On one of the islands, there are several ancient relics, including the 'Mountain of the Nine Immortals', and the Dongshan ancient city, where two famous Ming Dynasty generals, Qi Jiguang and Zheng Chenggong were based. Tongling Town on Northeastern Dongshan Island has an ancient waterside castle. Tonghshan Castle was built of stone in 1387 by Zhou Dexing of the Ming Dynasty to protect against Japanese pirates. The gate tower still stands intact. Inside, a path is linked by corridors and the exquisite Temple of Guan Yu. The entrance to the temple is flanked by ancient houses, the birthplace of Huang Daozhou, an official of the Ming Dynasty. In 1950, at the end of the Chinese Civil War, the island was the scene of fighting between the nationalist Kuomintang and Chinese Communist forces, and again in 1953 during the so-called Dongshan Island Campaign, an unsuccessful attempt by the nationalists to retake the island.
Economy
Dongshan County is situated between two economically vibrant cities of Xiamen and Shantou. Both are Special Economic Zones which have spillover economic effects for Dongshan County, such as increased tourism. The total GDP of islands in 2003 was 3.62 billion yuan. The main industries are fishery, fish farming and asparagus farming.
The county has jurisdiction over a nationally managed forest and an economic and technological development district.
Geography and climate
Dongshan is located in the southernmost part of the province, with Kaohsiung, Taiwan to the east and Hong Kong to the southwest. The climate of the Dongshan Islands is humid subtropical and moderated by their coastal location, without frost through the year. In winter, north-east winds, and in summer south-east winds prevail. The annual average temperature is. The coolest month of the year is February with an average temperature of ; the hottest, July, with an average temperature of. The annual average rainfall is only, which causes a shortage of fresh water, especially from October to January. Additional water must be acquired from outside for both domestic and industrial use.
Transport
Dongshan Port is one of the main ports in Fujian, open to foreign vessels since 2003 and very close to Taiwan and Hong Kong. The port has a large body of water, large hinterland, and a deep, sediment-free harbour. The harbour is big enough for twenty-two 10,000 tons berths. Currently, the port has two deep water harbours built to accommodate 3,000 tons berths. These facilities provide Dongshan Port an important commercial link between Xiamen and Shantou.
