Fuzhou Ancient City
5 min readFuzhou is an ancient city with a history of more than 2100 years.It is one of the fourteen open coastal cities in China.Situated by the East Sea and in the lower reaches of the Min River，this area of 12153 square kilometres is populated with 5.83 million people.The city tree is Banyan.Jasmine flower is known as the symbolic flower of the city.
The city of Fuzhou is alternatively called Three Hills.The Yu，Wu and Screen Hills，all verdant with flourishing trees and grass，form a triangle inside the city.The White and Black Pagodas，elegant and slim as they are，face each other from the Yu and Wu hills.The Min River flows through the city，carrying along with it the reflections of trees and flowers.As it is said，“Three Hills，Two Pagodas and a River”constitute the unique landscape of Fuzhou City.The banyan is the symbolic tree of the city.Since the Song Dynasty（960-1279），this kind of tree have been planted all over the city，and as a local saying goes:“Green shade is the cover of the city，and no other is needed in summer.”Ancient banyan trees.
shaped like umbrellas and luxuriant with all the youthfulness，offer a comfortable coolness to courtyard.Thus，the city is also called Banyan City.Jasmine flower i known as the symbolic flower of the city.The broad modern avenues and little ancient lanes are permeated with the sweet scent of jasmines，which contend with th Yulan magnolia，banana shrub and orchid，blazing the city with a riot of colour，brimming it with aroma and bringing about the name to the city“Hometown of Flowers and Fruits.”
Fuzhou has a honourable title“Civilization by the East Sea.”Since the establishment of the city under the reign of Song Dynasty Gaozu over one thousandyears ago，the city has even served as the capital either to the king’s prefecture or emperor’s state or today’s province.The rock-face inseription in the Drum Mountain，the Luoxing Tower in Mawei，the Great Iron Buddha in the Kaiyuan Temple and the Jinshan Temple amid the Min River，along with the hundred and more historic sites，have recorded the glory of Fuzhou City.The historical figures such as Lin Zexu，Yan Fu，Sha Zhenbing，Zheng Zhenduo and Gao Shiqi，have always aroused the pride in the hearts of Fuzhou people.The”Treasure Land”Fuzhou has become more and more glamorous today.
History
The exact foundation date of this city is not known.When Yue to the north of Fujian was annexed by Chu in 306 BC，a branch of the royal family of the defeated Yue fled Fujian and became the Minyue tribe.
The first city wall of Fuzhou was built in 202 BC when Liu Bang，the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty，gave permission to Wuzhu，the king of Minyue，to set up his capital in Fuzhou.The city was named Ye，meaning“The Beautiful”.The name has changed many times，but the city has been cont inuously occupied since 202 BC and has never suffered major destruction by wars or natural disasters.
The Minyue was annexed by Han in 110 BC and became a part of China，and Fuzhou became Ye County.During the Jin Dynasty，West Lake，East Lake（now silted up）and numerous canals in the city were constructed（282 AD）When the Jin Dynasty collapsed，the first wave of immigrants of the gentile class arrived in Fujian（308 AD）.During Tang Dynasty（725 AD），it started to b called Fuzhou.
More immigrants arrived from the north in 892 AD when the Tang Dynasty collapsed.The Wang family managed to established a kingdom called Min（909-947 AD）with its capital in Fuzhou.Min is still used as another name for the province of Fujian，in names of dialects such as minnan，and the river that runs through Fuzhou is called Min Jiang.
New city walls were built in 282 AD，901 AD，905 AD，and 974 AD，so the city had many layers of walls-more than the Chinese capital.
The emperor of the Song Dynasty ordered destruction of all the walls in Fuzhou in 978 AD but new walls were rebuilt later.The latest was built in 1371 AD.
Between 1405 and 1433 AD，the Chinese（Ming）navy fleet，led by Zheng He，sailed from Fuzhou to the Indian Ocean seven times；on three occasions the fleet landed in the East coast of Africa.Before the last sailing，Zheng erected a stele dedicated to Goddess Tian-Fei near the seaport.
In the 19th century，Lin Zexu，a native of Fuzhou，led an unsuccessful attempt to resist the British fleet at Canton Bay，and Lin was exiled to the Russian border.
At the end of the First Opium War，Fuzhou became one of the five Chinese treaty ports opened by the Treaty of Nanjing（signed in 1842）.Lin Zexu died on November 22，1850 at age of 66.
On November 8，1911，revolutionaries staged an uprising in Fuzhou.After an overnight street battle，the Qing（Manchu）army surrendered.On November 22，1933，the leaders of the 19th army set up a short-lived Republic of China in Fuzhou（compare the name to Chiang’s“Republic of China”，which literally means “People’s State of China”）；it collapsed in two months.In 1940，the Japanese army bombed a field outside Fuzhou that started an immense firestorm in the city.A few days later，the Japanese took the city until Japan’s surrender in 1945.
Climate
The climate of Fuzhou is comfortable，affording tourists the opportunity to visit the city all the year round，especially between April and November.Fuzhou is a tourist city that boasts both natural and manmade sights.Famous mountains include Mt.Gu，Qi，Shizhu，Baiyan and Xuefeng etc.Famous temples include Yongquan，Xichan，Linyang，Fahai and Yunju etc.Famous tombs like Tomb of Lin Zexu etc.Famous gardens include West Lake etc.Famous towers include the White，Wu and Luoxing etc.and famous bridges including Wanshou and Longjiang etc.and also many former residences of celebrated historical figures.You may find that there are far too many things to see here in one short trip.
Here we have a simple introduction of orientation for guiding tourists’first trip through downtown Fuzhou.In terms of geography，the center of Fuzou City is Wuyi Square and Dongjiekou is the commercial center of downtown Fuzhou.From railway station bus No.20 will take tourists to Dongjiekou，Bus No.51 will bring tourists to the crossing of Wusi Lu and Hudong Lu-the financial center of Fuzhou，and bus No.821 will take tourists to Jinshan，the new expanded city area.
