Ningde
Encyclopedia
Ningde also known as Mindong , is a prefecture-level city
located along the northeastern coast of Fujian
province, China
. It borders Fuzhou
to the south, Wenzhou
City and Zhejiang
province to the north, and Nanping
City to the west.
Ningde City administers 1 district, 2 cities
, 6 counties, as well as 124 towns, township
s and subdistrict
s. Listed below are the district, cities and counties, first four of which are coastal whereas the rest locate in mountainous areas.
Ningde's history dates back to the Stamped Pottery Culture System (海印紋陶文化系統 Hāi-éng-ùng-dò̤ Ùng-huá Hiê-tūng). As early as 10,000 to 20,000 years ago during the late Upper Palaeolithic period of the Stone Age
(also known as the Old Stone Age) there were already human beings living and multiplying here. In 282, the Jin Dynasty
government established magistrate rule here.
(1206 – 1368), Funingzhou (福寧州 Hók-nìng-ciŭ) Administration was set up. In 1736, during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng
of the Qing Dynasty
, Ningde was promoted to Funingfu (福寧府 Hók-nìng-hū) Administration.
. After 1949, the People's Republic of China
established Fu'an Special Administration Zone. Finally in June 1971 the Zone was promoted to Ningde Prefecture.
, the prefecture of Ningde spans 13,500 km² in land area. Like the rest of Fujian
province, Ningde sits in a mountainous region but it also enjoys almost 200 km of coastline facing the Taiwan Strait
and East China Sea
.
It is subjected to a humid subtropical climate
, with occasional threat of typhoons. The mean annual temperature
ranges from 13.4 to 20.2 Celsius
(or 56.1 to 68.4 Fahrenheit
), while mean annual rainfall ranges from 1250 to 2350 millimeters. The region also enjoys a frost
-free period of 235 to 300 days per year, which is highly beneficial for soil agriculture
.
and tea
. The area also produces large quantities of various fruits, such as shaddock
s, Chinese chestnuts, plum
s, honey peaches, lychee
s and longan
s.
Tea cultivation has long been an important industry of Ningde. By 1999 statistics, the total area of tea plantations in Ningde had reached 463 km² and the output of green tea
took up 10.5 percent of that of the entire country. More than 1.2 million jobs were created directly and indirectly in different stages of the tea industry. Famous brands include the Tianshan Silver-Needle Tea, Baihao Silver-Needle Tea, Fenghuangshe, Lianyue Flower Tea and Xianyan Snow Peak.
The mountainous landscape and advantageous climate conditions are also beneficial to the development of forestry
. Up to 1999, 8,482 km², or 65.2 percent of the entire prefecture, are forested. Out of this area, bamboo
groves occupy 600 km², producing an annual output of six million bamboo products. In Fu'an
alone, the green bamboo base has extended to 34 km² and its output of green bamboo shoot
s takes up more than 60 percent of that of Fujian
province.
. In 2000, aquatic products take up 41.3 percent of the total output value of agriculture from Ningde, with an exporting value of USD 82,170,000 and an annual net income
exceeding RMB
3,500 for local fishermen. Major products include yellow croaker
s, oyster
s, razor clam
s, prawn
s and freshwater eel
s.
Local government is attempting to use aquaculture as a springboard to eliminate poverty and improve local economy. Up to 2000, aquaculture had created 370,000 jobs directly and indirectly; a total of RMB 4.5 billion had been invested, drawing an annual output value of RMB 2 billion.
, diorite
and basalt
. The confirmed volume of granite reserves extends to 1,140 million cubic meters, while estimated amount of deposits undiscovered stands at several thousand million cubic meters. The mining area for basalt in Bailin, Fuding
, known as Fuding Black, covers 0.21 square kilometers with a total deposit of up to 50 million cubic meters.
, zirconium oxide, aluminum, high-purity silicon carbide
, and a series of other silicon
products from plants in the prefecture enjoy high reputation and are exempted from examination when exported to Japan
. Advances in metallurgical technology also aids the shipbuilding
industry, a traditional trade in Ningde. In recent years, local shipyards have been capable of constructing 10,000-ton steamships.
From its many agricultural produces sprouted the long-running food processing
industry in Ningde. New techniques and formula adopted in recent years have allowed products such as tea, fruits and vegetables, mushrooms and marine products to be exported to the international market.
, Ningde has a registered population
of 3,393,698 inhabitants, although 2,821,996 persons declared to be permanent residents. It is also the primary residential region for the She minority people
, who take up to 25% of the total population.
A majority of the population speak Min Dong
.
are the most representative.
The bangtieji parade, mostly seen during the Chinese new year
, is a folk art performance popularized in Ningde since the Qing Dynasty
. During the parade, children dressed as characters from various Chinese folklore
sit or stand on parade vehicles, which were also decorated to resemble classic scenes such as the Heavenly Palace. The vehicles then cruise along the streets in the company of jovial music.
The puppet lion dance, popular in Huotong Town and Jiaocheng District
, originated from toys of the local children. The lions, made of colorful fabrics, are connected to wooden racks by ropes. Each individual rope controls a part of the lion's body, such as the head, tail or foot. The racks are set on vehicles moving through the streets. Performers on the vehicles pull on the ropes to make the lions dance or perform various tricks.
Paper art, mainly practised by women, is a specialty of Zherong County
. Common forms of the art include traditional flower patterns, words and daily life objects. Because of her paper art achievements, Zherong County was named "Home of Chinese Folk Arts" by the Ministry of Culture in 2000.
The She people
have also created and left many precious cultural heritages in their long historical practice. Owing to projects in recent years to protect the She heritage, three volumes of She folk tales, songs and proverbs have been published. In total, 184 tales, 330,000 words in songs, and 6,000 proverbs have been included. Art works have also been produced out of She folklore, which reflects their way of life.
There are many covered bridge
s in Ningde, particularly in Pingnan.
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
located along the northeastern coast of Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
province, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It borders Fuzhou
Fuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute the Mindong linguistic and cultural area....
to the south, Wenzhou
Wenzhou
Wenzhou is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. The area under its jurisdiction, which includes two satellite cities and six counties, had a population of 9,122,100 as of 2010....
City and Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
province to the north, and Nanping
Nanping
Nanping is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It borders Ningde City to the east, Sanming City to the south, and the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangxi to the north and west respectively...
City to the west.
Administration
The prefecture-levelPrefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
Ningde City administers 1 district, 2 cities
County-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....
, 6 counties, as well as 124 towns, township
Townships of the People's Republic of China
Townships formally township level divisions is the basic level of political divisions in China. They are similar to municipalities and communes in other countries and in turn may contain village committees and villages...
s and subdistrict
Subdistrict
Subdistrict is a low level administrative division of a country. In Thailand it may refer to the King Amphoe or to the Tambon. In England and Wales it was part of a Registration district....
s. Listed below are the district, cities and counties, first four of which are coastal whereas the rest locate in mountainous areas.
| English Name | Simplified | Traditional | Pinyin | Foochow | Area | Population | Density |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jiaocheng District Jiaocheng District Jiaocheng is a district in the municipal region of Ningde, Fujian Province, PRC. Also called Ningde Shiqu , the district seats the municipality's executive, legislature and judiciary, together with its Communist Party and Public Security Bureaux.-Situation:Jiaocheng is bordered by Xiapu and... |
蕉城区 | 蕉城區 | Jiāochéng Qū | Ciĕu-siàng-kṳ̆ | 1,537 | 429,260 | 279 |
| Fu'an City Fu'an Fu'an or Fu An is a county-level city in the Ningde prefecture level city, in northeast Fujian province, PRC, some 150 km away from the provincial capital Fuzhou.-Economy:Fu'an is known for its tea production... |
福安市 | 福安市 | Fú'ān Shì | Hók-ăng-chê | 1,795 | 563,640 | 314 |
| Fuding City Fuding Fuding City is a county-level city in northeastern Ningde prefecture level city, on Fujian's border with Zhejiang province.-Administrative:Fuding was promoted to county-level city status in 1995... |
福鼎市 | 福鼎市 | Fúdǐng Shì | Hók-tīng-chê | 1,526 | 529,534 | 347 |
| Xiapu County Xiapu County Xiapu , is a county in the municipal region of Ningde, Fujian. It has a stretch of East China Sea coast, with many harbours and islands... |
霞蒲县 | 霞蒲縣 | Xiápǔ Xiàn | Hà-puō-gâing | 1,716 | 461,176 | 269 |
| Gutian County Gutian County Gutian County , also known as Edible Mushroom County, is a county lying in the southwest of Ningde, Fujian province, China. It is also known as "the town of the former worthy", as Zhuxi, a famous Chinese scholar once lived there... |
古田县 | 古田縣 | Gǔtián Xiàn | Kŭ-chèng-gâing | 2,377 | 323,700 | 136 |
| Pingnan County Pingnan County, Fujian Pingnan County is an inland county in the western Ningde prefecture level city, colloquially the Mindong Region, i.e. northeastern Fujian province, China.- Administration :... |
屏南县 | 屏南縣 | Píngnán Xiàn | Bìng-nàng-gâing | 1,485 | 137,724 | 93 |
| Shouning County | 寿宁县 | 壽寧縣 | Shòuníng Xiàn | Sêu-nìng-gâing | 1,425 | 175,874 | 123 |
| Zherong County Zherong County Zherong County is a county of Fujian Province, China. It is under the administration of Ningde city.... |
柘荣县 | 柘榮縣 | Zhèróng Xiàn | Ciá-ìng-gâing | 544 | 88,387 | 162 |
| Zhouning County Zhouning County Zhouning County is a county of Fujian Province, China. It is under the administration of Ningde city.... |
周宁县 | 周寧縣 | Zhōuníng Xiàn | Ciŭ-nìng-gâing | 1,047 | 112,701 | 108 |
History
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
(also known as the Old Stone Age) there were already human beings living and multiplying here. In 282, the Jin Dynasty
Jìn Dynasty (265-420)
The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...
government established magistrate rule here.
Mongol-Manchu
During the first twenty-three years of the Yuan DynastyYuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
(1206 – 1368), Funingzhou (福寧州 Hók-nìng-ciŭ) Administration was set up. In 1736, during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng
Yongzheng Emperor
The Yongzheng Emperor , born Yinzhen , was the fifth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and the third Qing emperor from 1722 to 1735. A hard-working ruler, Yongzheng's main goal was to create an effective government at minimal expense. Like his father, the Kangxi Emperor, Yongzheng used military...
of the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, Ningde was promoted to Funingfu (福寧府 Hók-nìng-hū) Administration.
Republican
In 1934, an Administration Supervision Zone was set up here under the Republic of ChinaRepublic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
. After 1949, the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
established Fu'an Special Administration Zone. Finally in June 1971 the Zone was promoted to Ningde Prefecture.
Geography and climate
Situated roughly 300 kilometers north of the Tropic of CancerTropic of Cancer
The Tropic of Cancer, also referred to as the Northern tropic, is the circle of latitude on the Earth that marks the most northerly position at which the Sun may appear directly overhead at its zenith...
, the prefecture of Ningde spans 13,500 km² in land area. Like the rest of Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
province, Ningde sits in a mountainous region but it also enjoys almost 200 km of coastline facing the Taiwan Strait
Taiwan Strait
The Taiwan Strait or Formosa Strait, formerly known as the Black Ditch, is a 180-km-wide strait separating Mainland China and Taiwan. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to East China Sea to the northeast...
and East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
.
It is subjected to a humid subtropical climate
Humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...
, with occasional threat of typhoons. The mean annual temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
ranges from 13.4 to 20.2 Celsius
Celsius
Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
(or 56.1 to 68.4 Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit is the temperature scale proposed in 1724 by, and named after, the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit . Within this scale, the freezing of water into ice is defined at 32 degrees, while the boiling point of water is defined to be 212 degrees...
), while mean annual rainfall ranges from 1250 to 2350 millimeters. The region also enjoys a frost
Frost
Frost is the solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air. It is formed when solid surfaces are cooled to below the dew point of the adjacent air as well as below the freezing point of water. Frost crystals' size differ depending on time and water vapour available. Frost is also usually...
-free period of 235 to 300 days per year, which is highly beneficial for soil agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
.
Agriculture
The warm and moist climate and fertile land in the prefecture of Ningde provide it with favorable conditions for agriculture. The largest agricultural exports from Ningde include mushroomMushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
and tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
. The area also produces large quantities of various fruits, such as shaddock
Shaddock
Shaddock can refer to* NATO codenames for Soviet missiles:**P-5 Pyatyorka **SPU-35V Redut *Citrus fruit:** Pomelo , Citrus maxima** Grapefruit, Citrus × paradisi...
s, Chinese chestnuts, plum
Plum
A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and solitary side buds , the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one...
s, honey peaches, lychee
Lychee
The lychee is the sole member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. It is a tropical and subtropical fruit tree native to Southern China and Southeast Asia, and now cultivated in many parts of the world...
s and longan
Longan
Dimocarpus longan, commonly known as the longan, is a tropical tree native to South and Southeast Asia, in the Indomalaya ecozone known for its edible fruit.-Vernacular names:The fruit is known as longan or longyan in English...
s.
Tea cultivation has long been an important industry of Ningde. By 1999 statistics, the total area of tea plantations in Ningde had reached 463 km² and the output of green tea
Green tea
Green tea is made solely from the leaves of Camellia sinensis that have undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures throughout Asia. It has recently become more widespread in the West, where black tea is traditionally...
took up 10.5 percent of that of the entire country. More than 1.2 million jobs were created directly and indirectly in different stages of the tea industry. Famous brands include the Tianshan Silver-Needle Tea, Baihao Silver-Needle Tea, Fenghuangshe, Lianyue Flower Tea and Xianyan Snow Peak.
The mountainous landscape and advantageous climate conditions are also beneficial to the development of forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
. Up to 1999, 8,482 km², or 65.2 percent of the entire prefecture, are forested. Out of this area, bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
groves occupy 600 km², producing an annual output of six million bamboo products. In Fu'an
Fu'an
Fu'an or Fu An is a county-level city in the Ningde prefecture level city, in northeast Fujian province, PRC, some 150 km away from the provincial capital Fuzhou.-Economy:Fu'an is known for its tea production...
alone, the green bamboo base has extended to 34 km² and its output of green bamboo shoot
Bamboo shoot
Bamboo shoots or bamboo sprouts are the edible shoots of many bamboo species including Bambusa vulgaris and Phyllostachys edulis. They are used in numerous Asian dishes and broths...
s takes up more than 60 percent of that of Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
province.
Aquaculture
The prefecture of Ningde is blessed with vast area of shallow sea, which is suitable for aquacultureAquaculture
Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...
. In 2000, aquatic products take up 41.3 percent of the total output value of agriculture from Ningde, with an exporting value of USD 82,170,000 and an annual net income
Net income
Net income is the residual income of a firm after adding total revenue and gains and subtracting all expenses and losses for the reporting period. Net income can be distributed among holders of common stock as a dividend or held by the firm as an addition to retained earnings...
exceeding RMB
Renminbi
The Renminbi is the official currency of the People's Republic of China . Renminbi is legal tender in mainland China, but not in Hong Kong or Macau. It is issued by the People's Bank of China, the monetary authority of the PRC...
3,500 for local fishermen. Major products include yellow croaker
Sciaenidae
Sciaenidae is a family of fish commonly called drums, croakers, or hardheads for the repetitive throbbing or drumming sounds they make...
s, oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
s, razor clam
Pacific razor clam
The Pacific razor clam, Siliqua patula, is a species of large edible marine bivalve mollusc in the family Cultellidae.-Range:Pacific razor clams can be found along the Pacific West Coast from the eastern Aleutian Islands, Alaska, to Pismo Beach, California...
s, prawn
Prawn
Prawns are decapod crustaceans of the sub-order Dendrobranchiata. There are 540 extant species, in seven families, and a fossil record extending back to the Devonian...
s and freshwater eel
Eel
Eels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators...
s.
Local government is attempting to use aquaculture as a springboard to eliminate poverty and improve local economy. Up to 2000, aquaculture had created 370,000 jobs directly and indirectly; a total of RMB 4.5 billion had been invested, drawing an annual output value of RMB 2 billion.
Primary
Ningde is the producer of many nonmetallic mineral resources, such as graniteGranite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, diorite
Diorite
Diorite is a grey to dark grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar , biotite, hornblende, and/or pyroxene. It may contain small amounts of quartz, microcline and olivine. Zircon, apatite, sphene, magnetite, ilmenite and sulfides occur as accessory...
and basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
. The confirmed volume of granite reserves extends to 1,140 million cubic meters, while estimated amount of deposits undiscovered stands at several thousand million cubic meters. The mining area for basalt in Bailin, Fuding
Fuding
Fuding City is a county-level city in northeastern Ningde prefecture level city, on Fujian's border with Zhejiang province.-Administrative:Fuding was promoted to county-level city status in 1995...
, known as Fuding Black, covers 0.21 square kilometers with a total deposit of up to 50 million cubic meters.
Secondary
Ningde's rich hydropower resources give it a headstart in metallurgical industries. Products such as magnesiumMagnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
, zirconium oxide, aluminum, high-purity silicon carbide
Silicon carbide
Silicon carbide , also known as carborundum, is a compound of silicon and carbon with chemical formula SiC. It occurs in nature as the extremely rare mineral moissanite. Silicon carbide powder has been mass-produced since 1893 for use as an abrasive...
, and a series of other silicon
Silicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, it is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon, the nonmetal directly above it in the periodic table, but more reactive than germanium, the metalloid directly below it in the table...
products from plants in the prefecture enjoy high reputation and are exempted from examination when exported to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Advances in metallurgical technology also aids the shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
industry, a traditional trade in Ningde. In recent years, local shipyards have been capable of constructing 10,000-ton steamships.
From its many agricultural produces sprouted the long-running food processing
Food processing
Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into other forms for consumption by humans or animals either in the home or by the food processing industry...
industry in Ningde. New techniques and formula adopted in recent years have allowed products such as tea, fruits and vegetables, mushrooms and marine products to be exported to the international market.
Demographics
According to the 2010 CensusSixth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China
The Sixth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China, also referred to as the 2010 Chinese Census, was conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China with a zero hour of November 1, 2010....
, Ningde has a registered population
Permanent residency
Permanent residency refers to a person's visa status: the person is allowed to reside indefinitely within a country of which he or she is not a citizen. A person with such status is known as a permanent resident....
of 3,393,698 inhabitants, although 2,821,996 persons declared to be permanent residents. It is also the primary residential region for the She minority people
She people
The She people are a Chinese ethnic group. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China....
, who take up to 25% of the total population.
A majority of the population speak Min Dong
Min Dong
The Eastern Min language, or Min Dong is the language mainly spoken in the eastern part of Fujian Province in China, in and near Fuzhou and Ningde. Fuzhou is the province's capital and largest city...
.
Culture
The folk arts in Ningde are varied and colorful. Among them bangtieji parade (搬铁技), puppet lion dance, and paper artChinese paper art
Chinese Paper Cutting or Jianzhi is the first type of papercutting design, since paper was invented by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty in China. The art form later spread to other parts of the world with different regions adopting their own cultural styles...
are the most representative.
The bangtieji parade, mostly seen during the Chinese new year
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
, is a folk art performance popularized in Ningde since the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
. During the parade, children dressed as characters from various Chinese folklore
Chinese folklore
Chinese folklore includes songs, dances, puppetry, and tales. It often tells stories of human nature, historical or legendary events, love, and the supernatural, or stories explaining natural phenomena and distinctive landmarks.-Folktales:...
sit or stand on parade vehicles, which were also decorated to resemble classic scenes such as the Heavenly Palace. The vehicles then cruise along the streets in the company of jovial music.
The puppet lion dance, popular in Huotong Town and Jiaocheng District
Jiaocheng District
Jiaocheng is a district in the municipal region of Ningde, Fujian Province, PRC. Also called Ningde Shiqu , the district seats the municipality's executive, legislature and judiciary, together with its Communist Party and Public Security Bureaux.-Situation:Jiaocheng is bordered by Xiapu and...
, originated from toys of the local children. The lions, made of colorful fabrics, are connected to wooden racks by ropes. Each individual rope controls a part of the lion's body, such as the head, tail or foot. The racks are set on vehicles moving through the streets. Performers on the vehicles pull on the ropes to make the lions dance or perform various tricks.
Paper art, mainly practised by women, is a specialty of Zherong County
Zherong County
Zherong County is a county of Fujian Province, China. It is under the administration of Ningde city....
. Common forms of the art include traditional flower patterns, words and daily life objects. Because of her paper art achievements, Zherong County was named "Home of Chinese Folk Arts" by the Ministry of Culture in 2000.
The She people
She people
The She people are a Chinese ethnic group. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China....
have also created and left many precious cultural heritages in their long historical practice. Owing to projects in recent years to protect the She heritage, three volumes of She folk tales, songs and proverbs have been published. In total, 184 tales, 330,000 words in songs, and 6,000 proverbs have been included. Art works have also been produced out of She folklore, which reflects their way of life.
There are many covered bridge
Covered bridge
A covered bridge is a bridge with enclosed sides and a roof, often accommodating only a single lane of traffic. Most covered bridges are wooden; some newer ones are concrete or metal with glass sides...
s in Ningde, particularly in Pingnan.