Yongchun County

Yongchun (Chinese: 永春; pinyin: Yǒngchūn; Min Nan: Éng-chhun; lit. 'eternal spring') is a county in western Quanzhou city of southern Fujian province, People's Republic of China, located on the upper reaches of the Jin River. It is under the administration of Quanzhou City.[1] As of 2009, it had a total population of 558,996 residing in an area of 1,469 square kilometres (567 sq mi).[2]

Yongchun County 永春县 Yungchun
County
Yongchun in Quanzhou
Quanzhou in Fujian
Coordinates: 25°19′12″N 118°17′20″E
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Fujian
Prefecture-level city	Quanzhou
County seat	Taocheng (桃城镇)
Area
• Total	1,469 km2 (567 sq mi)
Elevation	121 m (397 ft)
Population  (2009)
• Total	558,996
• Density	380/km2 (990/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code	362600
Area code(s)	0595
Website	fjyc.gov.cn

Many overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia have ancestors from Yongchun.[3]

The county's historical sites include the Dongguan Bridge, an ancient covered bridge with a number of shrines inside. Originally built in 1145 and renovated a number of times since, the bridge is located in Dongmei village of Dongguan Township, on the road from Yongchun to the neighboring Xianyou County.[4]

In 2011, the Taiwanese temple of goddess Mazu in Xingang opened a branch Mazu temple in the county, located in Chenban village. Instrumental to this foundation was Professor Chen, of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, a scholar of goddess Mazu whose family lived in Chenban village, who in 2010 attended a conference in Xingang. The Xingang Mazu Temple funded the construction, and Professor Chen secured the necessary authorizations in Yongchun County to expand an existing temple to the Daoist Master Zhang Daoling by adding a Mazu Black Hall. The statue of Mazu is carried in procession through the county during the Chinese New Year holidays. The fame of the temple has helped placing Chenban village, whose name according to Profesor Chen "nobody had ever heard before" on the map.[5]

Yongchun is home to a Chinese martial art called Yongchun White Crane Kung Fu. The style was founded in the 17th century and Yongchun remains its ancestral centre to this day.[6]