NAN-P'ING

Pinyin Nanping city in north central Fukien sheng (province), China. Nan-p'ing occupies an important position in the communications of northern Fukien. It is situated on the northwest bank of the Min River at the place where that river is formed by the confluence of three major tributary systems, the Sha River flowing from the southwest, the Chien River flowing from the northeast, and the Fu-t'un River flowing from the west. All of these valleys are natural routes through the rugged and difficult country of the Fukienese interior, leading toward the neighbouring provinces. Nan-p'ing county was established at the end of the Later Han period (AD 23220). The name was later changed to Chien-an and Yen-an but was suppressed. In the early 10th century it was a minor town called Yen-p'ing Chen; but when Wang Yen-cheng established himself as an independent ruler in north Fukien in 944, it was promoted to the status of Lung-chin county and made the seat of an independent prefecture of T'an-chou. When northern Fukien was conquered by the Southern T'ang state in 945, the town was renamed Chien-chou; but in 979 the Sung conquerors of the south renamed it Nan-chien-chou. Under the Sung dynasty (9601279) it prospered as a major producer of copper, lead, and tin. In 1302 its name was changed to Yen-p'ing, and under the Ming (13681644) and Ch'ing (16441911) dynasties it formed the superior prefecture of Yen-p'ing. Its name was changed to Nan-p'ing in 1913. Under the Ch'ing its commercemostly in forest products, timber, bamboo, and papergrew considerably. Nan-p'ing had traditionally sent its goods, particularly lumber, to Fu-chou by river. Since the Communists came to power in 1949, the Min River has been improved for navigation. More important, however, was the opening in 1956 of the railway from Kiangsi province to Amoy, which is joined at Nan-p'ing by another line to the port of Fu-chou. Nan-p'ing thus became the most important rail junction in Fukien and subsequently developed some industries, among which the most important are timber working, papermaking, and the manufacture of cement and chemicals. Pop. (1985 est.) 153,000.