Fuzhou

Fuzhouis the capital ofFujian, China. The city lies between theMin Riverestuary to the south and the city ofNingdeto the north. Together, Fuzhou and Ningde make up theMindonglinguistic and cultural region.
Fuzhou's population was 8,291,268 as of the2020 Chinese census. Like otherprefecture-level citiesin China, its administrative area contains both urban and rural areas: in 2020, 72.49% of inhabitants (6,010,242) were urban, while 27.51% (2,281,026) were rural.As of 31 December 2018, the total population was estimated at 7,740,000 whom 4,665,000 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of five urban districts plus Minhou County.In 2015, Fuzhou was ranked as the 10th fastest growing metropolitan area in the world byBrookings Institution.Fuzhou is listed as No. 20 in the China Integrated City Index 2016's total ranking, a study conducted by theNational Development and Reform Commission.
Fuzhou is also a major city for scientific research, appearing in the global top 50 cities as tracked by theNature Index.The city is home toseveral major universities, notablyFuzhou University, one ofChina's key universitiesand other public universities, includingFujian Normal UniversityandFujian Agriculture and Forestry University.
TheYuanhe Maps and Records of Prefectures and Counties, a Chinese geographical treatise published in the 9th century, says that Fuzhou's name came from MountFutoa mountain northwest of the city. The mountain's name was then combined with-zhou, meaning "settlement" or "prefecture", in a manner similar to many other Chinese cities. During theWarring States period, the area of Fuzhou was sometimes referred to asYe(Chinese:冶), and Fuzhou was incorporated into China proper duringQin dynasty. The city's name was changed numerous times between the 3rd and 9th centuries before finally settling on Fuzhou in 948.In Chinese, the city is sometimes referred to by the poetic nicknameRongcheng(Chinese:榕城; Foochow Romanized:Ṳ̀ng-siàng),lit.'TheBanyanCity'.
In older English publications, the name is variously romanized asFoochow,Foo-Chow,Fuchow,Fūtsu,Fuh-Chow,Hock Chew, andHokchew.
The remains of twoNeolithiccultures—the Huqiutou Culture (虎丘頭文化), from around 5000 BC, and the Tanshishan Culture (曇石山文化), from around 3000 BC—have been discovered and excavated in the Fuzhou area. During theWarring States period(c. 475–221 BC), Chinese began referring to the modern Fujian area asMin Yue(閩越), suggesting that the native inhabitants of the area were a branch of theYue peoples, a diverse population of non-Chinese tribes who once inhabited most of southern China.In 306 BC, theYue Kingdom(present-dayZhejiang) fell to thestate of Chu.Han dynastyhistorianSima Qianwrote that the surviving members of the Yue royal family fled south to what is now Fujian, where they settled alongside the native Yue people, joining Chinese and Yue culture to create Minyue.
TheFirst Emperor of Qinunified ancient China in 221 BC and desired to bring the southern and southeast regions under Chinese rule. The Qin dynasty organized its territory into "Commanderies" (Chinese:郡; pinyin:jùn)—roughly equivalent to a province or prefecture—and the Fujian area was organized as Minzhong Commandery (閩中郡). The area seems to have continued mostly independent of Chinese control for the next century. TheHan dynastyfollowed the short-lived Qin, andEmperor Gaozu of Handeclared both Minyue and neighboringNanyueto be autonomous vassal kingdoms. In 202 BC, Emperor Gaozu enfeoffed a leader named Wuzhu (無諸;Old Chinese:Matya) as King of Minyue, and a walled city called Ye (冶; Old Chinese:Lya; literally: Beautiful) was built. The founding of Ye in 202 BC has become the traditional founding date of the city of Fuzhou.
In 110 BC, the armies ofEmperor Wu of Handefeated the Minyue kingdom's armies during theHan–Minyue Warand annexed its territory and people into China.Many Minyue citizens were forcibly relocated into theJianghuaiarea, and the Yue ethnic group was mostly assimilated into the Chinese, causing a sharp decline in Ye's inhabitants.The area was eventually re-organized as a county in 85 BC.
During theThree Kingdoms period, southeast China was nominally under the control ofEastern Wu, and the Fuzhou area had a shipyard for the coastal andYangtze Riverfleets. In 282, during theJin dynasty, two artificial lakes known simply as the East Lake and West Lake were constructed in Ye, as well as a canal system. The core of modern Fuzhou grew around these three water systems, though the East and West Lakes no longer exist. In 308, during theWar of the Eight Princesat the end of the Jin dynasty, the first large-scale migration of Chinese immigrants moved to the south and southeast of China began, followed by subsequent waves during later periods of warfare or natural disaster in theChinese heartland. The administrative and economic center of the Fujian area was still the Ye area during the Sui dynasty (581–618).
In 725, the city was formally renamed "Fuzhou". Throughout the mid-Tang dynasty, Fuzhou's economic and cultural institutions grew and developed. The later years of the Tang saw a number of political upheavals in the Chinese heartland such as theAn Lushan RebellionandHuang ChaoRebellion, prompting another wave of northerners to immigrate to the modern-dayNorthern MinandEastern Minareas. In 879, a large part of the city was captured by the army ofHuang Chaoduring their rebellion against the Tang government. In 893, the warlord brothersWang Chaoand Wang Shenzhi captured Fuzhou in a rebellion against the Tang dynasty, successfully gaining control of the entire Fujian Province and eventually proclaiming their founding of an independent kingdom they called theMin Kingdomin 909. The Wang brothers enticed more immigrants from the north, though their kingdom only survived until 945. In 978, Fuzhou was incorporated into the newly foundedSong dynasty, though their control of the mountainous regions was tenuous.
Fuzhou prospered during the Tang dynasty.Buddhismwas quickly adopted by citizens who quickly built many Buddhist temples in the area.
Fuzhou underwent a major dramatic surge in its refined culture and educational institutions throughout theSong dynastyas Fuzhou produced 10 Fuzhounesezhuangyuanscholars (scholar who is ranked the top first place in the imperial examinations), a large number for a city in the country during that dynasty.
The "Hualin" Temple (華林寺, not to be confused with the temple of the same name inGuangzhou), founded in 964, is one of the oldest and surviving wooden structures in China. New city walls were built in 282, 901, 905, and 974, so the city had many layers of walls – more so than the Chinese capital.Emperor Taizongof theSong dynastyordered the destruction of all the walls in Fuzhou in 978 but new walls were rebuilt later. The latest was built in 1371. During theSouthern Song dynasty, Fuzhou became more prosperous; many scholars came to live and work. Among them wereZhu Xi, the most celebrated Chinese philosopher afterConfucius, andXin Qiji, the greatest composer of theciform of poetry.
Marco Polo, an Italian guest of the EmperorKubilai,transcribed, after the conventions ofItalian orthography, the place name asFugiu. This was not the localMinpronunciation but that of themandarinadministrative class.
According toOdoric of Pordenone, Fuzhou had the biggest chickens in the world.
Between 1405 and 1433, a fleet of theMing Imperialnavy under AdmiralZheng Hesailed from Fuzhou to theIndian Oceanseven times; on three occasions the fleet landed on the east coast of Africa. Before the last sailing, Zheng erected astelededicated to the goddessTian-Fei(Matsu) near theseaport.
The Ming government gave a monopoly overPhilippinetrade to Fuzhou, which at times was shared withQuanzhou.
Galeote Pereira, a Portuguese soldier and trader, was taken prisoner during thepirate extermination campaignof 1549 and imprisoned in Fuzhou. Later transferred to a form ofinternal exileelsewhere in the province, Pereira escaped toLangbaijiaoin 1553. The record of his experiences in the Ming Empire, logged by theJesuitsatGoain 1561, was the first non-clerical account of China to reach the West sinceMarco Polo.
TheRyukyu Kingdomestablishedan embassyin Fuzhou.
In 1839,Lin Zexu, who himself was a Fuzhou native, was appointed by theDaoguang Emperorto enforce the imperial ban on the opium trade inCanton. His unsuccessful actions, however, precipitated the disastrousFirst Opium Warwith Great Britain, and Lin, who had become a scapegoat for China's failure in war, was exiled to the northwestern section of the empire. TheTreaty of Nanjing(1842), which put an end to the conflict, made Fuzhou (then known to Westerners as Foochow) one of five Chinesetreaty ports, and it became completely open to Western merchants and missionaries.
Fuzhou was one of the most importantProtestantmission fields in China. On January 2, 1846, the first Protestant missionary, Rev.Stephen Johnson (missionary)fromABCFM, entered the city and soon set up the first missionary station there. ABCFM was followed by theMethodist Episcopal Missionary Societythat was led by Revs.M. C. WhiteandJ. D. Collins, who reached Fuzhou in early September 1847. TheChurch Missionary Societyalso arrived in the city in May 1850. These three Protestant agencies remained in Fuzhou until thecommunist revolution in Chinain the 1950s, leaving a rich heritage in Fuzhou's Protestant culture. They supported the creation of hospitals and schools, including theWoolston Memorial Hospital, run by the American-trainedHü King Eng.
On August 23, 1884, theBattle of Fuzhoubroke out between the French Far East Fleet and theFujian Fleetof the Qing dynasty. As the result, the Fujian Fleet, one of the four Chinese regional fleets, was destroyed completely in Mawei Harbor.
On November 8, 1911, revolutionaries staged an uprising in Fuzhou. After an overnight street battle, theQingarmy surrendered.
On November 22, 1933,Eugene Chenand the leaders of theNational Revolutionary Army's 19th Army set up the short-livedPeople's Revolutionary Government of Republican China.Blockaded byChiang Kai-shekand left without support from the nearbySoviet Republic of China, the PRGRC collapsed within two months.
With the outbreak of theSino-Japanese War in 1937, hostilities commenced in Fujian Province. Xiamen (Amoy) fell to a Japanese landing force on May 13, 1938. The fall of Amoy instantly threatened the security of Fuzhou. On May 23, Japanese ships bombarded Mei-Hua, Huang-chi and Pei-Chiao while Japanese planes continued to harass Chinese forces. Between May 31 and June 1, Chinese gunboatsFu-Ning,Chen-NingandSumingdefending the blockade line in the estuary of the Min River were successively bombed and sunk. Meanwhile, the Chinese shipChu-Taiberthed at Nan-Tai was damaged. The Chinese Navy's Harbor Command School, barracks, shipyard, hospital and marine barracks at Ma-Wei were successively bombed.Fuzhou is recorded as having fallen to Japanese forces in 1938.
The extent of Japanese command and control of the city of Fuzhou itself as opposed to the port at Mawei and the Min River Estuary is uncertain. By 1941 (5/7),the city is recorded as having returned to Nationalist control. The British Consulate in Fuzhou is noted as operational from 1941 to 1944 after the United Kingdom Declaration of War on Japan in December 1941. Western visitors to Fuzhou in the period 1941–1944 include the Australian journalistWilfred Burchettin 1942and the British scientistJoseph Needhamin May 1944.Both visitors record the presence of a British Consul and a Fuzhou Club comprising western businessmen.
InThe Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom, authorSimon Winchesterrelates the visit of Dr Needham in 1944. Needham encountered the American government agent (John Caldwell) and the British SIS agent (Murray MacLehoseworking undercover as the British Vice-Consul in Fuzhou) involved in aid to the Nationalist resistance to Japanese forces in Fujian Province.
As part ofOperation Ichi-Go(1944), the last large-scale Japanese offensive in China in World War II, Japanese troops intended to isolate Fuzhou and the Fujian Province corridor to Nationalist forces in western China and the wartime capital of Chongqing. One account of Japanese troops re-taking of Fuzhou city itself is narrated by American naval officer, Houghton Freeman.The date is given as October 5, 1944.
Fuzhou remained under Japanese control until May 18, 1945, months before the atomic bombings.
Following the restoration of Republic control (1946), the administration divisions of Fuzhou were annexed, and administration level was promoted from county-level to city-level officially.
Fuzhou was occupied by thePeople's Liberation Armywith little resistance on 17 August 1949.In the 1950s, the city was on the front line of the conflict with theKMTinTaiwan, as hostile KMT aircraft frequently bombed the city. The bombing on 20 January 1955 was the most serious one, killing hundreds of people.
Fuzhou was also involved in violent mass chaos during theCultural revolution. Different groups ofRed Guardsfought with each other using guns on the streets of the city, and even attacking the People's Liberation Army.
Under thereform and openingpolicy since the late 1970s, Fuzhou has developed rapidly. In 1982, Fuzhou became the first city in China where thestored program controlwas introduced, which marked a milestone in the history oftelecommunicationsin China.In 1984, Fuzhou was chosen as one of the first branches ofOpen Coastal Citiesby the Central Government.
In 1990,Xi Jinpingserved as the Secretary of the CPC Fuzhou Municipal Committee. He proposed theFuzhou 3820 Projectto establish Fuzhou as the political economic cultural educational transportation and technological center of Fujian Province and the West Coast Economic Zone of the Taiwan Straits.He also planned the development of Fuzhou for the next hundred years. He believed that, with Guangzhou to the south and Shanghai to the north Fuzhou's geographical location was ideal for becoming an international metropolis between the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta. He proposed supporting strategies such as the Fujian-Zhejiang-Jiangxi-Anhui Fuzhou Economic Cooperation Zone the Fuzhou Metropolitan Circle, Maritime Fuzhou the Minjiang Estuary Golden Triangle and a Modern International City as well as the idea of building a high-speed rail corridor toTaipei. Xi Jinping served as the Secretary of the Fuzhou Municipal Committee for more than six years and lived in Fuzhou for nearly thirteen years, developing a deep affection for the city. When he visited Fuzhou again in 2021, he remarked that Fuzhou could make significant contributions to the great rejuvenation and unification of the Chinese nation, noting that the airport in Changle was built to support the city's expansion towards the sea.
On December 13, 1993, a raging fire swept through atextilefactory in Fuzhou and claimed the lives of 60 workers.
On October 2, 2005, floodwaters fromTyphoon Longwangswept away amilitary school, killing at least 80paramilitaryofficers.
Fuzhou is located in the northeast coast of Fujian province,connects jointly northwards with Ningde and Nanping, southwards with Quanzhou and Putian, westwards with Sanming respectively.
Fuzhou has ahumid subtropical climate(Köppen:Cfa) influenced by theEast Asian monsoon; the summers are long, very hot and humid, and the winters are short, mild and dry. In most years, torrential rain occurs during the monsoon in the second half of May. Fuzhou is also liable to typhoons in late summer and early autumn. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 11.4 °C (52.5 °F) in January to 29.4 °C (84.9 °F) in July, while the annual mean is 20.5 °C (68.9 °F). With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 24 percent in March to 54 percent in July, the city receives 1,607 hours of bright sunshine annually. Extremes since 1951 have ranged from −1.9 °C (29 °F) on25 January 2016to 41.9 °C (107 °F) on 24 July 2022.Snow is very rare, having covered the ground last times in February 1957, December 1975 and December 1991.
See or editraw graph data.
The administrative divisions of Fuzhou have been changed frequently throughout history. From 1983, the Fuzhou current administrative divisions were formed officially, namely, 5 districts and 8 counties. In 1990 and 1994, Fuqing (Foochow Romanized:Hók-chiăng) and Changle (Foochow Romanized:Diòng-lŏ̤h) counties were promoted tocounty-level cities; Changle became a district in 2017. Despite these changes, the administrative image of "5 districts and 8 counties" is still held popularly among local residents. Fuzhou's entire area only covers 9.65 percent of Fujian Province.
The city of Fuzhou has direct jurisdiction over 6districts, 1county-level city, and 6counties:
The culture of Fuzhou is distinct from the mainstream inland cultures of central China, and in details vary from other areas of the Chinese coast.
BesidesMandarin Chinese, the majority local residents of Fuzhou (Fuzhou people) also speakFuzhounese(福州話), the prestige form ofEastern Min.
Min opera, also known as Fuzhou drama, is one of the majoroperasinFujianProvince. It enjoys popularity in the Fuzhou area and in neighboring parts of Fujian such as the northeast and northwest areas where the Fuzhou language is spoken, as well as inTaiwanand theMalay Archipelago. It became a fixed opera in the early 20th century. There are more than 1,000 plays of Min opera, most of which originate from folk tales, historical novels, or ancient legends, including such traditional plays as "Making Seal", "The Purple Jade Hairpin" and "Switching Fairy Peach with Litchi".
The two traditional mainstream religions practiced in Fuzhou areMahayana BuddhismandTaoism. Traditionally, many people practice both religions simultaneously. The city is also home to many Buddhist monasteries, Taoist temples and Buddhist monks.
Apart from mainstream religions, a number of religious worship sites of various local religions are situated in the streets and lanes of Fuzhou.
The origins of local religion can be dated back centuries. These diverse religions incorporated elements such as gods and doctrines from other religions and cultures, such as totem worship and traditional legends. For example,Monkey King, originated to monkey worship among local ancients, gradually came to embody the God of Wealth in Fuzhou after the novelJourney to the Westwas issued inMing dynasty.
As the most popular religion in the Min River Valley, the worship ofLady Linshuiis viewed as one of the three most influential local religions in Fujian, the other two being the worship ofMazuandBaosheng Dadi(保生大帝).
Fuzhou cuisineis most notably one of the four traditional cooking styles ofFujian cuisine, which in turn is one of the eight Chinese regional cuisines. Dishes are light but flavorful, with particular emphasis onumami taste, known in Chinese cooking asxianwei(simplified Chinese:鲜味; traditional Chinese:鮮味; pinyin:xiānwèi), as well as retaining the original flavor of the main ingredients instead of masking them. In Fuzhou cuisine, the taste is light compared to that of some other Chinese cooking styles, and often have a mixed sweet and sour taste. Soup, served as an indispensable dish in meals, is cooked in various ways with local seasonal fresh vegetables and seafood and often added with local cooking wine (福建老酒).
Fuzhou is famous for its street food and snacks.  Some notable street food dishes include Fuzhou fish balls (魚丸), meat-pastry dumplings (扁肉燕), oyster cake (海蛎饼), rice scroll soup (鼎邊糊), guong bian (光餅; a kind of mildly savory pastry), Buddha Jumps over the Wall (佛跳墙), and pork floss (肉鬆). Many of these street food dishes have a long history and their own local legend; an example would be the oyster cake, according Fuzhou local folklore, in the early Qing dynasty, there was a young man who inherited his father's dim sum business, despite all his hard works, he only managed to earn enough money to feed himself, not enough to raise and feed a family of his own. One night, he dreamt of a silver-haired elderly man, who told him that he has very good fortune, the young man then asked him what he can do to obtain good luck, the elderly man then floated away. That's when the young man notice the setting moon, and after the moon sank under the clouds, rose from the east a golden sun, he was inspired by the dream and invented oyster cake, which is white like the moon before being lowered into hot grease and coming out golden as the morning sun. According to the legend, after the young man made a fortune out of his invention and his oyster cake was imitated by many others, which was passed down till this day. another example of a Fuzhou street food with a long history is rice scroll soup, which became popular in Fuzhou in the early part of the Qing dynasty.  As more Fuzhou residents settled overseas, Fuzhou dishes spread to Taiwan, Southeast Asia and the U.S..  For example, one is able to find guong bian and Fuzhou fish balls in Sitiawan in Ipoh, Malaysia while Fuzhou fish balls, meat-pastry dumplings and rice scroll soup can be found in New York's Chinatown.
Fuzhou residents also enjoy eating festival foods during traditional Chinese holidays.  For example, red and white rice cakes (年糕) are served over Chinese New Year, tangyuan(汤圆) during the Lantern Festival,zongzi(粽子) during the Dragon Boat Festival, and sweet soy bean powder-covered plain yuanxiao over the winter solstice.
Olive juice is also a much sought-after refreshment. Ganlanzhi (橄榄汁) is cloudy and light yellowish-green in color. Olive trees grown on the Canarium album tree in Fuzhou since the Tang dynasty, it was even approved as a trademark with geographic indication by China in 2010. Not found elsewhere in China, ganlanzhi (橄榄汁) is also a reminder of the many regional differences in China when it comes to food.
Bodiless lacquerware (脫胎漆器),paper umbrellasand horn combs (角梳) are the "Three Treasures" of Fuzhou traditional arts. In addition, bodiless lacquerware, together with cork pictures (軟木畫) and Shoushan stone sculptures (壽山石雕) are called "Three Superexcellences" of Fuzhou.
Fuzhou Evening News(福州晚报),Strait Metropolitan PostandSoutheast Express(东南快报) are the three most primary newspapers in the city.Fuzhou Daily(福州日报) is the official newspaper of the Fuzhou Committee ofChinese Communist Party.FZTV, the local municipal television station has four channels.As the capital, the provincial state-owned Fujian Media Group, Fujian Daily Newspaper Group and Straits Publishing & Distributing Group also headquarter here.
The city is served byFuzhou Changle International Airport, which replaces Fuzhou Yixu Airport, the old airfield. The former is its main international airport and an air-hub in southeast China, while the latter was turned into aPLAairbase after 1997.
Fuzhou is a railway hub in northern Fujian.  TheWenzhou–FuzhouandFuzhou–Xiamen Railwaysform part of theSoutheast Coast High-Speed Rail Corridorand can accommodate high-speed trains at speeds of up to 250 km/h (155 mph). 
TheHefei–Fuzhou High-Speed Railwaylinks the city to Beijing through its nearby inner land provinceJiangxiat speeds up to 350 km/h (220 mph).
TheNanping–Fuzhou RailwayandXiangtang–Putian Railwayprovide rail access inland.  The latter line can carry trains at speeds of 200 km/h (124 mph).  The regional Fuzhou-Mawei Cargo Railway runs from the Fuzhou Railway Station eastward to the port inMawei District. Fuzhou has two main railway stations, Fuzhou and Fuzhou South. Fuzhou station is often just referred to as Fuzhou station given its central location.
Fuzhou Metrois the firstrapid transitsystem in Fujian province. It has two metro lines in operation and five lines under construction.
Line 1links the two railway stations of the city. TheFuzhou railway stationis located north of the city center, near the North Second Ring Road.Fuzhou South Railway Station, located in Cangshan district, is a key landmark of the New City development scheme, begun in 2007 and completed in 2010. Line 1 was opened on May 18, 2016.
Line 2runs in the east–west direction of the city, linking the university city and Fuzhou High-Tech Zone in Minhou county, Jinshan Industrial Zone in Cangshan district, and Gushan mountain in Jin'an district. Line 2 was opened on 26 April 2019.
Passenger linersregularly sail betweenROC'sMatsu Islandsand the port in Mawei District.
A high-speed ferry sails across Taiwan Strait between the port inPingtan County, the mainland's closest point to Taiwan, toTaipeiandTaichung, a trip that takes about 3 hours.
In 1867 the Fuzhou seaport was the site of one of China's first major experiments with Western technology, when theFuzhou Navy Yardwas established. A shipyard and an arsenal were built under French guidance and a naval school was opened. Anaval academywas also established at the shipyard, and it became a center for the study of European languages and technical sciences. The academy, which offered courses in English, French, engineering, and navigation, produced a generation of Western-trained officers, including the famous scholar-reformerYan Fu(1854–1921).
The yard was established as part of a program to strengthen China in the wake of the country's disastrous defeat in theSecond Opium War(1856–1860). Most talented students nonetheless continued to pursue a traditionalConfucianeducation, and by the mid-1870s the government began to lose interest in the shipyard, which had trouble securing funds and declined in importance. Fuzhou remained essentially a commercial center and a port until World War II; it had relatively little industry. The port was occupied by the Japanese during 1940–1945.
Since 1949, Fuzhou has grown considerably. Transportation has been improved by the dredging of theMin Riverfor navigation by medium-sized craft upstream toNanping. In 1956 the railway linking Fuzhou with the interior of the province and with the mainChinese railway systembegan operation. The port has also been improved; Fuzhou itself is no longer accessible to seagoing ships, butLuoxingtaanchorage and the outer harbor atGuantouon the coast of theEast China Seahave been modernized and improved. The chief exports are timber, fruits, paper, and foodstuffs.
Industry is supplied with power by a grid running from theGutianhydroelectricscheme in the mountains to the northwest. The city is a center for commercial banking, designer brands andtimber-working, engineering, papermaking, printing, and textile industries. A small iron and steel plant was built in 1958. In 1984 Fuzhou was designated one of China's "open" cities in the newopen-door policyinvitingforeign investments.Handicraftsremain important in the rural areas, and the city is famous for itslacquerand wood products.
ItsGDPwas ¥75,614 (c. US$12,140) per capita in 2015,rankedno. 52 among 659 Chinese cities.
Fuzhou is undoubtedly the province's political, economic and cultural center as well as an industrial center and seaport on the Min River. In 2008, Fuzhou's GDP amounted to ¥228.4 billion, an increase of 13 percent.
Manufactured products include chemicals, silk and cotton textiles, iron and steel, and processed food. Among Fuzhou's exports are fine lacquerware and handcrafted fans and umbrellas. The city's trade is mainly with Chinese coastal ports. Its exports of timber, food products, and paper move through the harbor at Guantou located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) downstream.
In 2008, exports reached US$13.6 billion, a growth of 10.4 percent while imports amounted to US$6.8 billion. Total retail sales for the same period came to ¥113.4 billion and per capita GDP grew to ¥33,615.During the same period, Fuzhou approved 155 foreign-invested projects. Contracted foreign investment amounted to US$1.489 billion, while utilized foreign investment increased by 43 percent to US$1.002 billion.
The Fuzhou Economic & Technological Development Zone was established in January 1985 by the State Council, with a total planning area of 22 square kilometres (8.5 sq mi) and now has 10.1 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi) built. It is located close to Fuzhou Changle International Airport and Fuzhou Port. Industries encouraged in the zone include electronics assembly and manufacturing, telecommunications equipment, trading and distribution, automobile production/assembly, medical equipment and supplies, shipping/warehousing/logistics, and heavy industry.
The Fuzhou Export Processing Zone was founded on June 3, 2005, with the approval of the State Council and enjoys all the preferential policies. It is located inside the Chang'an Investment Zone of the Fuzhou Economic and Technical Development Zone (FETDZ) with a planned land area of 1.14 square kilometres (0.44 sq mi).
The Fuzhou Free Trade Zone was established in 1992 by the State Council, with a planning area of 1.8 square kilometres (0.69 sq mi). Industries encouraged in the free trade zone include electronics assembly and manufacturing, heavy industry, instruments and industrial equipment production, shipping/warehousing/logistics, telecommunications equipment, trading, and distribution.
Fuzhou High-tech Development Zone was set up in 1988 and approved by the State Council in March 1991. In 1995, the Fuzhou municipal government decided to build Baiyi Electronic Information City, which covers 1.2 square kilometres (0.46 sq mi) in the zone, making it the lead electronic industrial zone in Fuzhou. The Administrative Commission of Mawei High-tech Park was set up in the zone in 1999. It covers an area of 5.6 square kilometres (2.2 sq mi), and is in the area between Gushan Channel and Mawei Channel, Jiangbin Road and Fuma Road.
The Fuzhou Science and Technology Park was established in 1988 and was approved to be a national-level zone by the State Council in 1991. The planned area is 5.5 square kilometres (2.1 sq mi) and is divided into 3 parts: the Mawei portion, the Cangshan portion, and the Hongshan portion. The main industries are electronics, information technology, and biotechnology. The zone is 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) away from the China National Highway 316 and 41 kilometres (25 mi) away from the Fuzhou Changle International Airport.
The Fuzhou Taiwan Merchants Development Zone was approved to be established in May 1989 by the State Council. The zone is located in the Fuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone. The zone is a commercial base for Taiwan-related development. The current area is 6 square kilometres (2.3 sq mi). The main industries are IT, metallurgy, food processing, and textiles. The zone is 11.5 kilometres (7.1 mi) away from the 316 National Highway and 52 kilometres (32 mi) away from Fuzhou Changle International Airport.
Sanfang Qixiang(三坊七巷) "Three Lanes and Seven Alleys" is a cluster of ancient residential buildings dating from the late Jin dynasty now features a pedestrian zone with shops along the street. Situated at the centre of the city atGulou District, it is the most popular touristic destination in the city. Many buildings were revitalized recently to increase tourism.
Three Universities above take the leading position in the province, and they are supported by Fujian Government to build High-level University.
Note: Institutions without full-time bachelor programs are not listed.