Dongshan County

Dongshan County is a county in Zhangzhou Prefecture Level City，Fujian province, . It is located to the south of the west coast of Fujian province along the Strait of Taiwan . There are 44 islands altogether in the county. The total area of all the islands is 194 km?, and the population of the county is 200,000 residents. Dongshan County has jurisdiction over 7 towns, a nationally managed forest and an economic and technological development district.

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 northwestern 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.

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.

Climate

The climate of the Dongshan Islands is sub tropical. In winter, north-east winds, and in summer south-east winds prevail. The annual average temperature is 20.8 degrees Celsius. The coldest month of the year is February with an average temperature of 12.9 Celsius; the hottest, July, with an average temperature of 27.3 Celsius. Dongshan County have warm winters, cool summers, and no ice throughout the year. The annual average rainfall is only 1103.8 mm, which causes a shortage of fresh water. Additional water must be acquired in from outside for both domestic and industrial use.

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.