ABSTRACT
Fukien is a mountainous province on the southeastern coast of China. The local saying that it is “80 percent mountains, 10 percent water, and 10 percent farmland” characterizes not only its geography but also its traditional sources of living. The Wuyi mountain range separates Fukien from Kianghsi and Kuang-tung. A second, parallel range of coastal mountains runs from the northeast to the southwest. Only in the north does the Min river valley provide access to Hui-chou and the Yangtze river basin. The other access route is the sea, where small river valleys and promontories face what is now called the Taiwan strait. Mountains, almost all of which have an altitude under 1,000 meters, and hills occupy 95 percent of Fukien. The remaining 5 percent of lowlands consist mostly of the small coastal alluvial plains formed by the In river, the Thing river, and the Chiu-lung river and the long, narrow river valleys of the interior.
