Putian, located in the middle of coast of Fujian, including Putian and Xianyou Counties, covers an area of 3781 km2 and has a population of 2,500,000.

Putian, called Xinghua in the past, has enjoyed a long history; Putian county was established in 568,the second year of Chen Guangda in the Southern Dynasty, and Xianyou County in 699,the second year of Shenli in the reign of Wuzhou in the Tang Dynasty. Later,both the counties were affiliated to Xinghua Region in the Song and Ming Dynasties until 1949 when they were transferred to Jinjiang Prefecture and later to Putian Prefecture. Putian City was founded in 1983.

Xinghua is well endowed with natural resouces and has cultivated a large number of talanted personalities. In the past, men of letters came out from here in large numbers, bringing to it a title "cultural centre by the sea". The scenic attractions include Mazhu Temple, Guanghua Temple and Mulan Dam.Litchis are produced in large quantity here in Putian, thus it was called "The Litchi City" in the past,while sugar-canes brought about the name of "hoem of sugarcane" to the land. With hosts of sports stars originating from Putian and wining their reputations all over the world, Putian acquires the title of "hoemtown of track-and-field men".

Xinghua is unique for its custom and culture. The diligence of the people, the strong local accent, the strange Mazhu costumes, the Putian Opera are all full of interest; the traditonal rites and the architectural style are colourful. The development of Meizhou Gulf and the Xiuyu Port reveals this place's prospects-a prosperous port city.

Meizhou Gulf---Xiuyu Port

South Fujian enjoys a long and jagged coastal line. There are many famous ports along the coast from Xinghua Gulf in Putian to Zhaoan Gulf in Zhangzhou. Among them the Meizhou Gulf,which embraces the Xiuyu, Dongwu Ports in Putian and Xiaochuo Port of Huian,is one of the natural deep-water harbors in the country.

The Xiuyu Port has been included in a national expansion project and will be built into a major port with multiple functions. At present, the basic construction of the port has been completed. With the roads paved, tall buildings, factory plants and resicential areas built along the miles of the worksite of the port, it is evident that an investiment environment has been well created and a future port city is rising.

Mazhu Temple in Meizhou

The Mazhu Temple, located in Meizhou Island of Putian, is the ancestor of all the Mazhu Temples, big or small, at home and abroad. For hundreds of years, it has been worshipped as the sacret place and visited by thousands of Mazhu worshippers each year.

Lady Mazhu, previously named Lin Moniang, was born on March 23,960, the first ywar of Jianlong of the Song Dynasty. The legend goes that Lin Moniang was very intelligent and could understand and intreprete Buddhist text at the age of eight. Ever since her childhood, she began to worship gods and recite text, with an intention to salvate poor people. After her death on 9th of luna September in the fouth ywar of Yong of the Song Dynasty(A.D.987), her spirit often reappeared on the to safeguard the ships. Her boundless merits brought about praises from curts after the Song Dyansty; as many as 28 royal titles were conferred to her, including "Holy Queen","Holy Lady" and "Holy Mother", while among the folk, she has been respectedly called "Mazhu".

Mazhu Temple was first built in a very small scale in the year she "rose to heaven". Later, each time it received a title from the court, it underwent an expansion, and saw an increase of worshipping activities. Historic records show that each of Mazhu's Birthday was a grand occasion when disciples, men and women, folcked in from all the places, some even hundreds of miles away, to burn joss sticks before Mazhu and pray for her blessing. The carrying vessels harboured in such a density that not a patch of water could be seen along the shore of Meizhou Island.

In recent years, worshipping of Mazhu has reached another climax on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. Mazhu Temple after several renovations has become even more grandiose than ever before. Since 1988, there have been tens of thousands of Taiwan compatriots visiting Mazhu Temple, among whom were about a thousand visiting parties. The birthdays of Mazhu in these years have seen hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from other parts of China and from abroad, filling up this tiny place. The enthusiasm for Mazhu has caught the attention of scholars and experts at home and abroad, and Mazhu Culture has become a hot subject in academic and theoratical circles. Mazhu now becomes a tie linking the mainland and Taiwan, and has aroused hte interest of the world.

Former Residence of Plum Queen

Plum Queen was originally a duck herding girl called Jiang Laiping, by the Mulan River in Putian. In the twelfth ywar of Kaiyuan in the Tang Dynasty, she was selected to court. Loved by Emperor Xuanzong, she was granted the title of "Fei" (imperial concubine). As an active support of Xuanzong's open polity, she won his great favour, and as a great lover of plums, she was called "plum fairy" or, in a term of endearment, "plum Queen". Later when Yang Yuhuan, a matchless beauty at the time, entered the court, her jealousy of Plum Queen ended up in the latter's exile to the Shangyang Palace. In the Rebellion of An Lushan, Plum Queen committed suicide by throwing herself into a well.

The legend goes that Plum Queen once returned to her native village Jiangdong and introduced what is now Puxian Opera, which Emperor allowed her to bring back home, to be developed by local artists. Today, a building in ancient palace style, named "Pukou Palace" was erected in Jiangdong Village in honour of Plum Queen. Not far away is a huge stone tablet stately engraved "The Former Residence of Plum Queen".

Mulan Dam

Mulan Dam, built in the Northern Song Dyansty at the foor of Mulan Mountain, is one of the best preserved ancient large-scale water projects. According to records, Qian Siniang, A lady from Changle, and Lin Chongshi, a man from the same place, tried in seperate efforts to build a dam here in the first year of Zhiping in the Song Dynasty(A.D.1064), but they both failed because of theuir wrong choice of the site, In the eighth year of Xining in the Song Dynasty(A.D.1075), Li Hong from Hougan, in response to the imperial edict, made another attempt. He drew the lessons of his predecessors and chose another site, whith the help of monk Fen Zhiri. The dam took eight years to build. It is a 219.31m dam, with 32 sluice gates. The water is led from the east and south ends of the dam to the north and south plains, irrigating an area of about 32,000 acres.

As Muland Dam has benifited generations of after generations of people, the "Mulan Memorial" was built in honour of the four who made their contributions.

Ninghai Bridge

The Ninghai Bridge is reputed for its successful construction at the mouth of Mulan River, where powerful sea water brings in great volums of sand in high tide. It was recorded that in three hundred years from the second yearof Yuantong in the Yuan Dynasty to the ninteenth year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, htat is from 1334 to 1680, the bridge experienced five reconstructions. It was not until 1732, the tenth year of Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty, the present bridge was completed after 15 years' endeavour.

The stone bridge runs 255.7 metres long and 5.8 metres wide, with 14ship-shaped piers. The two ends of the bridge are guarded by stone warriors carved in the Ming Dynasty and the railing on both sieds are decorated with stone lions in all postures. The bridge is now listed as a key historic relic under provincial protection, though it is still in use today.

Guanghua Temple

The Guanghua Temple, built in 558, the second year of Yongding in the Southern Dynasty, at the foot of beautiful Nan Mountain(Phoenix Mountain), is one of reputed Buddhist temples in Fujian Province. The temple was originally a lecturing place of scholar Zheng Lu and his two brothers. Later, the brothers donated the place and changed it into a temple entitled Jinxian Temple(Golden Immortal Temple). In 711, the second year of Jingyun in the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Ruizong granted it a title "Lingyan Temple"(spirited Rock Temple), and had great calligraphist Liu Gongquan inscribe the words on a board, thus establishing its widespread reputation. In 976, Emperor Taizong in the Song Dynasty changed its name to present "Guanghua Temple".

The Guanghua Temple is large-scaled, with halls meticulously laid out, showing traditional architectural style of South Fujian. The renovations architectural style of South Fujian. The renovations and expansions in recent years have added to its grandeur and attraction to pilgrims, who are coming in an endless stram and in an increasing number.

Fall at Nine-Carp Lake

Nine-Carp Lake at the top of a mountain northeast of Xianyou County adopted its name from a legend that at the times of Emperor of Wu in the Han Dynasty nine brothers became immortals and rode carps from the lake to Heaven after they successfully made pills of immortality. Since ancient times, the lake has been well known at hoem and abroad for its "Flying Waterfall Rare in the World". The unique waterfall more than ten kilometres long rushes down along the precipitous, cut-out-like rocks in great force, the longest cascade beinga hundred metres high. It is indeed a heartstirring view; the water roars like thunder all the way and splashes like lightning when hitting a protruding rock; there are all changeable shapes that are beyond description.

Nine-Carp Lake has always been a place which men of letters love and vie to visit. In the mountains, stone inscriptions are found everywhere. The historic sites such as the Nine-Immortals Hall from the Tang Dynasty are famous tourist attractions in Fujian.