Editing Fujian (section)

== History ==
{{More citations needed|section|date=February 2024}}

=== Prehistoric Fujian ===
Recent archaeological discoveries in 2011 demonstrate that Fujian had entered the [[Neolithic Age]] by the middle of the 6th millennium BC.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rolett, Barry V.; Zheng, Zhuo; Yue, Yuanfu|date=April 2011|title=Holocene sea-level change and the emergence of Neolithic seafaring in the Fuzhou Basin (Fujian, China)|journal=Quaternary Science Reviews|volume=30|issue=7|pages=788–797|doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2011.01.015|bibcode=2011QSRv...30..788R}}</ref> From the Keqiutou site (7450–5590 BP), an early Neolithic site in [[Pingtan Island]] located about {{convert|70|km}} southeast of Fuzhou, numerous tools made of stones, [[Exoskeleton|shell]]s, [[bone]]s, [[jade]]s, and [[ceramic]]s (including wheel-made ceramics) have been unearthed, together with [[spinning wheel]]s, which is definitive evidence of [[weaving]].

The Tanshishan ({{lang|zh-hant|曇石山}}) site (5500–4000 BP) in suburban Fuzhou spans the Neolithic and [[Chalcolithic]] Age where semi-underground circular buildings were found in the lower level. The Huangtulun ({{lang|zh-hant|黃土崙}}) site ({{Circa|1325 BC}}), also in suburban Fuzhou, was of the [[Bronze Age]] in character.

Tianlong Jiao (2013)<ref name="Jiao2013">Jiao, Tianlong. 2013. "The Neolithic Archaeology of Southeast China." In Underhill, Anne P., et al. ''A Companion to Chinese Archaeology'', 599-611. Wiley-Blackwell.</ref> notes that the [[Neolithic]] appeared on the coast of Fujian around 6,000 B.P. During the Neolithic, the coast of Fujian had a low population density, with the population depending on mostly on fishing and hunting, along with limited agriculture.

There were four major Neolithic cultures in coastal Fujian, with the earliest Neolithic cultures originating from the north in coastal [[Zhejiang]].<ref name="Jiao2013"/>
* Keqiutou culture ({{zh|labels=no|s=壳丘头文化}}; {{Circa|6000|5500 BP}}, or {{Circa|4050|3550 BC}})
* Tanshishan culture ({{zh|labels=no|s=昙石山文化}}; {{Circa|5000|4300 BP}}, or {{Circa|3050|2350 BC}})
* Damaoshan culture ({{zh|labels=no|s=大帽山文化}}; {{Circa|5000|4300 BP}})
* Huangguashan culture ({{zh|labels=no|s=黄瓜山文化}}; {{Circa|4300|3500 BP}}, or {{Circa|2350|1550 BC}})

There were two major Neolithic cultures in inland Fujian, which were highly distinct from the coastal Fujian Neolithic cultures.<ref name="Jiao2013"/> These are the Niubishan culture ({{zh|labels=no|s=牛鼻山文化}}) from 5000 to 4000 years ago, and the Hulushan culture ({{zh|labels=no|s=葫芦山文化}}) from 2050 to 1550 BC.

=== Minyue kingdom ===
{{Main|Minyue}}
[[File:Map of Minyue.png|thumb|left|Map of [[Minyue]]]]
Fujian was also where the kingdom of [[Minyue]] was located. The word "Mǐnyuè" was derived by combining "Mǐn" ({{zh|t=閩 |s=闽 |poj=bân}}), which is perhaps an ethnic name ({{zh|t=蠻 |s=蛮 |p=mán |poj=bân |links=no}}), and "[[Baiyue|Yuè]]", after the [[State of Yue]], a [[Spring and Autumn period]] kingdom in [[Zhejiang]] to the north. This is because the royal family of Yuè fled to Fujian after its kingdom was annexed by the [[State of Chu]] in 306 BC. Mǐn is also the name of the [[Min River (Fujian)|main river]] in this area, but the ethnonym is probably older.

=== Qin dynasty ===
The Qin deposed the King of Minyue, establishing instead a paramilitary province there called Minzhong Commandery. Minyue was a ''de facto'' kingdom until one of the emperors of the [[Qin dynasty]], the first unified imperial Chinese state, abolished its status.<ref name="Britannica">Britannica</ref>

=== Han dynasty ===
{{see also|Han campaigns against Minyue}}
In the aftermath of the Qin dynasty's fall, [[Chu–Han Contention|civil war]] broke out between two warlords, [[Xiang Yu]] and [[Emperor Gaozu of Han|Liu Bang]]. The Minyue king Wuzhu sent his troops to fight with Liu and his gamble paid off. Liu was victorious and founded the [[Han dynasty]]. In 202 BC, he restored Minyue's status as a [[tributary state|tributary]] independent kingdom. Thus Wuzhu was allowed to construct his fortified city in Fuzhou as well as a few locations in the [[Wuyi Mountains]], which have been excavated in recent years. His kingdom extended beyond the borders of contemporary Fujian into eastern Guangdong, eastern [[Jiangxi]], and southern [[Zhejiang]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200222123322/https://global.britannica.com/place/Fujian#ref591270 Fuijan]. Britannica.com.</ref>

After Wuzhu's death, Minyue maintained its militant tradition and launched several expeditions against its neighboring kingdoms in [[Guangdong]], [[Jiangxi]], and [[Zhejiang]], primarily in the 2nd century BC. This was stopped by the [[Han dynasty]] as it [[Southward expansion of the Han dynasty|expanded southward]]. The Han emperor eventually decided to get rid of the potential threat by launching a [[Han campaigns against Minyue|military campaign]] against Minyue. Large forces approached Minyue simultaneously from four directions via land and sea in 111 BC. The rulers in Fuzhou surrendered to avoid a futile fight and destruction and the first kingdom in Fujian history came to an abrupt end.

Fujian was part of the much larger [[Yang Province]] (Yangzhou), whose provincial capital was designated in Liyang (歷陽; present-day [[He County, Anhui]]).

The [[Han dynasty]] collapsed at the end of the 2nd century AD, paving the way for the [[Three Kingdoms]] era. [[Sun Quan]], the founder of the [[Eastern Wu|Kingdom of Wu]], spent nearly 20 years subduing the Shan Yue people, the branch of the Yue living in mountains.

=== Jin era ===
The first wave of [[Migration of the eight clans|immigration]] of the noble class arrived in the province in the early 4th century when the [[Western Jin dynasty]] collapsed and the north was torn apart by [[War of the Eight Princes|civil wars]] and [[Upheaval of the Five Barbarians|rebellions by tribal peoples]] from the north and west. These immigrants were primarily from eight families in [[central China]]: {{citation needed span|[[Chen (surname)|Chen]] ({{linktext|lang=zh-Hans|陈}}), [[Lin (surname)|Lin]] ({{linktext|lang=zh|林}}), [[Huang (surname)|Huang]] ({{linktext|lang=zh-Hans|黄}}), [[Zheng (surname)|Zheng]] ({{linktext|lang=zh-Hans|郑}}), [[Zhan (surname)|Zhan]] ({{linktext|lang=zh|詹}}), [[Qiū (surname)|Qiu]] ({{linktext|lang=zh|邱}}), [[He (surname)|He]] ({{linktext|lang=zh|何}}), and [[Hu (surname)|Hu]] ({{linktext|lang=zh|胡}}). To this day, the first four remain the most popular surnames in Fujian.|date=April 2020|reason=}}

Nevertheless, isolation from nearby areas owing to rugged terrain contributed to Fujian's relatively undeveloped economy and level of development, despite major population boosts from northern China during the "barbarian" rebellions. The population density in Fujian remained low compared to the rest of China. Only two [[Commandery (China)|commanderies]] and sixteen counties were established by the Western Jin dynasty. Like other southern provinces such as [[Guangdong]], [[Guangxi]], [[Guizhou]], and [[Yunnan]], Fujian often served as a destination for exiled prisoners and dissidents at that time.

During the [[Southern and Northern Dynasties]] era, the [[Southern Dynasties]] ([[Liu Song dynasty|Liu Song]], [[Southern Qi]], [[Liang dynasty|Liang]] ([[Western Liang (555–587)|Western Liang]]), and [[Chen dynasty|Chen]]) reigned south of the [[Yangtze River]], including Fujian.

=== Sui and Tang dynasties ===
{{see also|Early western influence in Fujian}}
During the [[Sui dynasty|Sui]] and [[Tang dynasty|Tang]] eras a large influx of migrants settled in Fujian.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AIKTj-KgN40C&pg=PA41 | title=The Pan-Pearl River Delta: An Emerging Regional Economy in a Globalizing China | page=41 | isbn=9789629963767 | last1=Yeung | first1=Yue-man | last2=Shen | first2=Jianfa | year=2008 | publisher=Chinese University Press | access-date=October 18, 2020 | archive-date=April 18, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418015422/https://books.google.com/books?id=AIKTj-KgN40C&pg=PA41 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Britannica"/>

During the Sui dynasty, Fujian was again part of [[Yang Province]].

During the Tang, Fujian was part of the larger [[Jiangnan East Circuit]], whose capital was at [[Suzhou, Jiangsu|Suzhou]]. Modern-day Fujian was composed of around 5 prefectures and 25 counties.

The Tang dynasty (618–907) oversaw the next golden age of China, which contributed to a boom in Fujian's culture and economy. Fuzhou's economic and cultural institutions grew and developed. The later years of the Tang dynasty saw several political upheavals in the Chinese heartland, prompting even larger waves of northerners to immigrate to the northern part of Fujian.

=== Five Dynasties Ten Kingdoms ===
[[File:Map of Fujian, 957 Eng.png|thumb|Situation of Fujian in 957]]
As the Tang dynasty ended, China was torn apart in the period of the [[Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms]]. During this time, a second major wave of immigration arrived in the safe haven of Fujian, led by Wang Brothers ([[Wang Chao (Tang dynasty)|Wang Chao]], {{ill|Wang Shengui|zh|王审邽}} and [[Wang Shenzhi]]), who set up an independent [[Min (Ten Kingdoms)|Kingdom of Min]] with its capital in Fuzhou. After the death of the founding king, however, the kingdom suffered from internal strife, and was soon absorbed by [[Southern Tang]], another southern kingdom.<ref>Fukien. (2008). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved December 20, 2008, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/221639/Fujian {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221122424/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/221639/Fujian |date=February 21, 2009 }}</ref>

Parts of northern Fujian were conquered by the [[Wuyue]] Kingdom to the north as well, including the Min capital Fuzhou.

[[Quanzhou]] city was blooming into a seaport under the reign of the [[Min (Ten Kingdoms)|Min Kingdom]].{{citation needed|date=January 2015}}{{when|date=January 2015}}<ref name="《伊本・白图泰游记》">{{lang|zh-hans|伊本・白图泰（著）、马金鹏（译），《伊本・白图泰游记》，宁夏人民出版社，2005年}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|script-title=zh:中国网事:千年古港福建"泉州港"被整合改名引网民争议|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2012-04/11/c_111763389.htm|publisher=[[Xinhua News]]|access-date=2014-08-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009074711/http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2012-04/11/c_111763389.htm|archive-date=October 9, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

''[[Qingyuan Jiedushi]]'' was a military/governance office created in 949 by [[Southern Tang]]'s second emperor [[Li Jing (Southern Tang)|Li Jing]] for the warlord [[Liu Congxiao]], who nominally submitted to him but controlled Quan ({{lang|zh|泉州}}, in modern [[Quanzhou]], Fujian) and Zhang ({{lang|zh|漳州}}, in modern [[Zhangzhou]], Fujian) Prefectures in ''de facto'' independence from the Southern Tang state.<ref name=ZZTJ288>''[[Zizhi Tongjian]]'', [[:zh:s:資治通鑑/卷288|vol. 288]].</ref> (Zhang Prefecture was, at times during the circuit's existence, also known as Nan Prefecture ({{lang|zh|南州}}).)<ref name=HS483>''[[History of Song (Yuan dynasty)|History of Song]]'', [[:zh:s:宋史/卷483|vol. 483]].</ref> Starting in 960, in addition to being nominally submissive to Southern Tang, Qingyuan Circuit was also nominally submissive to [[Song dynasty|Song]], which had itself become Southern Tang's nominal overlord.<ref name=XZZTJ1>''[[Xu Zizhi Tongjian]]'', [[:zh:s:續資治通鑑/卷001|vol. 1]].</ref>
[[File:Later Zhou.png|thumb|320px|Map showing the location of Qingyuan Circuit]]

After Liu's death, the circuit was briefly ruled by his biological nephew/adoptive son [[Liu Shaozi]], who was then overthrown by the officers [[Zhang Hansi]] and [[Chen Hongjin]]. Zhang then ruled the circuit briefly, before Chen deposed him and took over.<ref name=HS483/> In 978, with Song's determination to unify Chinese lands in full order, Chen decided that he could not stay ''de facto'' independent, and offered the control of the circuit to Song's [[Emperor Taizong of Song|Emperor Taizong]], ending Qingyuan Circuit as a ''de facto'' independent entity.<ref name=XZZTJ9>''Xu Zizhi Tongjian'', [[:zh:s:續資治通鑑/卷009|vol. 9]].</ref>

=== Song dynasty ===
The area was reorganized into the [[Fujian Circuit]] in 985, which was the first time the name "Fujian" was used for an administrative region.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

=== Vietnam ===
Many Chinese migrated from Fujian's major ports to Vietnam's [[Hong River Delta|Red River Delta]]. The settlers then created Trần port and [[Van Don|Vân Đồn]].<ref name="WernerWhitmore2012">{{cite book|author1=Jayne Werner|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZHD4Asj0FagC&q=Tran+Chen+Fujian&pg=PT90|title=Sources of Vietnamese Tradition|author2=John K. Whitmore|author3=George Dutton|date=21 August 2012|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-51110-0|pages=29–|access-date=August 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825202215/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZHD4Asj0FagC&pg=PT90&dq=Tran+Chen+Fujian&hl=en&sa=X&ei=9AzMVM66BIfbsAShsIDgCQ&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Tran%20Chen%20Fujian&f=false|archive-date=August 25, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Fujian and Guangdong Chinese moved to the Vân Đồn coastal port to engage in commerce.<ref name="Truong2007">{{cite book|author=Philippe Truong|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ERvrAAAAMAAJ&q=tran+fujian|title=The Elephant and the Lotus: Vietnamese Ceramics in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston|publisher=MFA Pub.|year=2007|isbn=978-0-87846-717-4|page=18|access-date=August 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102155815/https://books.google.com/books?id=ERvrAAAAMAAJ&q=tran+fujian&dq=tran+fujian&hl=en&sa=X&ei=_i3NVJPMI8myggSex4K4Ag&ved=0CBwQ6AEwADgo|archive-date=January 2, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the [[Lý dynasty|Lý]] and [[Trần dynasty|Trần dynasties]], many Chinese ethnic groups with the surname Trần (陳) migrated to Vietnam from what is now Fujian or Guangxi. They settled along the coast of Vietnam and the capital's southeastern area.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Hall|editor-first1=Kenneth R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nZaaAAAAQBAJ&q=tran+fujian&pg=PA159|title=Secondary Cities & Urban Networking in the Indian Ocean Realm, c. 1400-1800|date=1 January 1955|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-3043-8|pages=159–|access-date=August 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912092544/https://books.google.com/books?id=nZaaAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA159&dq=tran+fujian&hl=en&sa=X&ei=XiPNVPrfH4WgNsWpgagC&ved=0CDoQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=tran%20fujian&f=false|archive-date=September 12, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The Vietnamese Trần clan traces their ancestry to Trần Tự Minh (227 BC). He was a Qin General during the Warring state period who belonged to the indigenous Mân, a Baiyue ethnic group of Southern China and Northern Vietnam. Tự Minh also served under King [[An Dương Vương]] of [[Âu Lạc]] kingdom in resisting [[Qin (state)|Qin]]'s conquest of Âu Lạc. Their genealogy also included Trần Tự Viễn (582 – 637) of Giao Châu and Trần Tự An (1010 - 1077) of Đại Việt. Near the end of the 11th century the descendants of a fisherman named Trần Kinh, whose hometown was in Tức Mạc village in Đại Việt (Modern day Vietnam), would marry the royal Lý clan, which was then founded the Vietnam Tran dynasty in 1225.<ref name="EmbreeLewis1988">{{cite book|author1=Ainslie Thomas Embree|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cNwpAQAAMAAJ&q=tran+fujian|title=Encyclopedia of Asian history|author2=Robin Jeanne Lewis|publisher=Scribner|year=1988|page=190|isbn = 9780684189017|access-date=August 25, 2016|archive-url=https://archive.today/20161022122029/https://books.google.nl/books?id=cNwpAQAAMAAJ&q=tran+fujian&dq=tran+fujian&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1iPNVKSgKoS4ggTd6oDgCw&redir_esc=y|archive-date=October 22, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

In Vietnam, the Trần served as officials. The surnames are found in the Trần and Lý dynasty Imperial exam records.<ref name="Woodside1971">{{cite book|author=Alexander Woodside|title=Vietnam and the Chinese Model: A Comparative Study of Vietnamese and Chinese Government in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0LgSI9UQNpwC&q=tran+fukien&pg=PA8|year=1971|publisher=Harvard Univ Asia Center|isbn=978-0-674-93721-5|pages=8–|access-date=August 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821092734/https://books.google.com/books?id=0LgSI9UQNpwC&pg=PA8&dq=tran+fukien&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Fi_NVITUN6XjsASAvoKoDg&ved=0CFwQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=tran%20fukien&f=false|archive-date=August 21, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Chinese ethnic groups are recorded in Trần and Lý dynasty records of officials.<ref name="Gunn2011">{{cite book|author=Geoffrey C. Gunn|title=History Without Borders: The Making of an Asian World Region, 1000-1800|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E10tnvapZt0C&q=tran+fujian&pg=PA112|date=1 August 2011|publisher=Hong Kong University Press|isbn=978-988-8083-34-3|pages=112–|access-date=August 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821080312/https://books.google.com/books?id=E10tnvapZt0C&pg=PA112&dq=tran+fujian&hl=en&sa=X&ei=XiPNVPrfH4WgNsWpgagC&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=tran%20fujian&f=false|archive-date=August 21, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Clothing, food, and languages were fused with the local Vietnamese in [[Vân Đồn District|Vân Đồn]] district where the Chinese ethnic groups had moved after leaving their home province of what is now Fujian, Guangxi, and Guangdong.

In 1172, Fujian was attacked by [[Pi-she-ye]] pirates from [[Taiwan]] or the [[Visayas]], Philippines.<ref>http://www.filipiknow.net/visayan-pirates-in-china/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828055320/http://www.filipiknow.net/visayan-pirates-in-china/ |date=August 28, 2016 }} https://archive.org/details/cu31924023289345 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119114247/https://archive.org/details/cu31924023289345 |date=November 19, 2016 }} https://archive.org/stream/cu31924023289345#page/n181/mode/2up {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410100155/https://archive.org/stream/cu31924023289345#page/n181/mode/2up |date=April 10, 2016 }} pp. 165-166. http://nightskylie.blogspot.com/2015/07/philippine-quarterly-of-culture-and.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013141535/http://nightskylie.blogspot.com/2015/07/philippine-quarterly-of-culture-and.html |date=October 13, 2016 }}</ref>

=== Yuan dynasty ===
After the establishment of the [[Yuan dynasty]], Fujian became part of [[Jiangzhe province]], whose capital was at [[Hangzhou]]. From 1357 to 1366 Muslims in [[Quanzhou]] participated in the [[Ispah Rebellion]], advancing northward and even capturing Putian and Fuzhou before the rebellion was crushed by the Yuan. Afterward, Quanzhou city lost foreign interest in trading and its formerly welcoming international image as the foreigners were all massacred or deported.

Yuan dynasty General [[Chen Youding]], who had put down the Ispah Rebellion, continued to rule over the Fujian area even after the outbreak of the [[Red Turban Rebellion]]. Forces loyal to the eventual Ming dynasty founder [[Zhu Yuanzhang]] (Hongwu Emperor) defeated Chen in 1367.<ref>{{Cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h58hszAft5wC&q=Chen+Youding+red+turban&pg=PR35| title=The Great Ming Code / Da Ming lu| date=September 2012| publisher=University of Washington Press| isbn=9780295804002| access-date=October 18, 2020| archive-date=April 18, 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418031152/https://books.google.com/books?id=h58hszAft5wC&q=Chen+Youding+red+turban&pg=PR35| url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Ming dynasty ===
After the establishment of the [[Ming dynasty]], Fujian became a province, with its capital at Fuzhou. In the early Ming era, Fuzhou Changle was the staging area and supply depot of [[Zheng He]]'s [[Treasure voyages|naval expeditions]]. Further development was severely hampered by the [[Hai jin|sea trade ban]], and the area was superseded by nearby ports of [[Guangzhou]], [[Hangzhou]], [[Ningbo]] and [[Shanghai]] despite the lifting of the ban in 1550.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}} Large-scale piracy by [[Wokou]] was eventually wiped out by the Chinese military.

An account of the Ming dynasty Fujian was written by No In (Lu Ren {{lang|zh-hans|鲁认}}).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://js.ifeng.com/humanity/zt/detail_2015_08/22/4264144_0.shtml |title=朝鲜人笔下的十六世纪末福建面貌_江苏频道_凤凰网 |access-date=May 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624162736/http://js.ifeng.com/humanity/zt/detail_2015_08/22/4264144_0.shtml |archive-date=June 24, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/29740/1/Han_Hee_Yeon_C_201105_PhD_thesis.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170115235120/https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/29740/1/Han_Hee_Yeon_C_201105_PhD_thesis.pdf |date=January 15, 2017 }} pp. 269-271.</ref>

The [[Iloilo#History|Pisheya]] appear in Quanzhou Ming era records.<ref>Chuan-chou Fu-chi (Ch.10) Year 1512</ref>

=== Qing dynasty ===
The late Ming and early [[Qing dynasty]] symbolized an era of a large influx of refugees and another 20 years of sea trade ban under the [[Kangxi Emperor]], a measure intended to counter the [[Kingdom of Tungning|refuge Ming government]] of [[Koxinga]] in the [[island of Taiwan]].

The sea ban implemented by the Qing forced many people to evacuate the coast to deprive Koxinga's Ming loyalists of resources. This has led to the myth that it was because Manchus were "afraid of water".

Incoming refugees did not translate into a major labor force, owing to their re-migration into prosperous regions of [[Guangdong]]. In 1683, the Qing dynasty conquered Taiwan in the [[Battle of Penghu]] and annexed it into Fujian province, as [[Taiwan Prefecture]]. Many more [[Han Chinese]] then settled in Taiwan. Today, most Taiwanese are descendants of [[Hokkien people]] from Southern Fujian. Fujian and Taiwan were originally treated as one province ([[Fujian-Taiwan-Province]]), but starting in 1885, they split into two separate provinces.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Skinner|first1=George William|last2=Baker|first2=Hugh D. R. |title=The City in late imperial China |year=1977 |publisher=Stanford University Press|isbn=978-0-8047-0892-0 |page=197}}</ref>

In the 1890s, the Qing ceded Taiwan to Japan via the [[Treaty of Shimonoseki]] after the [[First Sino-Japanese War]]. In 1905–1907 Japan made overtures to enlarge its sphere of influence to include Fujian. Japan was trying to obtain French loans and also avoid the [[Open Door Policy]]. Paris provided loans on condition that Japan respects the Open Door principles and does not violate China's territorial integrity.<ref>Seung-young Kim,  "Open Door or Sphere of Influence?: The Diplomacy of the Japanese–French Entente and Fukien Question, 1905–1907." ''International History Review'' 41#1 (2019): 105-129; see also [https://networks.h-net.org/node/28443/discussions/5408203/h-diplo-article-review-904-%E2%80%9Copen-door-or-sphere-influence Review by Noriko Kawamura in H-DIPLO.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124105420/https://networks.h-net.org/node/28443/discussions/5408203/h-diplo-article-review-904-%E2%80%9Copen-door-or-sphere-influence |date=January 24, 2022 }}</ref>

=== Republic of China ===
[[File:闽南护法区.png|thumb|Map of the [[Constitution Protection Region of Southern Fujian]]]]
{{see also|Constitution Protection Region of Southern Fujian|Fujian People's Government|Fuchien Province, Republic of China}}
The [[Xinhai revolution]] overthrew the Qing dynasty and brought the province into the rule of the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]].

The [[Anarchism|anarchist]] [[Constitution Protection Region of Southern Fujian]] was established by [[Chen Jiongming]] from 1918 to 1920.

Fujian briefly established the independent [[Fujian People's Government]] in 1933. It was re-controlled by the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]] in 1934.

Fujian came under a Japanese sea blockade during [[World War II]].

=== People's Republic of China ===
After the [[Chinese Civil War]], the [[People's Republic of China]] unified the country and took over most of Fujian, excluding the [[Kinmen|Quemoy]] and [[Matsu Island]]s.

In its early days, Fujian's development was relatively slow in comparison to other coastal provinces due to potential conflicts with Kuomintang-controlled Taiwan. Today, the province has the highest forest coverage rate while enjoying a high growth rate in the economy. The GDP per capita in Fujian is ranked 4-6th place among provinces of China in recent years.

Development has been accompanied by a large influx of population from the overpopulated areas to Fujian's north and west, and much of the farmland and forest, as well as cultural heritage sites such as the temples of king Wuzhu, have given way to ubiquitous high-rise buildings. Fujian faces challenges to sustain development{{Citation needed|date=May 2016}} while at the same time preserving Fujian's natural and cultural heritage.

In 2023, the [[Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party]] and the [[State Council of China]] jointly proposed making Fujian a [[Fujian Demonstration Zone|demonstration zone]] in [[Cross-strait relations|cross-strait integration]] between Taiwan and mainland China. Under the plan, the Chinese government would boost economic and transportation cooperation with Taiwan and make it easier for Taiwanese people to live, buy property, access social services and study in Fujian.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Davidson |first=Helen |date=2023-09-13 |title=China unveils Taiwan economic 'integration' plan as warships conduct manoeuvres off coast |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/13/china-unveils-taiwan-economic-integration-plan-as-warships-conduct-manoeuvres-off-coast |access-date=2025-02-01 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>