Do you know how Putian got its start on the map?

In 568 AD (2nd year of Guangda, Southern Chen), a county called “Putian” appeared on China’s administrative map for the first time. Its exact boundaries? Nobody knows for sure.

But one thing is certain: this place has been growing for over 1,400 years.

Not by conquest. By taking land from the sea.

Two Disappearances and One Promotion

Putian’s administrative history was rocky from the start.

Founded in 568 AD. Absorbed into Nan’an County in 589 AD (9th year of Kaihuang, Sui). First disappearance. Re-established in 622 AD (5th year of Wude, Tang). Then three centuries of peace.

The real turning point came in 979 AD (4th year of Taiping Xingguo, Northern Song). The imperial court established the Xinghua Army, administering Putian, Xianyou, and Xinghua counties. A military prefecture — which meant this place mattered more than an ordinary county.

During the Yuanfeng era of the Song, Putian was divided into 10 townships and 51 villages (Li). By the Shaoxing era of the Southern Song, it had grown to 74 villages. More villages meant more people.

And its core — the Xinghua Plain — was a man-made plain.

450 Kilometers of Border, 343.6 Kilometers of Coastline

Putian sits at 24°59’–25°46’ N, 118°41’–119°39’ E. Its land border runs about 450 kilometers. To the east, Pinghai Wei and the Taiwan Strait. To the west, the Daiyun Mountains. To the south, Jieshan and Hui’an. To the north, Dayang and Fuqing.

But the most striking number is the coastline: 343.6 kilometers.

Three bays — Xinghua Bay, Meizhou Bay, and Pinghai Bay — dominate its maritime territory. During the Wanli era of the Ming, these three bays hosted 12 major ports.

150 Islands and Two Clearances

Putian has 150 islands of various sizes.

The largest is Nanri Island, at 45 square kilometers. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it held a garrison of over 2,000 soldiers and was called the “Throat of the Fujian Sea.” The most famous is Meizhou Island, at 14.35 square kilometers, with a patrol office dating back to the Zhizheng era of the Yuan Dynasty.

But in the early Qing, these islands went through a violent disruption.

In 1661 (1st year of Kangxi), the Qing government ordered a coastal evacuation to blockade Koxinga’s forces. Everyone within 30 li of the coast was moved inland. The islands became lawless lands. It took until 1683 (22nd year of Kangxi) for them to return to the administrative map.

Twenty-two years. An island can go from inhabited to empty and back again.

Taking from the Sea

Putian had a unique way of “expanding”: reclaiming land from the sea.

In 1087 (2nd year of Yuanyou, Northern Song), the Mulan Dam was completed. Seawater was kept out, and lagoons turned into rice paddies. From the Song to the Ming, reclamation added over 50,000 mu of farmland.

Then came the modern era. The “Asking the Sea for Grain” campaign that began in 1958 pushed the coastline between Hanjiang and Jiangkou outward by 2 to 3 kilometers. Between 1950 and 1985, Putian reclaimed a total of 126,000 mu.

The Xinghua Plain was never a gift of nature. It was dug, shovel by shovel, out of the ocean.

Redefined in 1983

In September 1983, the State Council approved the abolition of Putian County and the establishment of Putian City — governing Chengxiang and Hanjiang districts, plus Putian and Xianyou counties. Total area: 3,973 square kilometers, of which 3,781 was land. The territory was divided into 24 townships and 5 towns.

From 568 to 1983. From a tiny Chen Dynasty county to a modern prefecture-level city. Over 1,400 years, Putian’s borders were redrawn again and again — not through war, but through generation after generation turning sea into land and mudflats into fertile fields.

Next time you visit Meizhou Island, think about this: the beach under your feet might have been the ocean floor a thousand years ago.

Putian was never this big.

Its people made it that way.