FUJIAN - As a journalist and also as a tourist, I have visited many places around the world, some of them really astonished me.

But for me, Fujian province in the southeast of China, was unique in a way that cannot be truly described, as someone himself/herself should go and visit.

Actually, all of my accompanying journalist friends who visited Fujian were impressed by every single feature of this province.

From natural beauty, historical, cultural and tourism attractions to economy, business and entrepreneurship, all aspects of this province are amazing.

As the representative of my country and the Tehran Times, I am participating in a program organized by China International Press Communication Center (CIPCC).

This program includes many activities, including participation in lectures and press conferences, as well as visiting different parts of Beijing, the capital, and also some other cities and provinces in China.

After Hainan island province, China’s southernmost point, Fujian was the second province that we visited during this program.

The visit was organized by the CIPCC, in collaboration with China Global Television Network (CGTN).

During a one-week trip, we visited six cities of Fuzhou (the capital), Ningde, Pingtan, Fuqing, Quanzhou, and Xiamen in Fujian. In each city, we visited many wonderful places and took part in several activities.

As there were many visits and activities, explaining all of them in a single article is somehow impossible, so I will tell the stories about them in the next reports in the coming days.

Now, let’s learn a little about Fujian, this wonderful province.

Fujian is a province on the southeastern coast of China. It is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east.

Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest city by population is Quanzhou, other notable cities include the port city of Xiamen and Zhangzhou.

Fujian is located on the west coast of the Taiwan Strait as the closest geographically and culturally to Taiwan.

While its population is predominantly identify Han ethnicity, it is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse provinces in China.

With a population of 41.5 million, Fujian ranks 15th in population among Chinese provinces. In 2022, Fujian's GDP reached CN¥5.31 trillion ($790 billion by nominal GDP), ranking 4th in East China region and 8th nationwide in GDP.

Fujian's GDP per capita is above the national average, at ¥126,829 ($18,856 in nominal), the second highest GDP per capita of all Chinese provinces after Jiangsu.

Fujian is considered one of China's leading provinces in education and research. As of 2023, two major cities in the province ranked in the top 45 cities in the world (Xiamen 38th and Fuzhou 45th) by scientific research output, as tracked by the Nature Index.

As it was previously mentioned, visiting Fujian was organized by China International Press Communication Center (CIPCC).

CIPCC, under the China Public Diplomacy Association (CPDA), has initiated a program to build a platform for the media from countries around the world, especially developing countries, to observe China and study development in this country.

The program aimed at media exchange was halted in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 epidemic.

In each edition of the program, journalists from all around the world gather together to get familiar with the modern China and exchange their experiences in the field of journalism.

In 2024 edition of the program, scheduled to be held from late February until late June, over 100 journalists from more than 90 countries are participating.

Photo: Gulangyu Island, Xiamen City, Fujian Province (By Mahnaz Abdi)