Fuzhou (Chinese: 福州; pinyin: Fúzhōu; Wade-Giles: Fu-chou; Foochow Romanized: Hók-ciŭ; EFEO: Fou-Tcheou; also seen as Foochow, Fuchow or Fuh-chau in earlier Western documents) is the capital and the largest prefecture-level city of Fujian (福建) province, People's Republic of China. It is also referred to as Rongcheng (榕城) which means "city of banyan trees."

Its GDP was ¥31582 (ca. US$3800) per capita in 2003, ranked no. 21 among 659 Chinese cities.

History

The exact foundation date of this city is not known. When Yue to the north of Fujian was annexed by Chu in 306 BC, a branch of the royal family of the defeated Yue fled Fujian and became the Minyue (闽越) tribe.

The first city wall of Fuzhou was built in 202 BC when Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, gave permission to Wuzhu (无诸), the king of Minyue, to set up his capital in Fuzhou. The city was named Ye (冶), meaning "The Beautiful". The name has changed many times, but the city has been continuously occupied since 202 BC and has never suffered major destruction by wars or natural disasters.

The Minyue was annexed by Han in 110 BC and became a part of China, and Fuzhou became Ye County. During the Jin Dynasty, West Lake, East Lake (now silted up) and numerous canals in the city were constructed (282 AD).

When the Jin Dynasty collapsed, the first wave of immigrants of the gentile class arrived in Fujian (308 AD). During the Tang Dynasty (725 AD), it started to be called Fuzhou.

More immigrants arrived from the north starting from 892 as the Tang Dynasty was collapsing. After the Tang Dynasty fell in 907, the Wang family managed to establish a kingdom called Min (909 – 945) with its capital in Fuzhou, then known as Changle. Min is still used as another name for the province of Fujian, in names of region such as minnan, and the river that runs through Fuzhou is called Min Jiang.

New city walls were built in 282 AD, 901 AD, 905 AD, and 974 AD, so the city had many layers of walls — more than the Chinese capital.

Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty (宋) ordered destruction of all the walls in Fuzhou in 978 AD but new walls were rebuilt later. The latest was built in 1371 AD.

During the Southern Song Dynasty, Fuzhou became more prosperous; many scholars came here to live and work. Among them were Zhu Xi (朱熹), the most celebrated Chinese philosopher after Confucius, and Xin Qiji (辛弃疾), the greatest composer of ci (a specialized form of poem). After them came Marco Polo, who transcribed the placename in Italian as Fugiu according to Mandarin Chinese.

Hualin Temple in the original Ye city, which has been declared a national heritage site, was built in 964 AD according to documentation, but was carbon-dated to the 4th or 5th century AD. It is probably the oldest existing wooden structure in China.

Between 1405 and 1433 AD, the Chinese (Ming) navy fleet, led by Zheng He, sailed from Fuzhou to the Indian Ocean seven times; on three occasions the fleet landed on the east coast of Africa. Before the last sailing, Zheng erected a stele dedicated to the goddess Tian-Fei (Matsu) near the seaport.

In the 19th century, Lin Zexu, a native of Fuzhou, led an unsuccessful attempt to resist the British fleet at Canton Bay, and Lin was exiled to the Russian border. At the end of the First Opium War, Fuzhou became one of the five Chinese treaty ports opened by the Treaty of Nanjing (signed in 1842). Lin Zexu died on November 22, 1850 at age of 66.

On November 8, 1911, revolutionaries staged an uprising in Fuzhou. After an overnight street battle, the Qing (Manchu) army surrendered. On November 22, 1933, the leaders of the 19th Army set up a short-lived Republic of China (中華共和國) in Fuzhou (compare the name to Chiang’s “Republic of China” (中華民國), which literally means “People’s State of China”); it collapsed in two months.

Around 1940, the Japanese army decided to invade Fuzhou. Surrounded by hills on 3 sides, the Japanese army quickly bombed and invaded the city. Japanese planes quickly bombed the only escape route for Chinese civilians- the bridges across the neighbouring river, leaving many civilians dangerously crossing the river on foot. The Japanese soon took the city and held it until Japan's surrender in 1945.

See also: Battle of Foochow

Districts and counties

The administrative divisions of Fuzhou have changed frequently in history. In 1983, Fuzhou administered 5 districts and 8 counties, whose territory has not changed since then. In 1990 and 1994, Fuqing (Hók-chiăng) and Changle (Diòng-lŏ̤h) counties were promoted to county-level cities. Despite this change, the old statement of "5 districts and 8 counties" is still popular among the local people.

Districts: Gulou (鼓楼, Gū-làu), Taijiang (台江, Dài-gĕ̤ng), Cangshan (仓山, Chŏng-săng), Mawei(马尾, Mā-muōi), Jin'an(晋安, Céng-ăng).

County-level cities: Fuqing (福清，Hók-chiăng), Changle (长乐，Diòng-lŏ̤h).

Counties: Minhou (闽侯，Mìng-âu), Minqing (闽清，Mìng-chiăng), Yongtai (永泰，Īng-tái), Lianjiang (连江，Lièng-gŏng), Luoyuan (罗源，Lò̤-nguòng), Pingtan (平潭，Bìng-tàng).

Transportation

Fuzhou Changle International Airport

Tourism

Fuzhou, also known as the City of Banyan after the many Banyan trees that dot the city landscape, may not be as rich in history as some other ancient Chinese cities but still boasts a fair number of historical sights.

Sanfang Qixiang (三坊七巷) (a cluster of ancient resident buildings dated from late Jin Dynasty)

West Lake (福州西湖)(an artificial lake built in 282 AD)

Hualin Temple (华林寺)(founding date uncertain)

Dizang Temple (founded in 527 AD)

Xichan Temple (西禅寺)(founded in 867 AD)

Wu Ta (乌塔)(Black Pagoda) (originally built in 799 AD, rebuilt in 936 AD)

Bai Ta (白塔)(White Pagoda) (originally built in 905 AD, 67 m in height, collapsed in 1534 AD, rebuilt in 1548 AD, 41 m in height)

Yongquan Temple (涌泉寺)(founded in 915 AD)

Gu Shan (鼓山)(Drum Mountain)

Fuzhou National Forest Park (福州国家森林公园)　

Sister cities

Tacoma, Washington

Nagasaki, Japan

Naha, Japan

Gunsan, South Korea

George, South Africa

Koszalin,Poland

Campinas, Brazil

Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia

Colleges and universities

Fujian Normal University (福建师范大学) (founded in 1907)

Fuzhou University (福州大学)

Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (福建农林大学)

Fujian Medical University (福建医科大学)

Fujian College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (福建中医学院)

Minjiang University (闽江学院)

Fujian University of Technology (福建工程学院)

Note: Institutions without full-time bachelor programs are not listed.

Travel Guide

Fuzhou (福州) is the capital of Fujian Province, China.

Districts

Cangshan District(仓山区 cāngshān qū)

Taijiang District(台江区 táijiāng qū)

Mawei District(马尾区 mǎwěi qū)

Gulou District(鼓楼区 gǔlóu qū)

Jin'an District(晋安区 jìnān qū)

Understand

Fuzhou is an old port city; Marco Polo visited it. In the 19th century, it exported more tea than any other Chinese port. The actual port is in the suburb of Mawei. In 1884, the French destroyed a dockyard at Mawei, sinking a good part of the Chinese navy and killing hundreds.

Today it is the provincial capital and administrative center, and also a major center for light industry. Nike has a factory there, and a Taiwanese firm that makes shoes for Adidas, Reebok and others has four. All are large factories, with several thousand employees each.

Several suburbs are administratively part of Fuzhou, though they are some distance away and fairly large — Mawei, Fuqing and Changle. Changle, Fuqing and various villages in the area are the main source of illegal immigrants smuggled to Western countries.

Get in

By plane

Fuzhou has air links to most other major Chinese cities. Airport an hour from town, 20 RMB by bus. You can get the bus at the Apollo Hotel. Shared taxis also go from there, at around 25 RMB. A private taxi would be at least 100, likely more unless you haggle well.

By bus

Direct overnight buses to/from Hong Kong, Shenzhen or Guangzhou exist, with sleeping bunks. 220 to 350 RMB; it is usually worth the extra for comfort.

Buses from Xiamen are 70 to 90 RMB.

By train

The train station is in the Northeast of the city.

Train to/from Xiamen takes a long route and is slow. Take a bus instead.

Get around

Taxis are cheap, 8 RMB for short trips and under 30 for any trip in town.

Taxis rate: 7 RMB for the first 3 km, and then 1.4 RMB per km. Plus one for fuel surcharge, and one more after 11 PM.

Buses are often crowded, but run often and more-or-less everywhere. 1 RMB, or 2 if they have air conditioning. If the bus you require is packed just wait until the next one, or the one after- it should only take 5-10 minutes As the writer can attest to, being stuck on a dangerously overloaded bus with several dozen/hundred people sweating all over you is an experience best avoided. Especially in the summer months.

Number 8 if you need to shop for cheese, coffee and other Western products at the German Metro supermarket.

See

Gu Shan (Drum Mountain) a 20 min. bus ride from town. A Taoist temple houses nationally important archives written in monks' blood as well as superb veggie restaurant. It's a 1900m climb, or a 20 min cable car journey to the top.

Bai Yun Shan. Near Gu Shan and less heavily trafficked. After the gruelling top section, you'll be rewarded by some genuinely beautiful hospitality and refreshing tea in a cave! Magic. Plus some great views over the city.

Wu Shan overlooking the main square - a short walk to the hilltop which houses a pretty average temple. However, on the way up there's plenty of entertainment in the form of musicians and singers who congregate here to practice. The White Pagoda is also accessed by the same road behind Mao Tse Dong's statue and worth a look. There are several very good arts and crafts shops at the base of the hill. Haggle for all you're worth to obtain good prices.

Qi Shan, A 5 RMB bus ride from Fuzhou plus the last stage in a mian bao chi up the winding 17km road to the site. A forest park with big, sexy waterfalls and stunning views over receding mountain ranges from a vertigo-inducing suspension bridge. All this and monkeys to feed. Beware the alpha male!

Do

Visit A'an Tai covered market at night for cheap goodies and a lively atmosphere. It's on the corner of Jin Tai Lu and Ba Yi Qi Lu.

If pool's your game, you'd be hard pushed to find better tables anywhere in China than the Riley's club on the Yang Qiao Lu. Cheap drinks and open very late too!

Eat Yu Wan - Fish balls - a Fuzhou delicacy. Minced beef and pork inside a fishy flour ball of dough in a thin broth. Excellent. Other roadside cheapies include Ban Mian (noodles with peanut sauce) and Bian Ro (a small boiled dumpling) all under 2 RMB a portion.

Dawn and dusk, visit Wu Yi Guang Chang (a central square with a huge statue of Mao) and watch the ceremonial raising or lowering of the flag by highly trained and immaculate soldiers.

Watch martial arts in Wu Yi Guang Chang, 6 AM or so until about 8, or later on weekends. There are at least half a dozen styles being practiced, armed and unarmed. The founder of karate, Funakoshi Geishin, spent 13 years in Fuzhou. There are a group on the East side of the park who say their style is what he studied.

Go watch Fuzhou Fighting Ferrets Football Club - a motley assortment of nationalities who play at Jin Shan Wen Ti Zhong Xin every Sunday morning at 9.15. Like football, only funnier!

Paintball great fun for those masochists among us who enjoy being hit by high velocity projectiles in delicate parts of the body - at Jin Ji Shan Gong Yuan, right on top of the hill. Not to be attempted in summertime. Believe me!

Yoga Yoga lessons by Yogi Amit Singh at Healthy Way Yoga Life +86-591-87502088

Buy

Handicrafts in the area include:

shou shan stone, a unique variety of alabaster found only in Shou Shan (about 40km from Fuzhou) used to make name chops and all types of beautiful carving.

laquer work

bamboo arts

wooden art objects

root carving

Eat

Gu Yue Hu - a small, cheap, excellent sichuan place with an English-speaking manager (Wei Jing or Gemma), corner of Hudong Lu and Hubin Lu, at the Southeast corner of West Lake Park. Now, sadly replaced with an inferior restaurant. RIP :-(

Hao Shi Jie on the corner of Er Huan Lu and Yang Qiao Lu is very expensive if you go upstairs, but stay on the ground floor and eat the dim sum which is cheap (under 25/head) and delicious.

Moby Pizza on the second floor, Northeast corner of Jin Tai Lu and Ba Yi Qi Lu opposite McDonalds.

Wai Bo Tai - just off Ye Shan Lu. Good menu, cheap, great fresh seafood. Never had a bad meal there so far!

Cafe Forum - on the corner of Er Huan Lu and Wu Shi Lu. Good quality meals in a box and reasonably priced coffee, but the service can sometimes be attrocious. Hit it on a good day, it's great. On a bad day, it's dire.

Ajisen Japanese Noodles next to the No. 8 Bus stop on Ba Yi Qi Lu - a great range of noodles and tasty side dishes. Friendly service and pictures in the menu for those who can't read Chinese which is a real Godsend.

Lemom leaf on the fifth floor of no.66, Hu Bin Lu. opposite the front door of west lake. Very good thai food. Featured dish: lemom fish and curry crab. Not very cheap, 50RMB per person in average.

Drink

Le Cafe on Hualin Lu (Road) a block West of Wu Shi Lu is an expatriate hangout, although it has recently been taken over by the Taiwanese and has lost some popularity. It is busiest on Friday evenings. Tell a cab driver "wu yi dasha"; that is a hotel next door.

The Party Bar on Tong Hu Lu, about 50 meters South of the main gate of West Lake Park, has cheap beer, free pool table and live music. Popular with locals and expats, sometimes quite crowded or noisy on weekends. FOOTNOTE : Now deserted by foreigners since the tragic murder of Richard Gribble, a 23 year old Australian, by patrons of this bar.

Tony's Small Bar, across the street from Party Bar, has an English-speaking owner and is quieter.

Shao Yuan Yi Hao, on Bai Ma Lu has a host of foreign beers, British, German and Belgian as well as fine wines and beautiful decor and people. Bit pricey, but worth it for the music and atmosphere. It is a beautifully remodelled warehouse, the sort of design you might expect in a Western city or perhaps Shanghai, but unique in Fuzhou.

1-2-3 Bar almost opposite Shao Yuan Yi Hao on Bai Ma Lu. Cheap beer, convivial atmosphere, sometimes live music, stays open as long as you're drinking/semi-conscious. The sign says 1-2-3, but Chinese pronounce it "do-re-mi" for reasons that are not at all clear to the writer.

Club Blog Club is a coffee shop managed by a Western resident that overlooks the West Lake. Address: 136 Hubin Road. Web site: http://mywebpage.netscape.com/clubblogclub

"York" Bar so named by foreigners because it's behind York School on Hubin Lu. A lively and convivial atmosphere, cheap, cold beer, live music from a foreign band on Friday nights. All this PLUS a pet iguana in a tank near the door. Stunning.

The Bamboo Bar - about 200 metres from Shao Yuan Yi Hao nearer to Yang Qiao Lu. Cheap beer, waterside tables, live football games on TV. Pushy owner, but easily ignored after a couple of beers!

Saint Nobody - on bei da lu near gu xi church. The most myterious club in fuzhou with cheap beer and good indie music. An anti-fuzhou look which makes u feel like a traveler lost in an unknown city.

Contact

The area code for Fuzhou is 0591. When calling from overseas, dial +86 591 XXXX-XXXX

Get out

Mount Wuyi, scenic area famous for tea, ancient cliff burials and relics of the 3000 yr old Min Yue culture. The landscapes here are surreally beautiful. This is a must see in Fujian. Avoid the modern "tourist" town - it's dull and pricey. Basically, turn right at the end of the station road to head to the old town and a friendlier, less hassled environment.

Xiamen, four hours by bus.

Qin Yun Shan, a scenic mountain area about 65km from Fuzhou near the small town of Yong Tai. Lots of great walks through river valleys with tons of sub tropical flora and fauna and those ubiquitous waterfalls. Worth an overnight visit.

Lang Qi Dao, a 45 min bus ride from Fuzhou, via Ma Wei. On the east of the island there's a splendid beach with few visitors. Cute old ferry takes you there from the mainland for 2RMB.