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.
Fuzhou Yushan Hil provides exceptional views out over this growing city and has a fine collection of inscriptions in the rock dating from the 10th C onwards.
On the southern slopes of Mount Pingshan in the north of Fuzhou stands the Hualin Si Temple, from the Tang period (618-907). The main building, the Sumptuous Hall of the Great Hero (Daixong Baodian) built in the Tong era (960-1279), is all that remains of the early edifice, the other buildings having been added during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).
The Tomb of Lin Zexu lies in a northern suburb of Fuzhou. In 1839 the supreme commander Lin Zexu (1785-1850) confiscated and burned 20,000 cases of opium which the British had smuggled into China from India, and this led to the outbreak of the Opium Wars.
West Lake (Xihu), situated in Xihu Park in the northwest of the town, was named after the better-known lake of the same name in Hangzhou, and is a favorite leisure spot. Banyan trees and meadows are a feature of the land along the banks. The lake was dug out in AD 282 as part of an irrigation project. The Provincial Museum is in Xihu Park.
Mount Wuyishan lies in the north of Fujian province on the border with Jiangxi province.
This mountain has been famous for centuries as a place of great scenic beauty, and also because of Lake Wulong and the various healing herbs which grow there. The terrain has been declared a nature reserve in view of the many different species of plants and animals.
Note: When walking on the mountain be very careful of poisonous snakes.
Ceramic Pagodas of a Thousand Buddhas (Qianfo Taota) These two nine-story pagodas in front of the temple are scarcely 7m/23ft high and date from 1082. They originally formed part of the Temple of the Dragon of Good Fortune (Longrui Si) on Nantai Island, and were moved here in 1972. A total of 1078 Buddha miniatures are attached to the external walls.
The rock-inscriptions (moya shike) which can be found everywhere in the vicinity of Fuzhou and number more than 400 in all range in date from the Song period (960-1297) to the 20th C; some of them are by famous calligraphers, academics and statesmen.
Drum Mountain, 969m/3180ft high and lying 14km/9mi east of the town, was named after a rock on one of its peaks which is said to emit drum-like sounds during storms and rain. It offers much in the way of interesting sights.
On Mount Beifengshan, 19km/12mi from Fuzhou, lies Linyang Si Temple, from the year 931. However, the buildings which remain date from the end of the last century.
The Luoxing Ta Pagoda, from the Song period (960-1279), stands on the mountain of the same name near the port of Mawei Gang, 21km/13mi southeast of the town.
According to legend, it was built by a woman in memory of her husband who was hanged for a crime he did not commit. The edifice, which is visible from afar because of its elevated position, was restored between 1621 and 1627.
The main area of interest is that along the River of the Nine Meanders (Jiuqu Xi), which flows through this region for a distance of 7km/4.5mi. A boat trip down-river takes about 1.5 hours.
On the first bend in the river stands the Great Royal Peak (Dawang Feng); it can be climbed by way of a narrow rocky path leading up its south side.
On the third bend, in crevices high up in the rocks, the visitor can see wooden boats in which the Guyue used to bury their dead more than 2000 years ago.
Near the fifth bend in the river there was a private school, where the philosopher Zhu Xi (1130-1200) was a teacher.
The Temple of Sublime Good Fortune (Chongfu Si), at the foot of Mount North (Beiling), 8km/5mi north of Fuzhou, was founded back in 977. However, the buildings which have survived date from the Guangxu period (1875-1908).
This monastery, built on a hillside 455m/1490ft up in the year 908 on the orders of the Duke of Fujian in order to provide accommodation for the monk Shen Yan, was destroyed by fire in 1542 and rebuilt in 1627. Its cultural treasures include an extensive Buddhist library with over 10,000 sutra volumes and a statue in white jade of a reclining Buddha. Some of these books were written with the blood of ascetics who pricked their index finger with a needle and then used the finger as a brush.
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West Lake, Fuzhou
