Ningde, Fujian Province, China

🇨🇳 Ningde (宁德), also known as Mindong (闽东), is a prefecture-level city located along the north-eastern coast of Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Fuzhou to the south, Wenzhou to the north, and Nanping to the west. Ningde is listed No. 2 in China Integrated City Index's environmental ranking, a study conducted by the National Development and Reform Commission.

Agriculture The warm and moist climate and fertile land in the prefecture of Ningde provide it with favourable conditions for agriculture. The largest agricultural exports from Ningde include mushroom and tea. The area also produces large quantities of various fruits, such as shaddocks, Chinese chestnuts, plums, honey peaches, lychees and longans.

Tea cultivation has long been an important industry of Ningde. The total area of tea plantations in Ningde had reached 463 square km and the output of green tea took up 10.5 percent of that of the entire country. More than 1.2 million jobs were created directly and indirectly in different stages of the tea industry. Famous brands include the Tianshan Silver-Needle Tea, Baihao Silver-Needle Tea, Fenghuangshe, Lianyue Flower Tea and Xianyan Snow Peak.

The mountainous landscape and advantageous climate conditions are also beneficial to the development of forestry. Up to 8,482 square kilometres, or 65.2 percent of the entire prefecture, are forested. Out of this area, bamboo groves occupy 600 square kilometres, producing an annual output of six million bamboo products. In Fu'an alone, the green bamboo base has extended to 34 square km and its output of green bamboo shoots takes up more than 60 percent of the entire provincial output.

Aquaculture The prefecture of Ningde is blessed with vast area of shallow sea, which is suitable for aquaculture. Aquatic products take up 41.3 percent of the total output value of agriculture from Ningde, with an exporting value of US$82,170,000. Major products include yellow croakers, oysters, razor clams, prawns and freshwater eels.

Industry Ningde is the producer of many non-metallic mineral resources, such as granite, diorite and basalt. The confirmed volume of granite reserves extends to 1,140 million cubic meters, while estimated amount of deposits undiscovered stands at several thousand million cubic meters. The mining area for basalt in Bailin, Fuding, known as Fuding Black, covers 0.21 square km with a total deposit of up to 50 million cubic meters.

Secondary Sector Ningde's rich hydropower resources give it a head start in metallurgical industries. Products such as magnesium, zirconium oxide, aluminium, high-purity silicon carbide, and a series of other silicon products from plants in the prefecture enjoy high reputation and are exempted from examination when exported to Japan. Advances in metallurgical technology also aids the shipbuilding industry, a traditional trade in Ningde. In recent years, local shipyards have been capable of constructing 10,000-ton steamships.

From its many agricultural produces sprouted the long-running food processing industry in Ningde. New techniques and formula adopted in recent years have allowed products such as tea, fruits and vegetables, mushrooms and marine products to be exported to the international market.