This includes direct flights from Taiwan to major Fujian cities such as Fuzhou and Xiamen. Ports in Fuzhou, Xiamen and Quanzhou are upgrading their infrastructure to accommodate growing economic trade with Taiwan.

Improving its transport network is high on the government's work list. Fujian now has nearly 55,000 kilometers of highways including more than 700 kilometers of expressways. To attract investment, the province intends to increase the length of its expressways to more than 2,400 kilometers by 2010. It also aims to extend its rail length by 50 percent to 2,500 kilometers.

In 2008, Fujian's GDP was over one trillion yuan or 155 billion US dollars, a rise of 13 percent from the previous year. 40% of its GDP comes from Minnan Golden Triangle, which includes Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou.