Meizhou Island
Encyclopedia
Meizhou Island is a small island close to the shores of Putian
, Fujian
Province, People's Republic of China. It is known for being the birthplace of the goddess Matsu
. Meizhou has 38,000 inhabitants, most of whom are involved in the fishing industry
.
policy for visitors from Taiwan
. In October of the same year it became a national tourism-vacation region (国家旅游度假区). The island was formally opened to visitors from overseas in October 1999.
Annually, some 100,000 Taiwanese pilgrims come to Meizhou to see the place where Matsu once lived, some of whom visit every year.
, an area that is divided into 11 villages:
along with three others.
Meizhou Town is an administrative unit within the Xiuyu District
of Putian
City.
Putian
Putian is a prefecture-level city in eastern Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It borders Fuzhou City to the north, Quanzhou City to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east.-Administration:...
, Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
Province, People's Republic of China. It is known for being the birthplace of the goddess Matsu
Matsu (goddess)
Mazu , also spelt Matsu, is the indigenous goddess of the sea who is said to protect fishermen and sailors, and is invoked as the patron deity of all Southern Chinese and East Asian persons...
. Meizhou has 38,000 inhabitants, most of whom are involved in the fishing industry
Fishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
.
History
An open provincial tourism economic region (旅游经济区) since June 1988, in April 1992 Meizhou Island introduced a landing visaVisa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
policy for visitors from Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. In October of the same year it became a national tourism-vacation region (国家旅游度假区). The island was formally opened to visitors from overseas in October 1999.
Annually, some 100,000 Taiwanese pilgrims come to Meizhou to see the place where Matsu once lived, some of whom visit every year.
Administration
Meizhou Island is administered by Meizhou TownTown (China)
When referring to political divisions of China, town is the standard English translation of the Chinese 鎮 . It is a fourth-level administrative unit, i.e...
, an area that is divided into 11 villages:
- Gaozhu (高朱)
- Xiashan (下山) "Downhill"
- Lianche (莲池) "LotusNelumboNelumbo is a genus of aquatic plants with large, showy flowers resembling water lilies, commonly known as lotus. The generic name is derived from the Sinhalese word Nelum. There are only two known living species in the genus. The sacred lotus is native to Asia, and is the better known of the two...
Pond" - Beidai (北埭 dài) "North DamDamA dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
" - Dongcai (东蔡) "The East CaiChinese surnameChinese family names have been historically used by Han Chinese and Sinicized Chinese ethnic groups in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and among overseas Chinese communities. In ancient times two types of surnames, family names and clan names , existed.The colloquial expressions laobaixing...
s" - Xiting (西亭) "The Western Pavilion"
- Ganglou (港楼) "The Tower by the Port"
- Xaixia (寨下) "Lower Village"
- Dayang (大洋) "Great Ocean"
along with three others.
Meizhou Town is an administrative unit within the Xiuyu District
Xiuyu District
Xiuyu is a district in the municipal region of Putian, Fujian. The district executive, legislature and judiciary are in Hushi Town , together with the CPC and PSB branches.-Notable Islands:Xiuyu District administers many islands, including -...
of Putian
Putian
Putian is a prefecture-level city in eastern Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It borders Fuzhou City to the north, Quanzhou City to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east.-Administration:...
City.