Enjoyingalonghistory,FuzhouhasbeenapoliticalcenterofFujianforalongtime,animportantcityonthesoutheasterncoast,andagatewaytotheMaritimeSilkRoad.Ithaswitnessedfrequenttrade,businessexchanges,andmulticulturalintegrationbetweenChinaandtheMiddleEastandotherAsiancountriesandregions.Inrecentyears,Fuzhouhasstriventobuilditselfintoastrategichubforthe21stCenturyMaritimeSilkRoadandhasbecomeafoundingmemberoftheUnitedNationsMaritimeContinentalSilkRoadCitiesAlliance(UNMCSR).Atthesametime,FuzhouwasoneoftheearliestcitiesinChinatoopenupandimplementreform.Inthispilotfreetradezoneandnationalnewarea,emergingindustrieshavebecomeincreasinglyprominent,andstrategicemergingindustriessuchastheInternetofThings(IOT),bigdata,cloudcomputing,artificialintelligence,andhigh-techindustriesarerapidlydeveloping.China’sfirstopenlaboratoryfortheInternetofThingsandtheChina(Fuzhou)InternetofThingsIndustryIncubationCenterwereunveiledoneafteranother.Theworld’slargestcommercialprojectfornarrow-bandIOT-enabledsmartwaterbusinesswasalsoofficiallylaunchedinFuzhou.
StrategicCoastalTown
Fuzhou’sdocumentedhistorycanbetracedbacktothethirdcenturyBC,whenitwasthecapitaloftheMinyueKingdom.DuringtheEasternJinDynasty(317-420),theinhabitantsoftheCentralPlainsmigratedsouthandFuzhougraduallyprosperedinthelong-termimmigrationtides.IntheSongDynasty(960-1279)Fuzhouenteredagoldenperiodofeconomicandculturaldevelopment.Itbecameoneofthesixmajorcitiesinthecountryatthattimeandwasthecenteroftheimperialexaminations.Atthattime,thecitywasplantedwithbanyansandthecitywasfullofshade,forwhichitbecameknownas“BanyanCity.”
DuringtheMingDynasty(1368-1644)Fuzhou’soverseastradebegantoflourish.Asanimportantseaport,FuzhouattractedRyukyu’senvoys,Japanesebusinessmen,andearlyCatholicmissionaries.In1392,thefirstemperoroftheMingDynastyZhuYuanzhang(1328-1398)gavethetributaryRyukyuKingdomnumerousseavesselstofacilitatetradeexchanges,anddispatchedFujian’sboatmenandsailorstosettleinRyukyu.
Thesemigrantswereresponsibleforsailing,shipbuilding,preparationofdiplomaticdocuments,translations,andtradewithChinainRyukyu.TheyenjoyedahigherstatusinRyukyu,werevaluedbytheKingdom,andassuch,receivedspecialtreatmentthere.Theyalsoestablishedtheirownindependentvillage,whichwaslaterrenamed“Kumemura.”
Atthebeginningofthe15thcentury,theMinggovernmentsentZhengHe(1371-1433)toforeigncountriestostrengthendiplomaticties.From1405to1433,ZhengHeledahugefleetforatotalofsevenvoyages.Onhiseighthvoyagein1433,hediedofillnessontheship.Accordingtohistoricalrecords,ZhengHe’sfleetvisitedmorethan30countriesandregionsinAsiaandAfricaandreachedtheRedSeacoastandtheEastCoastofAfrica.Beforeeachtrip,ZhengHestoppedatTaipingPortinChangleDistrictofFuzhouCitytorest,replenishsupplies,andrecruitsailors.
ThankstofrequentfriendlyexchangesbetweenChinaandforeigncountries,ZhengHesuccessfullypromotedfriendshipbetweenChinaandSoutheastAsiancountriestonewheights.Accordingtostatistics,from1403to1424,thenumberofenvoysfromvariouscountriesvisitedChinaarecord318times,anaverageof15timesayear.Sevenkingsoffourcountries,includingBruneiandthePhilippines,personallyledtheirdelegationstovisitChina.Once,18tributarymissionscametoChinaatthesametime.ThreekingsdiedinChinaduringtheirvisitsandwereburiedinChinaaccordingtotheirwishes.
ZhengHe’sfleettraveledfromtheWesternPacificthroughtheIndianOceantoWestAsiaandtheeastcoastofAfricaandreachedtheCapeofGoodHopeinthesouth,involvingthreeoceansandprovidingvaluablerecordsforthehistoryofChinesenavigation.Hisvoyagescame87yearsbeforeColumbus,92yearsbeforeVascodaGama,and116yearsbeforeMagellan’sarrivalinthePhilippines.Thesejourneysarestillconsideredanunprecedentedinitiativeinthehistoryoftheworld’snavigationandarealsogreatcontributiontothemaritimecauseoftheChinesepeople.
AncientArchitectureMuseumofMingandQingDynasties
IndowntownFuzhou,manyancientbuildingsstillstand.Thesebuildingshavemaintainedthepatternoflanesformedintheeighthcentury.TheyaretheonlyremaininglivingfossiloftheneighborhoodsysteminChinesecities.Thesystemisquitecomplex,involvingbasicunitsandneighborhoodmanagementsystemsofancientChinesecitiesandruralplanning.Asthebasicunitofurbanspaceplanning,itdividesthecityintosquaresofchessboardsizes,andseparatesresidentialareas,commercialareas,andadministrativeareastofacilitatecitymanagement.Therearemorethan200ancientbuildingsinthesystem,themostfamousofwhichisthe“ThreeLanesandSevenAlleys”neighborhood.
“ThreeLanesandSevenAlleys”isanabbreviationof10lanesarrangedfromnorthtosouthonbothsidesofNanhouStreet.ThethreelanesareYijinfang,Wenrufang,andGuanglufang;thesevenalleysareYangqiaoxiang,Langguanxiang,Taxiang,Huangxiang,Anminxiang,Gongxiang,andJibixiang.Duetorenovation,onlytwolanesandfivealleysstillexist.Evenso,inthishistoricresidentialarea,richculturalrelicsarestillpreserved,includingagroupofformerresidencesofcelebrities.Inthisresidentialarea,therearestonepavements,whitewashedwallsandbluerooftiles,rigorousstructureandexquisiteandingenioushousing.Manyofthedoorsandwindowsofthehousesaremadeofhollowcarvingsandmortisejoints,involvingrichhand-carvedpatterns.Exquisitedoorframes,flowerseats,andpillarscanbeseeneverywhere.TheyembodythefolkartandcharacteristicsoftheancientcityofFuzhou,whichisknownasalarge-scaleancientarchitecturemuseumoftheMingandQingdynasties.
ThehistoricalandculturalblocksofthecityareimportantremindersofChina’spast.Theynotonlycarrythepastofthecity,butalsoprovideaprofoundculturalaccumulationforthedevelopmentofthecity.“ThreeLanesandSevenAlleys”isnowasymbolforFuzhou,whichbenefitsfromthemunicipalgovernment’sprotectionofFuzhou’shistoricalandculturalblocks.Asanancienthistoricalandculturalcity,thegovernmenthasinvestedheavilyintheprotectionandrestorationoftheoldneighborhoods,makingitanexhibitioncenterandexchangeplatform.
Inadditiontothe“ThreeLanesandSevenAlleys,”FuzhouCityhascompletedtheprotectionandrestorationoftheShangxiahangHistoricalandCulturalDistrictandtheZhuzifangHistoricalandCulturalDistrict.TheShangxiahangHistoricalandCulturalDistrictislocatedalongShanghangRoadandXiahangRoadinTaijiang.ItwasthecommercialcenterandshippingterminalofFuzhouintheearlyyears.ItisalsothebestplacetotasteoldFuzhou–thegourmetfoodisinShanghang,andancientarchitectureisinXiahang.TheseplaceshavewitnessedthecommercialdevelopmentofFuzhou,whereforeignmarketsandbusinessgroupsgathered,andhigh-endrestaurantsstoodingreatnumbers.TheyhavealwaysbeenimportantplacesforfolkloreandhistorianstostudyFuzhou’sbusinessdevelopment.
ZhuzifangislocatedontheAntaiRiversideonthesouthsideofJintaiRoad.TheAntaiRiverwashistoricallyamoatinFuzhou.AlongtherivertherearemanydwellingsfromtheMingandQingdynasties.LegendhasitthattheZhuclanlivedhereduringtheSongDynasty.Zhu’sfourbrotherswereallofficials.TheZhuzifangDistrictisaplacewhereancientFuzhouculturalandeducationalinstitutionsareconcentrated.TherewerethreeConfuciusTemples,twocountyschools,twocountyadministrativebuildings,andoneprefecturalcollege.TheFurongGardenwasbuiltduringtheSongDynasty.Thelayoutoftheentiregardenisstunning,andincludesmanyofFuzhou’srichdwellingandgardenfeatures.
CradleoftheModernChineseNavy
OppositeChangleDistrictacrosstheriverisMaweiDistrictinFuzhou.Mawei,alsoknownasMajiang,islocatedattheconfluenceoftwotributariesoftheMinjiangRiverandisanaturalharbor.Morethan100yearsago,itwasoneofthemostmodernareasinChina.Itishometodozensofhistoricalaccomplishments,suchasChina’sfirstmodernshipyard(MaweiShipyard),China’sfirstmodernnavalschool(MaweiDockyardSchool),China’sfirstcruiser,China’sfirstaircraft,andChina’sfirstpracticalsteamengine.
Inthemiddleofthe19thcentury,afterFuzhouwasforcedtoopen,allwarshipsandmerchantshipsfromvariouscountriescametoFuzhoutoanchoratMaweiPort.WesternizationistsestablishedshippingadministrationsinMawei,manufacturingarmsandrelatedartillery,buildingdocks,andemployingcraftsmenandprofessorsfromEuropetoteachshipbuilding.Atthattime,theMaweiShipyardwasChina’sfirstmodernshipyardandalsothelargestshipyardintheFarEast.Fromitsfoundingin1866untilithaltedproductionin1907,40shipsofvarioussizeswerebuiltthere.
Whilebuildingashipbuildingbase,theWesternizationistsalsoestablishedtheShipAdministrationSchooltotrainprofessionals,whichisoftenviewedasthecradleofChina’smodernnavy.ThiswasthefirstnavalandnavigationcollegeinmodernChina,andalsothefirstmodernmilitarycollegeinChina.IttrainedthefirstgenerationofChinesenavalpersonnelandcreatedthefirstnavalfleetinmodernChina—theFujianNavy.ShortlyaftertheestablishmentoftheFujianNavy,theSino-FrenchWarbrokeoutin1883.France’sFarEastFleetinvadedMaweiPortandlaunchedanattack.ThemaingeneraloftheQingArmywasafraidofthewar,abandonedtheshipandfled,andtheFujianNavywascompletelyannihilated.
ThefamousLuoxingTowerlocatedonthebankoftheMinjiangRiverisaninternationallyrecognizednavigationmark.ItissaidthattherewerenosignsofFuzhouonworldmapsexceptforthesignofLuoxingTower.ForeignshipsfromthattimelookedfarfromtheLuoxingToweroffthecoastofFuzhou’sMaweiandtheseafarerswouldcheer“ChinaTower.”LettersfromallovertheworldtoMaweicanbedeliveredthereaslongastheyarewrittenwiththeword“ChinaTower.”
In1963,thetowerunderwentfurtherrepairs.Theareaunderthetowerwasturnedintoapublicpark.Standingonthetowerandlookingnortheast,onecanseethemarineoutfalloftheMinjiangRiver.Whenthetiderises,rivercurrentsandseawaterrushdownthetower,creatinganamazing,butwetspectacle.Now,thetowerisaculturalrelicunderprotectionandisnolongeropentotourists.C
(CompliedbyChinaToday)
TheMinjiangRiver
TheMinjiangRiveristhelargestriverinFujianProvince,flowingthroughFuzhouintotheEastChinaSea.Naturalsceneryandculturalattractionsarereflectedalongthewayandhavehelpedbuildthetourismindustryintheregion.Inaddition,thereisalsoanighttourontheriver,startingfromtheTaijiangFerryTerminalonWuyiSouthRoad,passingthroughscenicspotssuchastheTaijiangGoldenBund,andthenorthandsouthriversides,andtakingaboutonehour.Asnightfalls,thebrightandcolorfullanternsbegintoilluminate.TouristscanenjoybeautifulsceneryalongtheMinjiangRiver,lookinglikeabigcolorfulrainbow.
Transportation:takebusNo.1,10,or13tothepedestrianstreetofTaijiang.
MinduFolklorePark
MinduFolkloreParkislocatedinthenewdistrictofMinhouCounty,FuzhouCity.ItisanopenthemeparkthatpresentstheancientfarmingcultureofFuzhou.Themainpartoftheparkcontainsthreeparts,namelydailylife,production,andcultureandeducation.ItnotonlybringstogetherlocalcustomsandpracticesinFuzhou,butalsodisplayslocalfolkculturefromancienttimestothepresent.ThebuildingsintheparkarebasedontheresidentialbuildingsfromtheMingandQingdynasties,andthecorrespondingproductionandlivingarrangementsaremadeaccordingtothecharacteristicsofthefarmhouses.Twoancientbuildingswithlocalfeatures,theYongfengMinyuewangTempleandtheQingkouGuishanPavilionwererebuilttorestorethemostauthenticancientstyle.
Transportation:TakebusNo.38toMinhouCountyHospitalStation,andthenwalk1km.
ZhongtingStreet
LocatedonthebankoftheMinjiangRiverinTaijiangDistrict,thestreethasbeenamarketsincetheSongDynastyandisthebirthplaceofFuzhou’scommerceandtrade.Itwasoriginallyjustunusedlandformedbythelong-termsedimentationoftheMinjiangRiver.Aboothwasbuiltthereforshelterandgraduallydevelopedintoabazaar.ZhongtingStreet,southoftheJiefangBridgeintersection,northtoXiaoqiaotou,isnowthemostbustlingcommercialstreetinFuzhou.
Transportation:TakebusNo.105,10or12toZhongtingStreetStation.
ChinaShipyardCultureMuseumTheChinaShipyardCultureMuseumislocatedinthefoothillsofMaxianMountaininFuzhou.Itisbuiltonthemountainandisafivestorybuildingwithamodernarchitecturalstyle.Thefrontisdesignedtolookliketwobattleshipsbravingthewindandwaves.ThemuseumisChina’sfirstmuseumwiththethemeofshipadministration.Themuseumhousesalargenumberofpreciousculturalrelics,pictures,andmodels.Itconsistsofanexhibitionhall,aneducationhall,anindustrialhall,andanavalbasehall.ModerndigitaltechnologieswereusedtodemonstratethefruitfulresultsachievedbyChina’sshipadministrationinmodernChina’sadvancedscienceandtechnology,neweducation,industrialmanufacturing,andWesternclassicalculturaltranslation.
Transportation:TakebusNo.73,116,131,139totheMaweiDistrictCommitteeStation.
ZhaozhongMemorialTemple
AlsoknownastheMajiangSeaBattleMuseum,thetemplewasbuiltinhonorofthemartyrswhodiedintheSeaBattleofMajiang.LocatedintheeasternfoothillsofMaxianMountain,itisadjacenttotheShipyardMuseum.Themartyrcemeteryonthewestsideofthememorialhallishometonearly800officersandmenwhodiedfortheircountry.Theancientfortonthepeakisnowahistoricalsite.Adistinctivebookstorefeaturesancientarchitecturalstyle.