An aerial photo of clouds floating above the green mountains at Wuyishan National Park in Nanping, a city located in East China's Fujian province. [Photo/VCG]

Nanping, a city located in the northern part of Fujian province, boasts rich mountainous resources and is home to various tourist spots such as the World Heritage site Mount Wuyi and Wuyishan National Park.

The city had a resident population of 2.63 million as of the end of 2023 and an area of 2.63 square kilometers, making it Fujian's largest city with subordinate districts in terms of area. It borders the cities of Ningde to the east and Sanming to the south, and Zhejiang province to the north and Jiangxi province to the west.

Ecology is the most prominent advantage in Nanping. In October 2011, Nanping was awarded the "national eco-friendly model area" by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, becoming the only national-level ecological demonstration city in the province.

The city, where Fujian's largest river — the Minjiang — begins, has long been renowned for lush mountains and clear water. The city has introduced major water companies like Nongfu Spring and China Resources' C'estbon Beverage. Also by virtue of its well-protected ecology, Nanping has grown to be the largest ganoderma production base in the world.

With its rich ecological resources, Nanping enjoys a host of green and high-quality agricultural products. Over the past decades, the city has developed competitive fruit, vegetable and edible fungi industries and cultivated green and characteristic tea, bamboo, and water industries.

In addition to agricultural products, Nanping also attaches major importance to enhancing the culture and tourism sector. Rural tourism is growing rapidly in the area due to local revolutionary history and culture as well as the unspoiled natural environment. For instance, in the city's Nanyuanling village, villagers have renovated their houses into restaurants and homestays and have benefited a lot from local tourism development.

With a subtropical monsoon climate, Nanping's average annual temperatures hover around 15 to 19 degrees Celsius and its average annual rainfall ranges from 1,684 mm to 1,780 mm. Of the city's 28 ethnic groups, excluding those of the Han nationality, the She ethnic group is the largest, followed by the Hui ethnic group, the Miao ethnic group and the Man ethnic group. Nanping is also home to many natural resources, including 29.64 million hectares of forests, one river, 176 tributaries and more than 50 different types of minerals.

In 2023, the city's GDP was 227 billion yuan ($31.34 billion), an increase of 5 percent compared to that of 2022, according to official data. The added value of the city's primary, secondary, and tertiary industries totaled 38.16 billion yuan, 81 billion yuan, and 107.85 billion yuan in 2023, respectively, increasing 4.4 percent, 6.1 percent, 4.3 percent.

The per capita disposable income of the city's residents was 34,373 yuan in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 5.5 percent.