SHAO-WU

Pinyin Shaowu, city in northwestern Fukien sheng (province), China. Situated on the upper course of the Fu-t'un River, some 30 miles (50 km) from the border of Kiangsi province, Shao-wu is an important communication centre, located on the railway line from Kiangsi to the ports of Amoy and Fu-chou and at the centre of a network of locally important highways. Since the coming of the railway in 1956, Shao-wu has become the major commercial and distribution centre for a large area in the Fu-t'un and Chin river valleys in western Fukien, an area rich in forest products and lumber resources. Pop. (1990) 72,102.