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Fuzhou Travel Guide

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Fuzhou (福州) is the capital of Fujian Province, China.

Contents

Understand

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. In 1884, the French destroyed a dockyard at Mawei, sinking a good part of the Chinese navy and killing hundreds.

Today it is the provincial capital and administrative center, and also a major center for light industry. Nike have a factory there, and a Taiwan firmthat makes shoes for Adidas, Reebok and others has four.These are large, several thousand staff 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.

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, 7 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.

Buses are often crowded, but run often and more-or-less everywhere. 1 RMB, or 2 if they have air conditioning. Word-to-the-wise: if the bus you require is (literally) packed to the rafters just wait until the next one, or the one after- it should only take 5-10 minutes. The locals will all violently cram aboard as if their lives depend on it, but the law of averages means that a less crowded one should turn up soon enough. As the writer can attest to, being stuck on a dangerously overloaded bus with several dozen/hundred sardine-packed Fuzhouese sweating profusely all over you is an experience best avoided. Especially in the summer months, [shudder!].

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 Chan (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 Chan, 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!

Buy

Handicrafts in the area include:

  • shou shan stone, a unique stone 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.

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.
  • "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!

Sleep

Budget

Mid-range

  • Ju Chun Yuan Hotel on Dong Jie Kou (a central intersection), very central for shopping and such. Has a well-reputed Chinese buffet, a KFC and a UBC coffee shop. 200-odd a night

Splurge

There are some nice hotels in Fuzhou:

  • Fuzhou Lakeside Hotel Ask for a room with view of West Lake.
  • Golden Resources Hotel Macau restaurant on ground floor, bars with Filipino bands across the street. Both expensive, but good.
  • Shangri-La Hotel. On the corner of Wu Yi Guang Chan, the city's central square. 5 star luxury. Try the burger in the lobby if you're tired of Chinese food. Also has a great and inexpensive coffee bar with free internet access.

Contact

The area code for Fuzhou is 0591. When calling from overseas, dial +86 0591 XXXX-XXXX

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. Overrated, expensive, full of foreigners, their "beautiful" Gu Lang Yu island now charges an exorbitant admission fee and is cheesier than Blackpool. Avoid it like the plague. Nan Pu Tuo temple is worth a visit though.
  • 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.


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