Fuzhou Travel Guide

Fuzhou is the capital of Fujian Province in southeastern China, a port city looking out across the Taiwan Strait. Bordered by great banyans, it is nicknamed the Banyan City (Rongcheng). A trading port since the Tang dynasty, it has long been Fujian's political and cultural center.The city's most distinctive historic neighborhood is the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys (Sanfang Qixiang), whose layout follows the old ward-and-lane system of three wards to the west, seven lanes to the east and a central axis — long described as a living fossil of the system and a museum of Ming and Qing residential architecture. Behind the white walls and dark roof tiles sit the restored houses of merchants and scholars from earlier centuries.To the east of the city rises Gushan (Drum Mountain), the city's signature peak. Old temples dot its slopes, and the trail from the base rewards walkers with views back over the city. The presence of natural hot springs within the urban area is another Fuzhou point of difference — visitors can usually fit a soak into a day's sightseeing. The local cuisine, Fuzhou cuisine, is one of the principal branches of Fujian cooking, with a reputation for lightness: fish-ball dumplings filled with seasoned pork, and rice-noodle soups poured at the table from a heated pan.Fuzhou, close to Taiwan, has kept a cultural life of its own. High-speed rail links it with Xiamen and Shanghai, both within easy reach. Hot springs, old lanes and refined local dishes — Fuzhou rewards a slower pace.