Fuzhou lies on the Minjian river in the east of Fujian province and some 50km/30mi from the sea.
Fuzhou has a past stretching back more than 2000 years. In 202 BC it was the capital of the Yue kingdom and in the 10th C of the Min kingdom. It was given
its present name in 725. Fuzhou is known as ''Banyan Town'' because of the subtropical banyan trees planted during the Song period (960-1279). Since that time overseas trade has developed more and more, as a result of which many foreigners have settled in the region, especially on the island of Nantai. In 1842, following the Opium Wars, Fuzhou became one of the five ports which were declared open to foreign trade.
In 1949 industrialization commenced when Fuzhou was linked to the major rail routes and the Minjiang river was extended to accommodate shipping; the main branches are engineering and light industry.
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