Zhangzhou, city, southeastern Fujian sheng (province), China. The city is situated on the north bank of the Xi River, some 25 mi (40 km) upstream from Xiamen (Amoy) in the small alluvial plain formed by the Xi and Jiulong rivers.
Zhangzhou was first established as a county in 502–515 ce and became a prefecture under its present name in 686. However, it was only a minor Chinese outpost of about 1,600 families in the mid-8th century; and it was only in the 9th century that, with the rapid colonization of Fujian (which continued until the 13th century), the city began to grow. After the fall of the Tang dynasty (618–907), it was renamed Nanzhou and began to flourish under the Fujianese kingdom of Min (909–944). During Song times (960–1279) it rapidly grew into a great city and was a major trading centre on China’s southeast coast and an entrepôt for overseas trade with Indonesia and Southeast Asia. During the Ming period (1368–1644) it developed a brisk trade with the Philippines and was famous for its sugar and its silk textiles, particularly satins. In 1604 it was first visited by Dutch ships; but with the gradual silting up of the river, its trade was transferred first to Mamazhen, farther downstream at the junction of the Jiulong and Xi rivers, and then to Xiamen, which in the 17th and 18th centuries took over Zhangzhou’s role as a major port.
Since then Zhangzhou has become a regional city and the commercial and market centre for southeast Fujian province, with which it has good river and highway connections. It is a collecting centre for fruit, jute, sugarcane, and timber from its hinterland; they are shipped on to Xiamen, which dominates it commercially and through which most of its imports pass. It has rail connections with central China and all parts of inland Fujian. There is some small-scale industry, mostly based on local agriculture. Flour milling, wine making, tea curing, papermaking, printing, and the manufacture of jute sacking and glass are the main trades.
The region surrounding Zhangzhou has rich fertile farmland, yielding choice agricultural produce for export. Of note are the highly prized narcissus bulbs grown there, which are sold throughout the country and abroad. In addition, the Zhangzhou area has been one of the main sources of Chinese emigrating to Taiwan and farther overseas. These overseas Chinese have been important in the growth of the economies of both Zhangzhou and Xiamen since the two cities were opened to foreign investment and other activities in the 1980s. Pop. (2002 est.) 356,825.