General Situation of Fuzhou

Fuzhou ,the capital of Fujian Province ,is an excellent tourist city in China .Located on the southeast coast of China ,Fuzhou is the political ,economic, cultural and communication center of the province .Fuzhou has jurisdiction over 5 districts of Gulou, Taijiang, Cangshan, Mawei and Jin’an; 2 cities of Fuqing and Changle; 6 counties of Minhou, Lianjiang, Luoyuan, Minqing ,Yongtai and Pingtan and Langqi Economic Zone as well .Fuzhou covers an area of 12,000 square kilometers with a populuation of 5,890,000. Fuzhou and Taiwan face each other across the strait. Pingtan island is only 68 sea miles from Xinzhu in Taiwan Province. And Huangqi Peninsular of Lianjiang County and MazuIsland of Taiwan Province are only 8,000 meters apart.

Fuzhou belongs to subtropical maritime monsoon climate. The frostfree period in a year is about 300 days. The annual average temperature is 19.2℃. The city proper is surrounded by mountains with Minjiang River winding through it, forming a spectacular landscape. There are 2 national-level scenic spots and historical sites-Haitan and Gushan Mountain, and 4 provincial-level scenic spots-Qingyunshan Mountain, Qngzhishan Mountain, Shizhushan Mountain and Eighteen Streams. In addition, 2 national forest parks, 4 golf courses, more than 30parks, a number of vacation and tourist areas are in or around the city proper . Fuzhou National Forest Park is an AAAA-grade national-level scenic spot . Inland waters and hot springs are scattered here and there in the urban area, which is very rare in other large cities both at home and abroad .There are 53 starred hotels, including 4 five-star, 1 four-star and 27 three-star hotels,capable of providing 20,000 beds at a time. 95 international and internal travel service companies have their 116 branch offices throughout the city. There are also 4 touring car companies and a pleasure boat company.

Fuzhou is a famous historical and cultural city with a history of more than 2,200 years. The ancient minyue ethnic people lived in this area over 7,000 years ago. They created the Keqioukou Culture and the Tanshishan culture that were close to the central plain’s civilization. During the Zhou Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn Warring states periods, this area belonged to Minyue’s territory, and later to Minzhong Prefecture in the Qin Dynasty. Wuzhu, the descendant of the King of Yue ,was made the King of Minyue in 202 BC. He began to build Yecheng, which was the earliest city wall ever constructed in this land . Because to the north of Yecheng, lied a mountain called fuzhou (fu means happiness in Chinese), the new name Fuzhou came into use in AD 725,and this name has been in use through the ages . In AD 908, WangShenzhi, the king of Min extended the city wall to include three mountains, ie. Yushan, Wushan and Pingshan within the city’s boundaries. Sanshan, which means three mountains, became another name of fuzhou. In Song Dynasty, the Governor of Fuzhou Zhang Boyu encouraged local residents to plant banyan trees all over the city. The banyan has become the symbol of the city. This is why fuzhou is also called Banyan City .

Fuzhou  has long been renowned for its topographical advantages and highly developed civilizzation . During the Tang,Song,Ming and Qing Dynasties,more than 3,600 people of fuzhou origin became the successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations . Especially in modern times ,celebrities came forth in large numbers ,including Llin Zexu ,YanFu, Lin Juemin, Lin Xiangqian,Hou Debang ,Zheng Zhenduo,Chen Daisun ,Bing Xin, Gao Shiqi and ChenJingrun ,etc. There are now 56 academicians of Fuzhou origin in the Chinese Academy of Science and the Chinese Academy of Enginerring . They are the pride of Fuzhou people .A lot of cultural relics and historical sites have been well preserved in Fuzhou .152 places are in the national ,provincial and municipal lists to be given protection ,9 of which are  listed as national-level relics sites under special protection: theTomb of Lin Zexu ,the Hall of Hualin Temple, Wuta Tower, Inscriptions on Cliffs in Gushan Mountain,Majiang River Battle Memorial Museum,Relics of Mawei Marine School, Maitreya Statue in Fuqing ,Tangshishang Ruins in Minhou and Magistrate Chen’s Palace in Luoyuan.

Fuzhou traditional crafts have long enjoyed a high reputation. Shoushan Stone Carving with a history of more than 1,500 years . Bodiless Lacquer Ware of over 200 years and Softwood Picture are the Three Unique Products of Banyan City . Age-long dietetic culture in Fuzhou also has its features of the southern areas of the country ,especially famous for its unique ways of preparing delicacies from land and sea .Min cuisine ,represented by Fuzhou cuisine is one of the 8 major cuisines in china. The traditional dish fotiaoqiang is very famous both at home and abroad .There are various kinds of typical local snacks ,such as Fish Balls ,Taiping Dumplings and Dingbianhu .In regard to art ,Min Opera ,Pinghua ,Shifan and Chinchang are all age-old folk art .

Fuzhou is one of the 14 coast cities first opening up to the outside world .It enjoys the nation’s preferential policies over setting up its economic and technologyical development zone ,bonded area,Taiwan businessmen investment zone ,high science and technology garden and across-strait agricultural co-operation experiment district .it has stepped into the row of Top 50 China Cities with Integrated strength and Top 40 State Cities with Excellent Infrastructure for investment .It has  also won the titles of State Clean City ,State Advanced City in setting up Civilized City , China Excellent Tourist City State Model City of Double-supporting Works and State Advanced City in Vitalizing City with Science and Technology ,etc .in Fuzhou ,the rate of afforestation ,the rate of garbage disposal ,the index of air pollution ,the drinking water ,the control of noise ,all have come up to the standards of the advanced countries in the world .Fuzhou Changle international airport is one of the 6 biggest airports in the country .Getting in and out the city has never been so easy as now ,with its improved accessibility by rail ,ocean shipping and highway .Developed telecommunications ,advanced recreation facilities and excellent shopping environment form a complete tourist service system ,which helps the visitors enjoy every aspect of their daily life here .

Entering the new century ,Fuzhou is making strides towards the goal of building a modern city with prosperous economy, developed science and education, perfect environment and facilities .We warmly welcome friends both at home and abroad to come and enjoy the fantastic culture and enchanting scenery of this ancient city .We believe that this city of happiness will bring you good fortune .After visiting here , you’ll certainly return from a most rewarding journey.