Fuzhou Travel Guide

Fuzhou Maps

 Facts
Phone Code: 0591
Postal Code: 350000
Area: 12,154 Sq km (4,692.7 Sq miles)
Population: 7,115,370 (in 2010)
Nationalities: Han, She, Hui, Miao, Manchu and Gaoshan
Neighboring Areas: Guangdong, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Taiwan Provinces
Location: Located at the lower reaches of the Minjiang River, Fuzhou is a coastal city in southeast China, facing the East Sea.

 Physical Features: Surrounded by mountains on four sides, it is located in a basin, with the Minjiang River flowing through. There are three mountains in the city, which makes is a unique city of ‘mountains in the city and city in the mountains’.

 History: One of the noted historic and cultural cities in China, it has a long history of around 7,000 years since the Neolithic Age. The original local people called ‘Min People’ had contact with the Huaxia People in Central China since the Xia Dynasty (21st - 17th Century BC). In the 5th year of Emperor Liu Bang of the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220), Wuzhu, the 13th king from Goujian of the Yue State, was crowned as 'King of Minyue’, and Fuzhou became the capital of the ‘Minyue State’. In 725 of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), Emperor Li Longji made a change and set up Fuzhou Chief Military Commission. Since then, the name Fuzhou was given. In modern Chinese history, the city has been the birthplace of China’s navy and shipbuilding industry. It was officially set up as the capital city of Fujian Province in 1949.

 Attractions: Fuzhou owns beautiful landscape and numerous historical and cultural relics, enjoying the fame as ‘Jiangnan Holy Land’. In the city, there are more than 30 natural attractions, including Mt. Wuyi, Minjiang Park, Drum Mountain, Xiasha Seashore Bathing Beach and West Lake. Experiencing a long history, it is also rich in historical and cultural sites such as the Tomb of Lin Zexu, Hualin Temple, Wu Ta (Black Pagoda), Xichan Temple and the Temple of Qi Jiguang. Of them, Yongquan Temple in the Drum Mountain is noted for its ‘Three Most Valuable Relics’ - Pottery Pagodas, the documents of Ancient Buddhist Scriptures and Classical Monk’s Writings, and ‘The Three Irons’ - Iron wire wood, Iron tree, and Iron pot; Xichan Temple is well-known for its jade Buddha which is one of the biggest jade Buddha in China; Hualin Temple is the oldest wooden-structure building in the south of the Yangtze River. The city also has magnificent Shoushan Stone Carving, time-honored Min Opera (foochow opera) and Pinghua (a centuries-old traditional art of storytelling in local dialect).

Additionally, the city is famous for hot springs. At present, almost all of the hotels in Fuzhou offer hot spring bathing and hot spring water right out of the tap.

 Transportation:
 Air: Fuzhou Changle International Airport, about 55 km (34.2 miles) away from the downtown, has opened air routes to around 40 domestic cities, including regular flights to Hong Kong and Macau.
 Train: Located at the northernmost of Hualin Road, Fuzhou Railway Station has operated 19 ordinary trains, 5 Wenzhou-Fuzhou bullet trains and 22 pairs Fuzhou-Xiamen bullet trains.

 Ferry: Fuzhou Port is the largest sea and river port and water transport hub in Fujian Province and one of the foreign trade open ports in China. There are ferries to the major ports along the Yangtze River and the coast of China, and ships to more than 30 ports of over 20 foreign countries and regions.
 Bus: The city has smooth and convenient roadway transport, operating over 300 buses to Wenzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and over 30 counties and cities within Fujian Province. There are mainly three bus stations in the city, namely, Fuzhou North Bus Station near to the Railway Station, South Bus Station on Wuyi Road and West Bus Station Near to Hongshanqiao. City buses links up all parts of the city, and most of them are self-serviced and charge about CNY1-2 for the whole trip.
 Taxi: Taxis are almost Santana (a car brand in China), with a minimum fare of CNY7 for the first 3 km (1.9 miles). After 3 km, an additional fare of CNY1.5 per km will be charged. At the same time, 50% deadhead kilometrage fee will be required if exceeding 5 km (3.1 miles). Furthermore, a fuel surcharge of CNY1 per trip is also necessary no matter how long your trip is.

 Weather: The sunny and dry winter (December to February) especially the pleasant autumn (October to November) are the ideal traveling time to the city, considering the rainy spring and hot summer.

 Dining and Shopping
Fuzhou Cuisine, a branch of Fujian Cuisine, is characterized by its fresh, light, sweet and sour tastes, specially-made soup and the skillful-use of red vinasse. Famous dishes are Fo Tiao Qiang (Buddha Jumps over the Wall), Li Zhi Rou (Lychee-shaped Pork Meat) and He Bao Yu Chi (Shark's Fin Wrapped in Lotus Leaves). To sample the most authentic cuisine of the city, the best local restaurant is the Juchunyuan Restaurant. Fuzhou is also famed for its local snacks especially Shanxian County snacks like fish balls, wonton and all-sort of sauced meat. Snacks stores are mostly small stands standing about on the street corner. With wheat gluten, bean curd sheet, mushroom and fungus as the materials, vegetarian food is also popular and delicious. Most temples offer vegetarian food, with that in Yongquan Temple as the most famous.
Excellent geographical conditions offer Fuzhou rich delicacies from land and sea. No matter the lichees, longans, oranges, tea, mushrooms, lotus seeds or fish, shrimps, snail, partridges and pheasants, they all are renowned throughout China. Besides, bodiless lacquer ware, stone, jade and ivory carvings, horn comb and dried meat floss also have long standing reputation in China even in the world. Large shopping malls and shopping centers are mainly Wusi Road, Baolong City Square, Wuyi Road, Bayiqi Road (the oldest shopping street), Aofeng Road (the largest wholesale market) and Zhongting Street (the first indoor pedestrian street in east Asia).