evidence: 19 of 23 Fujian dowell / Getty Images Area: 46,834 square miles (121,300 square kilometers)Capital: Fuzhou The picturesque Fujian province might be a small province, but due to its location opposite of Taiwan, bordering the China Sea, it’s been strategically important in its long history; Fujian appears in written records dating to B.C.E. 300. 20 of 23 Jiangsu Nayuki / Getty Images Area: 39,614 square miles (102,600 square kilometers)Capital: Nanjing Nanjing, in Jiangsu, was the capital during the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644), and again from 1928 to 1949, and has been culturally and economically significant since antiquity. 21 of 23 Zhejiang george / Getty Images Area: 39,382 square miles (102,000 square kilometers)Capital: Hangzhou One of the richest and most densely populated provinces of China, Zhejiang's industry includes textiles, metal, furniture, appliances, paper/printing, car and bicycle manufacturing, and construction. 22 of 23 Taiwan tobiasjo / Getty Images Area: 13,738 square miles (35,581 square kilometers)Capital: Taipei The island of Taiwan has been a place much fought over for hundreds of years. It has had self-rule but also has been a territory of the Netherlands, Nationalist China, and Japan.