Fu’an

Fu’an, Wade-Giles romanization Fu-an, city, northeastern Fujian sheng (province), China. It is situated on the east bank of the Jiao River, with highway communications running north into Zhejiang province and south along the coast to Fuzhou, some 90 miles (150 km) away.

Fu’an was made a county in 1245, toward the end of the Song dynasty (960–1279), and was designated a city in 1989. It is in an area of Fujian that was developed comparatively late, since it is somewhat less productive than the south of the province. Fu’an is above all a market for the tea produced in the area. Although tea production was neglected after the collapse of the Fuzhou tea trade at the end of the 19th century, tea has come to constitute almost half of the income of the inhabitants. Fu’an now engages in food and tea processing, wine making, and the manufacture of electronic machinery. Saiqi harbour, to the south of the city, is an important commercial port in northern Fujian and is also the site of a major shipbuilding operation. Pop. (2000) 228,294.