Fuchien Province, Republic of China

Fuchien Province[upper-roman 1][1] ([fǔ.tɕjɛ̂n] ⓘ), also romanized as Fujian and rendered as Fukien, is a nominal province of the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan) without formal administrative function. It includes three small archipelagos off the coast of the Fujian Province of the People's Republic of China, namely the Matsu Islands, which make up Lienchiang County, and the Wuqiu Islands and Kinmen Islands, which make up Kinmen County. The seat of the administrative centre is Jincheng Township of Kinmen County which serves as its de facto capital. The province is also known as the Golden Horse, after the literal reading of the Chinese character abbreviation for "Kinmen-Matsu".

For the province administered by the People's Republic of China under the same name, see Fujian.

Fuchien Province
福建省
Province
Name transcription(s)
 • Chinese福建省 (Fújiàn Shěng)
 • AbbreviationFJ / 閩 (pinyin: Mǐn, POJ: Bân)
 • FoochowHók-gióng
 • Hokkien POJHok-kiàn
Official seal of Fuchien Province
Seal of Fujian Province
Map showing the de facto territories under the nominal province (red)
Map showing the de facto territories under the nominal province (red)
Coordinates: 24°25′N 118°19′E
Country Republic of China
Jiangnandong Circuit626
Fujian Circuit985
Taiwan as a prefecture of Fujian ruled by the Qing dynasty1684
Taiwan as a province of Qing dynasty formally detached from Fujian1887
Fujian People's Government1933—1934
Division of Fujian17 August 1949
Streamlined16 July 1956
Demilitarised7 November 1992
Provincial Government dissolved31 December 2018
Named for
Provincial capitalJincheng, Kinmen (de facto)[note 1]
Foochow (claimed, de jure)
Largest cityJincheng, Kinmen
Divisions67 counties, 2 cities
Government
 • TypeProvince (nominal)
 • BodyKinmen-Matsu Joint Services Center[note 2]
Area
 • 1948119,340 km2 (46,080 sq mi)
 • 2018180.4560 km2 (69.6745 sq mi)
Population
 (2020)
 • Free area
153,876
 • Constitutional claims
41,563,668
Demonym(s)Fujianese, Fukienese, Kinmenese, Matsunese
Demographics
 • Languages and dialectsMin, Mandarin
Time zoneUTC+08:00 (Asia/Taipei)
Postal code
209–212, 890–896
Area code(s)(0)82, (0)826, (0)836
ISO 3166 codeTW
WebsiteFKPG.gov.tw
Fuchien
"Fuchien" in Chinese characters
Chinese福建
PostalFukien
Literal meaning"Fú(zhōu) and Jiàn(zhōu)"
Abbreviation
Traditional Chinese閩
Simplified Chinese闽
Literal meaning[the Mǐn River]
Fujian Province
Chinese福建省
Location of de jure Fujian Province inside de jure territory of ROC

The islands are the only part of a larger province that remain ROC-controlled. The People's Republic of China gained control of the mainland portion in 1949 during the Chinese Civil War. The islands were under military administration during the Cold War; travel restrictions were not lifted until 1992.

Provincial administration was transferred to the national and county governments in 1998 following government reforms. The provincial government was practically abolished in 2018.

History
See also: Fujian
See also: Communist-controlled China (1927–1949), Chinese Soviet Republic, and Fujian People's Government

The Xinhai Revolution deposed the Qing dynasty brought the province into the rule of the Republic of China. Fujian briefly gained independence from China again under the Fujian People's Government until it was recontrolled by the ROC during the Warlord Era.

Parts of the province in the northwestern area of Fujian were controlled by the Jiangxi–Fujian Soviet, a component territory controlled by the Chinese Soviet Republic until its collapse in 1934 at the start of the Long March.

It came under Japanese sea blockade during Second Sino-Japanese War.

During the Chinese Civil War, the ROC lost control of mainland China, including most of Fujian province, and was forced to relocate to Taiwan, while the victorious Chinese Communist forces established the PRC in 1949, subsequently the capital of Fujian was also moved from Foochow to Jincheng. In the Battle of Guningtou, however, ROC forces were able to defend the island of Quemoy (Kinmen) just off the coast of Fujian from communist attack. As a result, the ROC has been able to hold on to a number of offshore islands of Fujian, and has continued to maintain a separate Fujian Provincial Government to govern these islands, parallel to the province of Fujian in mainland China.

In 1956, due to heightened potential for military conflict with the PRC, the ROC central government moved the Fujian provincial government out of Fujian to within Taiwan Province in Xindian (now part of New Taipei), and the islands were placed under an extraordinarily tight military administration due to their extreme proximity to mainland China. This was an unusual situation where the government of a province was located and operating in a different province. With the easing of cross-strait relations between the PRC and ROC and the democratization of the ROC in the 1990s, the islands were returned to civilian government in 1992. On 15 January 1996, the provincial government moved back to Kinmen, on Fujian soil.[2]

Beginning in 2010, the ROC significantly diluted the powers of the two provinces it governs, namely Taiwan and Fujian. Most of the authority at the Fujian province level has been delegated to the two county governments of Kinmen and Lienchiang.

Government
Main article: Fujian Provincial Government

The Governor of Fujian Province was the head of the Fujian Provincial Government, the governor was also titled the "Chairperson of the Fujian Provincial Government". According to the Additional Articles of the Constitution, the governor was appointed by the central government.

The Fujian Provincial Government was located in Jincheng, Kinmen between January 1996 and 2018.

Provincial administration was transferred to counties and the national-level National Development Council in 1998, with the transition occurring in 1999 and 2000.[3] This followed 1997 constitutional reforms to downsize provincial governments. The provincial government was reduced to a local interface for the national government[4] with appointed rather than elected officers;[3] it became dormant[4] when the remaining staff and responsibilities were transferred in 2018.[5]

The Kinmen-Matsu Joint Services Center was founded in 2017[6] as the local government office handling administration of the islands.[7] It took over the remaining responsibilities of the provincial government.[4]

Former Fujian Provincial Government building, now used by the Kinmen-Matsu Joint Services Center.

Subdivisions
Main article: List of administrative divisions of Fujian

Fujian province nominally comprises two counties: Kinmen County and Lienchiang County. These islands have a total area of 182.66 km2 (70.53 sq mi) and a total population of 71,000 (2001).

The following are the islands of Fujian under the administration of the ROC, given by county:

Name Kinmen CountyLienchiang County
Chinese 金門縣連江縣
Hokkien Kim-mn̂g-koānLiân-kang-koān
Hakka Kîm-mùn-yenLièn-kông-yen
Matsunese Gĭng-muòng-gâingLièng-gŏng-gâing
Wuqiunese Ging-meóng-gā̤ⁿLéng-gang-gā̤ⁿ
Map
Islands numerous islands & islets[8][9][10]36 islands
Administrative divisions 6 townships4 townships

The PRC claims Kinmen as a county of Quanzhou, Fujian and the Matsu Islands as a township of Lianjiang County, Fuzhou, Fujian (with some islands claimed as parts of other areas).

Culture and Demography

Culturally, its population is predominantly of Chinese ethnicity, as Fujian remains one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse provinces of the country. Each dialects of the language group Min Chinese were most commonly spoken within the province, including the Fuzhou dialect of northeastern Fujian and various Hokkien dialects of southeastern Fujian. Hakka Chinese is also spoken, by the Hakka people in Fujian. Min dialects, Hakka and Mandarin Chinese are mutually unintelligible. Due to emigration, a sizable amount of the ethnic Chinese populations in Southeast Asia speak Southern Min (or Hokkien).

Education
See also: List of universities and colleges in Fujian

See also

Notes
  1. Note: The Provincial government was dissolved in July 2018. The Kinmen-Matsu Joint Services Center substitutes its administrative functions as local agency of the Executive Yuan located in Jincheng, Kinmen.
  2. Fujian Provincial Government before July 2018

Words in native languages

References
  1. "Fuchien Provincial Government – 福建省政府 – 國家教育研究院雙語詞彙" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). National Academy for Educational Research.
  2. Fujian Provincial Government website Archived 14 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Shair-Rosenfield, Sarah (November 2020). "Taiwan" (PDF). Regional Authority Index. Arjan H. Schakel. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  4. Cheung, Han (19 July 2020). "Taiwan in Time: A provincial government that ruled no land". Taipei Times. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  5. Hsiao, Sherry (29 June 2018). "Provincial-level agencies to be defunded next year". Taipei Times. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  6. Huang, Amy; Kao, Evelyn (24 January 2017). "Premier demands efforts to better serve Kinmen, Matsu residents". Focus Taiwan. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017.
  7. "中心任務". Kinmen-Matsu Joint Services Center, Executive Yuan. December 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  8. 金門縣行政區域圖 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 9 August 2019. 北碇島 母嶼 白巖 草嶼 東割 烽遂角 后嶼 官澳礁 西園嶼 建功嶼 黑巖 大巖嶼 烏礁 桂子礁 獅嶼 牛心礁 小擔 檳榔嶼 烈嶼 復興嶼 猛虎嶼 兔嶼 石山 大膽島 二擔島 三擔島 四擔島 五擔 大坵島 小坵島
  9. "金門地區限制（禁止）水域圖" (PDF) (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Mainland Affairs Council. Retrieved 9 August 2019. 二．限制水域範圍：大金門地區低潮線向外延伸東方海面四千至六千公尺，南方海面八千至一萬公尺，北碇以東海面四千公 尺，大、二膽南海面二千公尺一線以內海域 三、禁止水域範圍：大金門地區低潮線向外延伸東方海面四千公尺，南方海面八千公尺，馬山北方一千五百公尺，北碇以東 海面四千公尺，大、二膽北、西、南海面二千公尺，小金門西海面、檳榔嶼、三腳礁、牛心礁、赤角礁一線以內海域
  10. 辞海第六版. Cihai (Sixth Edition) (in Chinese). 上海. Shanghai: 上海辞书出版社. Shanghai Lexicographical Publishing House. September 2009. p. 1124. ISBN 9787532628599. 金门 县名。在福建省东南海上、泉州市西南部。现由台湾省管辖。由以金门岛为主的大、小59个岛屿组成。面积149平方千米，人口约6.45万（2004年）。明置金门千户所，清设金门县丞，属同安县。1913年改隶思明县，1914年析置金门县。1928年直属福建省。农产有甘薯、花生等。矿产有玻璃砂、高岭土、铝土、煤。工业有机械、食品等。特产贡糖、高粱酒、金门马等。通公路。名胜古迹有成功洞、鲁王墓、水尾塔等。{...}金门岛 亦称"大金门岛"、"吾洲屿"。在福建省东南部、厦门港口外台湾海峡中。属金门县，现由台湾省管辖。岛形如哑铃，东西宽，南北狭，中多丘陵，沿海多港湾、口岸。东西长约20千米，面积131.7平方千米。其西有小金门岛。名胜古迹有牧马侯（陈渊）祠、鲁王墓、海印寺、古岗湖、中山纪念林等。
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