In 736 AD (during the Tang dynasty), the prefecture of Tingzhou was established in western Fujian, or Minxi (闽西), administering Changting, Huanglian and Xinluo counties. Six years later Xinluo was named Longyan for the nearby cavern, a famous scenic site.
Due to the ancient conflicts in central China and aggression from northern tribes, many Han people moved from central China to Longyan.
in 1734, the Hokkien-speaking counties of Longyan city and Zhangping were ceded from Zhangzhou to form the Longyan Prefecture within the Hakka peasant Tingzhou prefecture, a typical Hakka peasant society culturally distinct from the Minnanese by the imperial court. In 1913, it reverted to its former name Longyan County and in 1981, Longyan City was established.
It is said[by whom?] that tens of thousands of people were recruited from the Hakka peasantry from the western Longyan to join the PLA during the Chinese Civil War, and nearly every Hakka family had someone sacrificed lives on behalf of CCP side especially during Mao's early purges in Tingzhou and Ganzhou which killed roughly 700,0000 Hakka people and some ethnic minorities. There are more than 26,000 locals that took part in the Long March which in total was carried out by 86,000. Moreover, during 1955 and 1968, 68 people from Longyan were awarded Brigadier General or above, which accounts for 82% of all generals from Fujian province at the time, therefore, Longyan is also named as "The Home of Generals".[citation needed]
Environment
Unlike many Chinese cities, the forest coverage of Longyan reaches an unusually high 77.9%, which is unparalleled in Fujian province.[3] Meihuashan National Nature Reserve, a part of the China Biosphere Reserve Network, is located in Longyan.
Goby Rhinogobius longyanensis was first described from Longyan and named after it.[4] Presumably also the prehistoric bivalve Claraia longyanensis got its name from Longyan.[5]
Geography and climate
Longyan is situated in the upper reaches of the Jiulong and Ting Rivers. It borders the prefecture-level cities of Sanming to the north, Quanzhou to the east, Zhangzhou to the southeast, Meizhou (Guangdong) to the southwest, and Ganzhou (Jiangxi) to the west and northwest.
Longyan has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classificationCfa), with short, mild winters, and long, hot and humid summers. Despite its inland location, the city's summers rank among the mildest in the province, averaging lower than even Xiamen and the islands of Pingtan County, both of which receive significant maritime moderation.[6] Rainfall is greatest in spring and early summer and at its least in autumn and early winter.
Climate data for Longyan (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–2010)
The prefecture-level city of Longyan had a population of 2,559,545 inhabitants as of 2010, according to the 2010 National Census.[9] The population of Longyan in 2010 was 4.65% inferior than in 2000 (when the inhabitants of the city stand at 2,684,310), giving an average annual rate of growth of -0.47%.[9]
Exterior and interior views of a Fujian tulou from Longyan. They are traditional type of communal home used by the Hakka people.
Longyan is inhabited by Hoklo people and Hakka peasants. The Hoklo people live in the urban areas and cities of Xinluo and Zhangping districts in the eastern Longyan prefecture and speak Longyan Min while Hakka peasants live in rural village areas of the countryside of the western part of the prefecture, making western Longyan famous for being named as the "Home of Hakka People".[3] The rural county of Changting is often referred to as the home of the Hakka, while the Ting River is known as the "mother river" of the Hakka people.
Longyan is a recent artificial construct of the Chinese government, having never been united together before the creation of Modern China. The two culturally distinct and separate Hoklo eastern city areas and Hakka western rural peasant areas have almost nothing in common in terms of language, culture and living habits, and were only forcibly merged into a single administrative region recently in history by the communist government.
Economy
Longyan serves as a strategic center for the distribution of goods to Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou. It also acts as a gateway for trade with Guangdong and Jiangxi province. It is the main connection between the inland and coastal area.
Longyan is rich in natural resources such as important mineral deposits and forest zones. The Septwolves tobacco business is an important contributor to the local economy, as is the Zijin Mining group. The largest construction equipment maker Lonking Holdings is based in the city.
Chen Hong (b. 1979), number 1 badminton player on the world-ranking list from 2002 to 2003.
Deng Zihui (1896–1972), former Chinese vice premier (1951–1965), one of the top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party.
Huang Kunming (b. 1956), member of the 19th Politburo of China Communist Party.
Lin Dan (b. 1983), gold medalist at the 2012 and 2008 Summer Olympics, top-ranked badminton player on the world ranking list from 2004 to 2008.
Ong Schan Tchow (1900–1945), artist whose exhibitions in China and South-eastern Asia raised funds for the war relief effort and civilian victims of the Second Sino-Japanese War
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