Longyan is a well-known ancestral home for the Hakkas and overseas Chinese, and an important area for the formation of the Hakkas family. More than 80% of the population in the city are Hakka people. Changting County is thus reputed as “the Capital for the Hakkas” and Tingjiang River as the “mother river” for the Hakkas.

Longyan is an important mining area in Fujian with 64 kinds of minerals detected, of which the reserves of 16 minerals rank among the top in Fujian province. Longyan is also one of the three largest forest areas in the province with the forest coverage as much as 77.91%, ranking first at the municipal level in Fujian and among the top in China. Yongding Tulou Complex, the traditional communal residence of the Hakkas, is known as a wonder in the world architectural history and has been inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Symbols of Longyan are: City Tree – Camphor Tree; City Flower – Orchid and Camellia.

Longyan, a National Forest City