Yongding (Chinese: 永定) is a district under the jurisdiction of Longyanprefecture-level city in the southwest of Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. The district is a center for Hakka culture, including the traditional Hakka tulou, and a local dialect of the Hakka Chinese called the Yongding Dialect [zh]. As of 2015, Yongding has a permanent population of about 361,000,[1]: 40 of which more than 99% are Hakka, the rest being She people.[citation needed] In December 2014, the Fujian government signed legislation converting Yongding from a county to a district.[2]
Yongding is the hometown of many overseas Chinese immigrants that came to south-east Asia and Burma during the British Raj.
History
Yongding County was established in the 14th year of Chenghua (AD 1478) in the Ming dynasty.[citation needed] It was originally part of Shanghang County.[citation needed] The governor of Fujian province proposed to separate this south-eastern part of the Shanghang County to form a new county and name it Yongding, literally meaning peaceful forever, after suppressing a riot in that particular region.[citation needed]
On December 13, 2014, the Fujian government passed a law converting Yongding from a county to a district.[1]: 38 The law came into effect on February 9, 2015.[1]: 38
Yongding District is 2,223 km2 (858 sq mi) in area.[1]: 35 Like other counties of Fujian province, Yongding is 80% hills and mountains, 10% water or rivers, and 10% fields.[citation needed] Two major rivers run through the district: Yongding River (永定河) and Xiayang Creek (下洋溪).[citation needed] Both are tributaries of the Ting River (Chinese: 汀江, the name by which it is known in Fujian territory) or Han River (Chinese: 韩江, the name by which it is known in Guangdong province).[citation needed]
Climate
Located in a sub-tropical area and subject to typhoons, Yongding has high annual precipitation of about 1,200 to 1,500 millimetres (47 to 59 in) per year.
Climate data for Yongding (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010)
The district executive, legislature and judiciary are in Fengcheng Subdistrict [zh] (凤城街道), formerly the town of Fengcheng (凤城镇), together with the CPC and PSB branches.[citation needed] Fengcheng Subdistrict is the district's sole subdistrict,[5] and had a population of 48,048 as of 2015.[1]: 40
As of 2015, Yongding District has a hukou population of 504,520, but has approximately just 361,000 permanent residents.[1]: 40 44.3% of the district's permanent residents live in urban areas.[1]: 40
The district's urban residents have a per capitadisposable income of 29,952 renminbi (RMB) as of 2015, a 7.1% increase from 2014.[1]: 41 In 2015, this figure stood at 14,136 RMB for the district's rural residents, a 9.8% increase from 2014.[1]: 41
Changyuan Lou, a restored square tulou in Xinnan Village (Chinese: 新南村), Hukeng
Yongding District is famous for its tulou, large multi-family adobe buildings. Out of the 10 tulous or tulous clusters inscribed on the World Heritage List (as Fujian Tulou), 5 are within Yongding District:
As a result of abundant precipitation and mountainous terrain, hydroelectric power is abundant.[citation needed] There are numerous hydro plants in the district, one notable one being the provincial Mianhuatan Hydroelectric Power Station.[citation needed] The plant has a water storage capacity of 2.035 billion cubic meters and is able to generate 1.52 billion kilowatt hours of electricity a year.[citation needed] The Mianhuatan hydrodam contributes greatly to the rapidly growing economy of Fujian and neighboring Guangdong province.[citation needed]
Agriculture
In agriculture, rice is the main crop for the district.[citation needed] Most low-lying fields can yield two rice crops per year, while in high land fields, because of the earlier frost, only one harvest can be assured.[citation needed]
Persimmons, plums, and tea leaves are grown in the district.[1]: 45 Cattle are raised in Yongding District, and various beef products are produced in the district.[1]: 45
Yongding is an important tobacco producer.[citation needed] The cultivation of tobacco started in Wan Li era of the Ming Dynasty.[citation needed] Yongding was honored as the "home of tobacco" in the early 20th century.[citation needed] Although its significance has declined in recent years, Yongding is still one of the most important tobacco producing areas in the region.[citation needed] Many top brand Chinese cigarettes contain Yongding leaf.[citation needed]
During the 2010s, the local government began partnering local farmers with Taobao, a large Chinese e-commerce website, to create a wider market for local agricultural goods.[1]: 45 As of 2015, the district is home to 200 million RMB in e-commerce sales.[1]: 45
Mining
Yongding is rich in mineral deposits, most notably coal.[citation needed] Most of the district's coal is shipped to Guangdong, where economic growth has created huge demand for energy.[citation needed] This in turn has created demand for heavy trucks.[citation needed] As a result, Yongding is one of the top districts for the number of trucks.[citation needed][clarification needed]
In 2015 alone, 5.252 million tourists visited Yongding District, generating 4.029 billion RMB in income.[1]: 45 Common tourist destinations include the district's many tulou clusters, such as Chuxi Tulou cluster, and hot springs.[1]: 45
There have been many famous overseas Chinese with their roots in Yongding. Aw Boon-Haw (胡文虎) was one of the most famous overseas Chinese in the 1930s and 40s.
References
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwx永定年鉴 [Yearbook of Yongding]. www.yongding.gov.cn (in Chinese). Yongding District People's Government. 2016. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
^龙岩市永定区人民政府-行政区划 [Longyan City Yongding District People's Government-Administrative Divisions] (in Simplified Chinese). Yongding District People's Government. Retrieved 19 April 2018. 至此，全区辖1个街道、12个镇、11个乡，即凤城街道、坎市镇、下洋镇、湖雷镇、高陂镇、抚市镇、湖坑镇、培丰镇、龙潭镇、峰市镇、城郊镇、仙师镇、虎岗镇、洪山乡、湖山乡、岐岭乡、古竹乡、西溪乡、堂堡乡、合溪乡、金砂乡、大溪乡、陈东乡、高头乡。
^永定区历史沿革 [Yongding District Historical Development] (in Simplified Chinese). XZQH.org. 12 July 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2018. 2015年3月25日，省政府（闽政文[2015]91号）批复同意龙岩市永定区撤销虎岗乡，设立虎岗镇；撤销凤城镇，设立凤城街道。调整后，全区辖1个街道、12个镇、11个乡：凤城街道、坎市镇、下洋镇、湖雷镇、高陂镇、抚市镇、湖坑镇、培丰镇、龙潭镇、峰市镇、城郊镇、仙师镇、虎岗镇、西溪乡、金砂乡、洪山乡、湖山乡、岐岭乡、古竹乡、堂保乡、合溪乡、大溪乡、陈东乡、高头乡。
^2016年统计用区划代码和城乡划分代码：永定区 [2016 Statistical Area Numbers and Rural-Urban Area Numbers: Yongding District] (in Simplified Chinese). National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China. 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2018. 统计用区划代码 名称 350803001000 凤城街道办事处 350803101000 坎市镇 350803102000 下洋镇 350803103000 湖雷镇 350803104000 高陂镇 350803105000 抚市镇 350803106000 湖坑镇 350803107000 培丰镇 350803108000 龙潭镇 350803109000 峰市镇 350803110000 城郊镇 350803111000 仙师镇 350803112000 虎岗镇 350803201000 西溪乡 350803202000 金砂乡 350803204000 洪山乡 350803205000 湖山乡 350803206000 岐岭乡 350803207000 古竹乡 350803208000 堂堡乡 350803209000 合溪乡 350803211000 大溪乡 350803212000 陈东乡 350803213000 高头乡
^客家方言概述 [Hakka Dialects Overview]. www.yongding.gov.cn (in Chinese). Yongding District People's Government. 2008-04-20. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
