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Fuzhou is the capital and the largest prefecture-level city of Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It is also eferred to as Rongcheng which means "city of banyan trees."
Fuzhou is an old port city; Marco Polo visited it. In the 19th century, it exported more tea than any other Chinese port. The actual port is in the suburb of Mawei.
Today it is the provincial capital and administrative center, and also a major center for light industry. Nike has a factory there, and a Taiwanese firm that makes shoes for Adidas, Reebok and others has four. All are large factories, with several thousand employees each.
Several suburbs are administratively part of Fuzhou, though they are some distance away and fairly large — Mawei, Fuqing and Changle. Changle, Fuqing and various villages in the area are the main source of illegal immigrants smuggled to Western countries.
Districts and counties
The administrative divisions of Fuzhou have changed frequently in history. In 1983, Fuzhou administered 5 districts and 8 counties, whose territory has not changed since then. In 1990 and 1994, Fuqing and Changle counties were promoted to county-level cities. Despite this change, the old statement of "5 districts and 8 counties" is still popular among the local people.
Districts:
* Cangshan District
* Taijiang District
* Mawei District
* Gulou District
* Jin'an District
Transportation
Fuzhou Changle International Airport
Tourism
Fuzhou, also known as the City of Banyan after the many Banyan trees that dot the city landscape, may not be as rich in history as some other ancient Chinese cities but still boasts a fair number of historical sights.
* Sanfang Qixiang (a cluster of ancient resident buildings dated from late Jin Dynasty)
* West Lake (an artificial lake built in 282 AD)
* Hualin Temple (founding date uncertain)
* Dizang Temple (founded in 527 AD)
* Xichan Temple (founded in 867 AD)
* Wu Ta (Black Pagoda) (originally built in 799 AD, rebuilt in 936 AD)
* Bai Ta (White Pagoda) (originally built in 905 AD, 67 m in height, collapsed in 1534 AD, rebuilt in 1548 AD, 41 m in height)
* Yongquan Temple (founded in 915 AD)
* Gu Shan (Drum Mountain)
* Fuzhou National Forest Park
Sister cities
* Flag of the United States Tacoma, Washington
* Flag of Japan Nagasaki, Japan
* Flag of Japan Naha, Japan
* Flag of South Korea Gunsan, South Korea
* Flag of South Africa George, South Africa
* Flag of Poland Koszalin,Poland
* Flag of Brazil Campinas, Brazil
* Flag of Malaysia Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia
Colleges and universities
* Fujian Normal University (founded in 1907)
* Fuzhou University
* Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
* Fujian Medical University
* Fujian College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
* Minjiang University
* Fujian University of Technology
Get in
By plane
* Fuzhou has air links to most other major Chinese cities. Airport an hour from town, 20 RMB by bus. You can get the bus at the Apollo Hotel.
Shared taxis also go from there, at around 25 RMB. A private taxi would be at least 100, likely more unless you haggle well.
By bus
* Direct overnight buses to/from Hong Kong, Shenzhen or Guangzhou exist, with sleeping bunks. 220 to 350 RMB; it is usually worth the extra for comfort.
* Buses from Xiamen are 70 to 90 RMB.
By train
* The train station is in the Northeast of the city.
* Train to/from Xiamen takes a long route and is slow. Take a bus instead.
Get around
* Taxis are cheap, 8 RMB for short trips and under 30 for any trip in town.
* Taxis rate: 7 RMB for the first 3 km, and then 1.4 RMB per km. Plus one for fuel surcharge, and one more after 11 PM.
* Buses are often crowded, but run often and more-or-less everywhere. 1 RMB, or 2 if they have air conditioning. If the bus you require is packed just wait until the next one, or the one after- it should only take 5-10 minutes As the writer can attest to, being stuck on a dangerously overloaded bus with several dozen/hundred people sweating all over you is an experience best avoided. Especially in the summer months.
* Number 8 if you need to shop for cheese, coffee and other Western products at the German Metro supermarket.
See
* Gu Shan (Drum Mountain) a 20 min. bus ride from town. A Taoist temple houses nationally important archives written in monks' blood as well as superb veggie restaurant. It's a 1900m climb, or a 20 min cable car journey to the top.
* Bai Yun Shan. Near Gu Shan and less heavily trafficked. After the gruelling top section, you'll be rewarded by some genuinely beautiful hospitality and refreshing tea in a cave! Magic. Plus some great views over the city.
* Wu Shan overlooking the main square - a short walk to the hilltop which houses a pretty average temple. However, on the way up there's plenty of entertainment in the form of musicians and singers who congregate here to practice. The White Pagoda is also accessed by the same road behind Mao Tse Dong's statue and worth a look. There are several very good arts and crafts shops at the base of the hill. Haggle for all you're worth to obtain good prices.
* Qi Shan, A 5 RMB bus ride from Fuzhou plus the last stage in a mian bao chi up the winding 17km road to the site. A forest park with big, sexy waterfalls and stunning views over receding mountain ranges from a vertigo-inducing suspension bridge. All this and monkeys to feed. Beware the alpha male!
Do
* Visit A'an Tai covered market at night for cheap goodies and a lively atmosphere. It's on the corner of Jin Tai Lu and Ba Yi Qi Lu.
* If pool's your game, you'd be hard pushed to find better tables anywhere in China than the Riley's club on the Yang Qiao Lu. Cheap drinks and open very late too!
* Eat Yu Wan - Fish balls - a Fuzhou delicacy. Minced beef and pork inside a fishy flour ball of dough in a thin broth. Excellent. Other roadside cheapies include Ban Mian (noodles with peanut sauce) and Bian Ro (a small boiled dumpling) all under 2 RMB a portion.
* Dawn and dusk, visit Wu Yi Guang Chang (a central square with a huge statue of Mao) and watch the ceremonial raising or lowering of the flag by highly trained and immaculate soldiers.
* Watch martial arts in Wu Yi Guang Chang, 6 AM or so until about 8, or later on weekends. There are at least half a dozen styles being practiced, armed and unarmed. The founder of karate, Funakoshi Geishin, spent 13 years in Fuzhou. There are a group on the East side of the park who say their style is what he studied.
* Go watch Fuzhou Fighting Ferrets Football Club - a motley assortment of nationalities who play at Jin Shan Wen Ti Zhong Xin every Sunday morning at 9.15. Like football, only funnier!
* Paintball great fun for those masochists among us who enjoy being hit by high velocity projectiles in delicate parts of the body - at Jin Ji Shan Gong Yuan, right on top of the hill. Not to be attempted in summertime. Believe me!
* Yoga Yoga lessons by Yogi Amit Singh at Healthy Way Yoga Life
* traditional indian yoga classes in YogiYoga center , near west lake ( xi hu ).there are lots of yoga traditions like ashtanga, hatha, iyengar.
Buy
Handicrafts in the area include:
* shou shan stone, a unique variety of alabaster found only in Shou Shan (about 40km from Fuzhou) used to make name chops and all types of
beautiful carving:
* laquer work
* bamboo arts
* wooden art objects
* root carving
Eat
* Gu Yue Hu - a small, cheap, excellent sichuan place with an English-speaking manager (Wei Jing or Gemma), corner of Hudong Lu and Hubin Lu, at the Southeast corner of West Lake Park. Now, sadly replaced with an inferior restaurant. RIP :-(
* Hao Shi Jie on the corner of Er Huan Lu and Yang Qiao Lu is very expensive if you go upstairs, but stay on the ground floor and eat the dim sum which is cheap (under 25/head) and delicious.
* Moby Pizza on the second floor, Northeast corner of Jin Tai Lu and Ba Yi Qi Lu opposite McDonalds.
* Wai Bo Tai - just off Ye Shan Lu. Good menu, cheap, great fresh seafood. Never had a bad meal there so far!
* Cafe Forum - on the corner of Er Huan Lu and Wu Shi Lu. Good quality meals in a box and reasonably priced coffee, but the service can sometimes be attrocious. Hit it on a good day, it's great. On a bad day, it's dire.
* Ajisen Japanese Noodles next to the No. 8 Bus stop on Ba Yi Qi Lu - a great range of noodles and tasty side dishes. Friendly service and pictures in the menu for those who can't read Chinese which is a real Godsend.
* Lemom leaf on the fifth floor of no.66, Hu Bin Lu. opposite the front door of west lake. Very good thai food. Featured dish: lemom fish and curry crab. Not very cheap, 50RMB per person in average.
Drink
* Le Cafe on Hualin Lu (Road) a block West of Wu Shi Lu is an expatriate hangout, although it has recently been taken over by the Taiwanese and has lost some popularity. It is busiest on Friday evenings. Tell a cab driver "wu yi dasha"; that is a hotel next door.
* The Party Bar on Tong Hu Lu, about 50 meters South of the main gate of West Lake Park, has cheap beer, free pool table and live music. Popular with locals and expats, sometimes quite crowded or noisy on weekends. FOOTNOTE : Now deserted by foreigners since the tragic murder of Richard Gribble, a 23 year old Australian, by patrons of this bar.
* Tony's Small Bar, across the street from Party Bar, has an English-speaking owner and is quieter.
* Shao Yuan Yi Hao, on Bai Ma Lu has a host of foreign beers, British, German and Belgian as well as fine wines and beautiful decor and people.
Bit pricey, but worth it for the music and atmosphere. It is a beautifully remodelled warehouse, the sort of design you might expect in a Western city or perhaps Shanghai, but unique in Fuzhou.
* 1-2-3 Bar almost opposite Shao Yuan Yi Hao on Bai Ma Lu. Cheap beer, convivial atmosphere, sometimes live music, stays open as long as you're drinking/semi-conscious. The sign says 1-2-3, but Chinese pronounce it "do-re-mi" for reasons that are not at all clear to the writer.
* Club Blog Club is a coffee shop managed by a Western resident that overlooks the West Lake. Address: 136 Hubin Road.
* "York" Bar so named by foreigners because it's behind York School on Hubin Lu. A lively and convivial atmosphere, cheap, cold beer, live music from a foreign band on Friday nights. All this PLUS a pet iguana in a tank near the door. Stunning.
* The Bamboo Bar - about 200 metres from Shao Yuan Yi Hao nearer to Yang Qiao Lu. Cheap beer, waterside tables, live football games on TV. Pushy owner, but easily ignored after a couple of beers!
* Saint Nobody - on bei da lu near gu xi church. The most myterious club in fuzhou with cheap beer and good indie music. An anti-fuzhou look which makes u feel like a traveler lost in an unknown city.
Get out
* Mount Wuyi, scenic area famous for tea, ancient cliff burials and relics of the 3000 yr old Min Yue culture. The landscapes here are surreally beautiful. This is a must see in Fujian. Avoid the modern "tourist" town - it's dull and pricey. Basically, turn right at the end of the station road to head to the old town and a friendlier, less hassled environment.
* Xiamen, four hours by bus.
* Qin Yun Shan, a scenic mountain area about 65km from Fuzhou near the small town of Yong Tai. Lots of great walks through river valleys with tons of sub tropical flora and fauna and those ubiquitous waterfalls. Worth an overnight visit.
* Lang Qi Dao, a 45 min bus ride from Fuzhou, via Ma Wei. On the east of the island there's a splendid beach with few visitors. Cute old ferry takes you there from the mainland for 2RMB.
