Photo taken on July 15, 2021, shows the square of the Fuzhou Strait International Conference & Exhibition Center, the main venue for the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee. (Photo by Jiang Kehong)

 

The 44th session of the World Heritage Committee kicked off in Fuzhou on July 16. This is the second time this highest-level international conference in the field of cultural and natural heritage protection is held in China after 17 years.

As “the capital of Fujian region, Fuzhou is famous in China”, Fuzhou has over 7,000 years of history and more than 2,200 years of construction history, the city is known for its rich cultural heritage and talented people.

The city has three famous mountains and the Min River flows through the city, many ancient lanes and alleys in the city witnessed historical events occurred in the city. The old banyan trees dotted across the city provide vast shade and fragrant jasmine tea spreads the spring tastes of China...

The ancient buildings scattered in the shade of green trees display a beautiful curvilinear outline of saddle walls and murmur the legend of the city.

Locals can hear the running water of the river from their backyard and enjoy the sea breeze blowing from the Pacific. Known as a Land of Blessings, Fuzhou embraces the world with great tolerance and the splendid future of the Happy City unfolds like a Chinese painting scroll...

A millennium of vicissitudes, “Sanshan (Three Mountains)” or “Zuohai” nicknames of Fuzhou

“Three Mountains, Two Towers, and One River” is the natural emblem of the city (Pingshan Hill, Wushan Hill, Yushan Hill; Wu Tower, Bai Tower, and Min River).

Surrounded by mountains in three directions, Fuzhou faces the sea in one direction, the terrain is high in the north and low in the south, like an opened folding fan.

Pingshan Hill, Wushan Hill, Yushan Hill in the city with a beautiful landscape are still the favorite travel attractions and the summer resorts of the locals.

The Min River originated from Wuyi Mountain of north Fujian, is the mother river of Fujian people, the mighty river flows through the downtown of Fuzhou and runs into the East China Sea via Mawei Port.

Yu Dafu, a writer in the Republic of China period, describes Min River as “the representative of the graceful river with its translucent water, torrential flow and broad water at the turning...”

With Pingshan Hill, Wushan Hill, Yushan Hill leaning to each other and Min River flowing endless, Fuzhou is endowed with enchanting scenery and unique historical and cultural charms: the majestic mountains serve as a high hathpace, a shield and a swaddle of the city and the mighty river facilitates transportation and connects the city with the world.

Because of its extraordinary geography and topography and abundant mountain and water resources, Fuzhou served as a capital five times and expanded the city scale six times in its history.

In the Xindian old town relic park in the north of Fuzhou, the time-honored old city walls still whispered the glories of the ancient time in the Fujian region. In the remote ancient time, ancient Min People lived in this region and Yue People moved here in the late Warring States Period from the Northwest direction, merged with the ancient Min People and formed Min Yue People who established the Min Yue Kingdom.

At Ye Mountain Spring and Autumn Garden on the north end of the central axis of Fuzhou City, the statue of Min Yue King Wuzhu with a sword in hand manifests the extraordinary magnanimity of the king. It is said over 2,000 years ago, a famous smelting specialist Ouyezi ever cast swords alongside Ye Mountain Pool, and “Ouye Pool” relic was left here. According to historical records, after the establishment of the Min Yue Kingdom, Wuzhu built Min Yue King City with Ye Mountain as the center.

The repaired stone painted boat and inscriptions on cliffs, renovated Ouye Pool, the people wandering about the old lanes and alleys of Chenghuang Street and Nengbutian Lane... from Xindian to Ye Mountain, the origin of Fuzhou City and the root of Min Yue People emerge one after another and the heaviness of history and the routines of ordinary people integrate with each other.

Since the conquer of the Min Yue area by Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, he relocated people to the Yangtze- Huaihe region, and Fuzhou withered for a period of time. But as the implementation of the relocation to the south policy in Jin Dynasty, many northerners were relocated to the south and the civilization at the central plains was spread to the Fujian region and Fuzhou flourished again after Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty.

When we trace back the culture of Fuzhou, the scholar-officials culture represented by Three Lanes and Seven Alleys at the foot of Wushan Hill and the merchants gong culture represented by Shangxiahang Historical and Cultural District along Min River portray the city dispositions and cultural characters of Fuzhou.

First built at the end of Western Jin Dynasty, Three Lanes and Seven Alleys is a large-scale and well-retained block with historical and cultural value and it is celebrated as a living fossil of traditional Chinese urban wards of li and fang and an architectural museum of Ming and Qing Dynasty buildings. Among them, Nanhou Street is a famous lantern fair in Fuzhou, “The colored glaze factory is outside Zhengyang Gate and Nanhou Street is in front of Yijin Lane” the ancient poem described the prosperity Nanhou Street ever had.

Shangxiahang Historical and Cultural District was first recorded at the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty, and since the end of Qing Dynasty, it has become the most prosperous commercial area of Fuzhou and is known as the "Museum of Fuzhou Traditional Commerce". Its prosperity is vividly described in the poem “In Sui Dynasty, all kinds of goods from all over the world were shipped to China, more than ten thousand wineries united, there are full of old banyan trees in the lanes and alleys, in the White Dew time, the purple canes in the garden are inviting with their sweets.”

The Classic of Mountains and Seas says Fujian is in the sea. Fuzhou is located at the shore of the Donghai Sea, so Fuzhou is also known as “Zuohai”. Access to each river and sea is the dream pursued by Fuzhou people from ancient times, the plentiful “Maritime Silk Route” heritages witnessed the development of the opening-up city.

Min King Wang Shenzhi spared no efforts to boost the development of Fujian, established strong business ties between Fuzhou and foreign countries, and opened the Huge Port of the eastern: Gantang Port. As per investigation of archaeologists, Gantang Port is located near the present Langqi Port and the port had established business relationships from Korean Peninsula, Japan, and Southeast Asia and laid a solid foundation for the hub function of Fuzhou Port.

In Zheng He's magnificent voyage to the West, Fuzhou once again played an important role. Zheng He chose Changle, Fuzhou as the berthing base and starting point for the voyages to the West. During the 28 years of Zheng He’s seven voyages to the West, the fleet was stationed in Changle for as long as 4 years. The fleet was here to supplement supplies, recruit sailors, and build and repair ships and left many precious historical remains.

Zheng He's Historical Museum retains a “Tianfei Lingying Record” Memorial, which is usually called “Zheng He Memorial” and was inscribed in the winter of 1431 before the 7th expedition to the West by Zheng He and his entourage. The inscription recorded in detail the time, locations, personnel and the countries they reached, overseas trade and friendly interactions, etc. Fuzhou Mawei Luoxing Pagoda that was used in the international nautical chart of Zheng He’s fleet still stands lofty and firm and this pagoda was later marked as “China Pagoda”.

Zheng He Memorial, Luoxing Pagoda, Shengshou Pagoda, Yunmen Temple... These historical remains are not only the witnesses of friendly interactions between people at home and abroad and the maritime silk route but also the vivid illustrations of Fuzhou as a gateway of the maritime silk route.

Rouyuan Posthouse, known as Fuzhou’s state guesthouse in ancient times, also witnessed the previous time in the maritime transportation history of Fuzhou.

In the early Ming Dynasty, Fuzhou became an import port for Ryukyu presenting tribute and trade. After the arrival of the tribute messengers from Ryukyu, they would stay temporarily in Rouyuan Posthouse before they go to the capital. As many people from Ryukyu lived in Rouyuan Posthouse, it was also called “Ryukyu Posthouse”. Nowadays, Rouyuan Posthouse opens to the public free of charge as a museum for Fuzhou's friendly foreign relation history after rehabilitation.

Surge and Patriotism

The Opium War marked the beginning of modern Chinese history and profoundly changed the destiny of Fuzhou City.

As one of the five trading ports that were forced to open after Qing Dynasty signed Treaty of Nanking, Fuzhou is a meeting place of Eastern and Western civilizations. However, the nation’s humiliating history strongly aroused people with lofty ideals to awake and fight.

At the beginning of port-opening, Liang Zhangju, as a minister in the late Qing Dynasty who mastered current affairs and was born in Fuzhou, once pointed that the most convenient route for Wuyishan tea to be exported overseas was to enter the Minjiang River along Chongyang Creek and then went straight down to Fuzhou Port, which highlighted the important role of Fuzhou in tea trade.

As Fuzhou opened its door to the outside world, western countries came to Fuzhou to set up agencies. By the beginning of the 20^th century, 17 countries, including Britain, France, and the United States, had set up consulates and agency offices in Fuzhou, most of which were located in Yantai Mountain on the south bank of Minjiang River.

Walking in the Yantai Moutain Historic Scenic Area, overlooking Minjiang River flowing down and looking around old consulates built down the hillside and nearly one hundred old western buildings in various shapes, people can’t help thinking that trails and hardships that Yantai has gone through recorded the fashion of that time after Fuzhou was opened and spoke of the bitterly painful humiliation history.

Following a great wave of urban development and construction, the Yantai Mountain area was carried out overall repair and revitalized. More and more travelers come to explore the “flavor of the Republic of China”, making streets and houses come alive. The word “Gulangyu Island in the South, Yantai Mountain in the North” travels fast.

A city’s history was not only hidden in a tree or a stone but also shown in glorious names and valuable spirits.

Fuzhou, where rivers converge, creates a precedent and plays a prominent role through the modernization in China. In addition, located in the center of Fuzhou, the block of “three lanes and seven alleys” is home to celebrities. It is praised as “ three lanes and seven alleys, half of modern Chinese history”.

With old streets in a line, ancient houses in groups, and green old trees, tourists pass through the lanes and alleys and can unconsciously touch the history marks left by Lin Zexu, Yan Fu, Lin Juemin, and other celebrities.

Lin Zexu was the earliest pioneer who opened his eyes to observe the outside world in China’s modern history. Lin Zexu Memorial Hall, a typical Jiangnan garden architecture with red walls and black tiles, is located on Macao Road, which is nearby Three Lanes and Seven Alleys. The upturned eave angle, blue-veined door header and encircled old trees reveal the unique cultural atmosphere of Fuzhou. The relief of the Destruction of Opium at Humen, three royal monuments, and Longevity boards presented by the Emperor state Lin Zexu’s contributions that shine throughout history.

“All rivers run into the sea, its greatness contains everything; a thousand cliffs stand all here, it's firm without desire”, “Make shore sea to endless days, is very I for peak mountain”, “I shall dedicate myself to the interests of the country in life and death irrespective of personal will and the world” and other famous quotations from Lin Zexu shown in the museums are a brilliant portrayal of his spirit, and still nourishes the Chinese people’s spiritual world.

Lin Yu once said, “Lin Yu and Yan Fu are two greatest translators in this world”.  Coincidentally, Yan Fu and Lin Yu are both from Fuzhou. Yan Fu made a great contribution to the intellectual history of modern China and was known as the great master who enlightened people in modern China. He was the first president of Peking University. He taught at the Beiyang Naval School and trained the first batch of naval talents in modern China. He put forward the translation standards of "faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance", which left a far-reaching influence in the field of translation.

In modern Chinese history, celebrities born in Fuzhou, including The Father of the Ship Shen Baozhen, Huanghuagang martyr Lin Juemin, famous female writers Bing Xin and Lin Huiyin, etc., also made a great contribution. They are stars shining brightly in the history and culture sky of Fuzhou.

The Ship Administration is another “card” of the modern history of Fuzhou.

Mawei Port is located where the Minjiang River, Oolong River, and Majiang River meet. It takes a lasting position in Chinese modern history because of the establishment of the Ship Administration School.

Western powers opened China’s door with their hardships and guns. The Chinese intellectuals shoulder the responsibility of survival and salvation in the face of “Great change unseen for thousands of years” in the late Qing Dynasty. Mawei Port located at the entrance of three Rivers came into the historical stage under the great development of Westernization Movement.

Zuo Zongtang, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, guided people to initially establish a modern naval system consisting of a shipbuilding factory, a ship administration school, and Fujian naval forces in Mawei. It was the birthplace of modern Chinese shipbuilding industry and modern Chinese navy. It cultivated many national elites such as Deng Shichang, Zhan Tianyou, Liu Buchan, Lin Yongsheng, and Chen Jitong, many of whom sacrificed in the Sino-Japanese naval war of 1895-96.

Looking back at history, seas around Fuzhou could be called “sea of bitterness” or “sea of fire”.

Now, the Chinese Shipbuilding Museum has been upgraded, where the turbulent history seems to be close at hand. The sound of gunfire shouting from Zhaozhong Temple, the burial place of 196 martyrs in the Majiang naval battle between China and France, seems to be upon our ears. For Fuzhou, Mawei Shipping Administration is not only the geographical coordinates of rivers and seas but also portrays the spirits of taking the lead and loyalty and courage to the country.

Seas witness, the legend continues.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, Fuzhou has seen its development lag in economy and society. It lacks a sense of presence and is less competitive even though it is the coastal capital of Fujian.

Once upon a time, crude and small wigwams and wooden houses were built upon banks of the Minjiang River. The wall was papered and Fuzhou was called “City of papers”. The main urban area was surrounded by mountains, which made it impassable. Although the basin “trapped” downstream of the Minjiang River facing the sea, it couldn’t link the region to rivers and seas.

In the 1990s, the then main leaders of Fuzhou Municipal Party Committee worked out the Strategic Ideas of Economy and Society Development of Fuzhou in the Next 20 Years, shortened to “3820” Strategic Project. It established more scientific operations for its strategic goals of economic and social development in the next 3, 8, and 20 years, and provided a general plan to lead the development of Fuzhou.

The fact that rivers and seas of Fuzhou represent its strengths, future, hopes, and development has been proved correct.

In recent 30 years, Fuzhou has adhered to the “3820” Strategic Project and “one blueprint, one leader after another”, which is making its ideas come true. You Mengjun, the major of Fuzhou, said, “With the growing scale, continuous improvement of functions and increasing of quality, Fuzhou has turned into a modern city along the river from an underdeveloped city.

The coastal towns, situated about 40 kilometers southeast of the main urban area of Fuzhou, are currently the key sub-center of the city under construction. The Fu-Ping Railway, Chang-Fu Expressway, and Chang-Ping Expressway have been successfully opened to traffic. Fuzhou Metro Line 6 and intercity railway Line F1, which have been scheduled for construction, will also strengthen the connection between the main city and the sub-center town and will be accessible in about half an hour in the future.

With its journey to rivers and seas, the new Fuzhou has broken its old framework of “three mountains, two towers and one river” and moved towards a new pattern of “seven mountains, two rivers, and one sea”.

Not only the city has expanded to the sea, but also industries have gathered on the harbor. "Fuzhou at Sea" has become a new economic growth pole with the city's gross marine economic product reaching 285 billion yuan in 2020.

Along the winding shoreline, the coastal industries are in a line from north to south. In the northern Luoyuan Bay, Iron and steel enterprises represented by Baosteel Desheng and Dadonghai are building an industry cluster of 100 billion yuan. In the middle Lianjiang River, the harbor district has become the world's largest entire industry chain production base of caprolactam. In southern Jiangyin Port of Qingjiang River, an entire industrial chain project of Wanhua Chemical with a total investment of 50 billion yuan is under construction. The harbor district is marching towards its goal of becoming a zone of world-class new chemical material at 100 billion yuan level.

For Fuzhou, what makes it stronger and bigger lies in the “seas” and what makes it more beautiful and better lies in the “rivers”.

Li Jing, the chief planner of natural resources and planning department of Fuzhou, said, “There are more than 20 cross-river bridges either completed or under construction in Fuzhou, forming multiple groups of transportation corridors of an east-west orientation.” Li introduced that with the “Along the river to the sea” strategy carrying forward, the “Golden belt” of Fuzhou would expand to both Minjiang River and Oolong River from sole Minjign River.

Landmarks of the city are widely distributed on the banks of Minjiang River, including Waterfront Landscape Belt of North Port of Minjiang River, Shangxiahang Historic Area, Yantai Mountain, Strait Culture and Art Center, etc. Recently, Fuzhou released a document giving priority to construct 8 competitive landscape belts, making efforts to create an international landscape zone with beautiful scenery and rich culture.

Located on the north bank of the Minjiang River, Shangxiahang Historic Area has become a new internet-famous site in nearly two years. As the old CBD of Fuzhou hundreds of years ago, it gradually languished after historical changes. It was not renovated and reconstructed until 2013.

“We totally repair 16 protected historic sites and 82 cultural relics, most of which are ancient houses of Fuzhou”, Lin Qing, the general manager of Shangxiahang Historic Block Protection Development Co. Ltd, said, “We pay attention to the dynamic protection, which blends historical buildings and modern urban style, not only preserving history but also showing modern fashion.”

Fuzhou has specially set up a group to protect and develop ancient houses and cultural heritages, including Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, Zhuzi Fang, Liang Ancient House, South Park, etc. It forms an industry chain of vertical integration to protect and repair ancient buildings, perform a business operation, develop cultural tourism and cultivate brands. To prepare for the 44th World Heritage Convention, Fuzhou carried out a new round of special actions to register, protect and utilize ancient houses with 171 ancient houses repaired and 54 fine works for the activation and utilization of ancient houses cultivated in 2021.

Yang Yong, the head of urban council of Fuzhou, said, “The overall pattern of the ancient Fuzhou is visible. It preserves the only central axis of the ancient city in China, and relatively preserves the historic and cultural blocks”. He added that Fuzhou would continue to promote the protection of famous historical and cultural cities with a high level and precision and protect the "root" and "soul" of Fuzhou.

For an ancient city, “conservatism” demonstrates its cultural confidence, and “innovation” tests its development courage.

Rivers and seas bring tides and wind blows the sails. In the past years, Fuzhou’s GDP has passed trillion yuan mark. It follows the “Strong Capital” strategy proposed by Fujian Province and with the recent “Metropolitan Area of Fuzhou” developing plan approved, Fuzhou now enjoys an unprecedented development opportunity at a new historical starting point.

Fuzhou Metropolitan Area is the second metropolitan area at the national level after Nanjing. It covers a land area of 26,000 square kilometers with Fuzhou at the center, including the entire Fuzhou and Putian cities, part of Ningde and Nanping counties, and Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Area. The NDRC made it clear that Fuzhou Metropolitan Area would “build a modern metropolitan area of great influence, realize a common home based on collaboration and broad participation and with the goal of benefiting all, thus strongly supporting Fujian to promote high-quality development in all aspects”.

The urban framework of Fuzhou is now expanding to seas. With the vibrant industry development, prominent features of landscapes cities, and glamorous Min culture, Fuzhou is accelerating its pace to a modernized international city.  

“Countless spring sounds and autumn colors, endless ebb, and flow”. The ancient city has endured great hardships and left endless and splendid culture.

“An ancient city of two thousand two hundred years old still enjoys its prime of life”. The ancient city is continuing to struggle and writing its new legends in the name of happiness and witnessed by rivers and seas. (Reported by Gu Qianjiang, Tu Hongchang, Wang Cheng)

Source : China News