Why Fuzhou?

Fuzhou

The capital city of Fujian

The place lives up to its name

It is a "blessed state" where the river kisses the sea.

It runs through the river

Nearly half of Fujian’s area is connected by water.

It has long been an important transportation and trade hub in Fujian.

(Please watch in horizontal mode, overlooking the intersection of Dazhangxi River and the Wulong River section of the Minjiang River. Image from @Visual China)

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It's a turbulent sea

Port trade promotes Fuzhou to the world

Its tea exports once ranked first in China.

It has many talents

In modern times, it was the first to accept new overseas ideas

It gave birth to a large number of people such as Lin Zexu, Yan Fu, etc.

Famous people who have influenced China

(Some celebrities in modern times in Fuzhou, map by @白谷/星球研究院)

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Great Rivers, Seas and Great Men

Gather here

Fuzhou

What kind of world is this?

What kind of legend does it have?

01

origin

Fuzhou is located on the southeast coast of China

Central and eastern Fujian Province

Its geomorphic skeleton

Half of it is a mountain and half of it is in the sea

(Topography and location of Fuzhou, drawn by @Zheng Yi/Planetary Research Institute)

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Wuhushan, Gushan, Qishan and other mountains

Supporting the backbone of the earth

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Wuhushan, photographer @罗南军)

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485 islands

Embellish the beauty of the blue sea

(The above data comes from "Fuzhou Island Protection and Land Use Planning", Qida Village, Lianjiang County, Fuzhou, picture source @Visual China)

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The Fuzhou Basin covers an area of ​​489.1 square kilometers.

Embedded between mountains and sea

This is Fujian, a land of eight mountains, one river and one field.

Very rare

(Please watch in horizontal mode, overlooking Fuzhou city from the plane, photographer @陈剑峰)

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Mountains and seas face each other, and basins are inlaid

But this is not all about Fuzhou

Because if only these

Fuzhou will be integrated with other cities in Fujian basins.

There won't be much difference

God destined Fuzhou to stand out

A huge force splits the mountains and rocks

Bringing Fuzhou

Fertile Land, Population, and Access

02

Minjiang River

This force is

Minjiang River

As the largest river in Fujian

It surges down from Wuyi Mountain

Cutting through many mountains and crossing the Fuzhou Basin

The large amount of sediment it carries

Gradually deposited in the basin

The Fuzhou Plain was born

(Sketch of the topographic skeleton of the Fuzhou Basin, drawn by @郑艺/Planetary Research Institute)

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River water along the way or alluvial

Small island in the middle of the river

(Zhongzhou Island, photographer @陈捷阳)

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Or a huge ship-shaped island was formed by alluvial deposits

Nantai Island

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Nantai Island, photographer @伍强, tagged @杨宁/星球研究院)

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When it merges into the sea

Sediment in the river

The sediments are wetland tidal flats.

The mangroves are lush and green here

Great Crested Terns are dancing here

(Great Crested Tern, Photographer @谢菲)

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Plus

Fertile land in the basin

Fuzhou has become a livable home for humans.

(Please watch in horizontal screen, Songkou Ancient Town, photographer @卢明浪)

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Rich mudflats and abundant seafood

Fish, shrimp, crabs and clams are readily available

(September 2, 2012, Baisheng Village, Lianjiang, Fuzhou, fishermen return from fishing, picture from @Visual China)

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Most importantly

The Min River penetrates through the mountains

Opened a channel into the basin

Let Fuzhou be “closed but not closed”

It can isolate the flames of war in troubled times

And it can be connected in all directions in the prosperous times

then

When the war broke out in the Central Plains

Waves of immigrants continued to move south

They went down the Minjiang River

Find a new home in Fuzhou

Courtyard houses in Zhongyuan

Introduced with immigrants

Gradually, streets such as Fang and Xiang were formed.

The famous "Three Lanes and Seven Alleys"

It is part of

(Please watch in horizontal mode, the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys are shown in the picture, the base map comes from @Fuzhou Mingcheng Company, and the map is drawn by @Yang Ning/Planet Research Institute)

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Residential buildings connected into a piece

If one house catches fire, it will often affect several houses.

To isolate the fire

Craftsmen built the outer walls higher than the roof.

It is called the "Saddle Wall"

(The saddle wall in Sanfang Qixiang, Fuzhou, picture from @Visual China)

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Zen Buddhist temples in Central China

Also introduced with immigrants

The main hall of Hualin Temple under Pingshan Mountain

Founded in the Northern Song Dynasty

It is the oldest wooden structure south of the Yangtze River.

(Schematic diagram of the main hall of Hualin Temple, drawn by @李乾朗/《Through the Wall》)

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Jinshan Temple on an isolated island in the middle of the Minjiang River

Watching the river flowing day and night

Thousands of years have passed

(Please watch in horizontal screen, Jinshan Temple on the isolated island of Minjiang River, photographer @蔡沂霖)

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Water Conservancy Technology in Zhongyuan

Also used in Fuzhou

West Lake was dug for irrigation of farmland

The Spirit of Water

As the saying goes

(From "Yecheng" by Chen Xuan of the Song Dynasty, describing Fuzhou, not specifically West Lake)

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“Sometimes, the drizzle and the mist are like a natural ink painting.”

Or

(From Xin Qiji's "He Xinlang: Sanshan Tour in the Rain at West Lake" in the Song Dynasty)

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"The misty rain is better when the sky is clear, as if Xi Shi had not yet married"

(Fuzhou West Lake, photographer @陈捷阳)

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Growing immigration

Promote the city's growth

The Western Han Dynasty built the "Yecheng" and the Western Jin Dynasty built the "Zicheng"

The "Luocheng" was built in the late Tang Dynasty, and the "Jiacheng" was built in the Later Liang Dynasty.

The Northern Song Dynasty built the "outer city" and the Ming and Qing Dynasties built the "provincial city"

The Millennium Cultural Context of Fuzhou City

Consistent and continuous

Very rare

Building the city again and again

Many moats remain

Banyan trees are planted along the river banks

The whole city is like a giant garden

Banyan King

The tree is about 1,000 years old

The tree canopy covers an area of ​​about 1,300 square meters

Equivalent to 10 residential units with an area of ​​130 m2

(Please watch horizontally, the ecological diagram of Fuzhou Banyan King, located in Fuzhou National Forest Park, map by @Yang Ning/Planet Research Institute)

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In the process of urban expansion

The surrounding Pingshan, Wushan, and Yushan

Gradually incorporated into the urban area

In addition

The "Wu Pagoda" of Wushan and the "White Pagoda" of Yushan

Fuzhou's three mountains and two towers are its city card

Passed down for thousands of years

(White Pagoda in Yushan, photographer @雾雨川)

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A total of six city expansions

Many elegant names for Fuzhou have also been precipitated

For example, it is named "Sanshan" because of the three mountains and two towers.

The city is named "Rongcheng" because of the banyan trees all over the city.

This is largely due to

The Minjiang River, which transported immigrants here

The Minjiang River itself has also become

Part of Fuzhou scenery

Writer Yu Dafu once praised the Minjiang River Road

(From Yu Dafu's "Dripping in Fujian")

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“The Yangtze River is not as green as her, the Fuchun River is not as winding as her, and the Pearl River is not as quiet as her.”

The Minjiang River brings to Fuzhou

More than that

The drainage area of ​​the Minjiang River

Although it is less than 1/10 of the Yellow River

The annual runoff is 1.25 times that of the Yellow River.

Looking to Fujian

The four major plains of Zhangzhou, Xinghua, Quanzhou and Fuzhou

Only Fuzhou Plain has

The Minjiang River can carry large ships

(Please watch in horizontal mode. The picture below is the Minjiang River. The annual runoff of the Minjiang River is more than 11 times that of the Jinjiang River. Photographer: @陈捷阳)

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Countless tributaries of the Minjiang River extend into the mountains

The basin area accounts for nearly half of Fujian

Passengers and cargo go down the river or upstream

Convenient inland waterway transportation

Bringing Fuzhou closer to the Central Plains Dynasty

Accessible ocean transportation

Can communicate with the world

Fuzhou's status as the leader of Fujian

This has established an unshakable

(Diagram of the Minjiang River Basin. The basin area of ​​the Minjiang River is more than 10 times that of the Jinjiang River. Map by @郑艺/Planet Research Institute)

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Rivers as a link

People and goods converge in Fuzhou

And fostered a rich culture

(Shangxiahang, the commercial center and shipping dock of ancient Fuzhou, photographer @陈永诚)

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Every Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon Boat Race

Even working late into the night

(Dragon Boat Night Race in Sanxi Village, Changle, Fuzhou, picture from @Visual China)

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Fuzhou lacquerware, cork paintings, Shoushan stone carvings

Nationally renowned

Now included

National Intangible Cultural Heritage List

(Cork painting and carving, photographer @陈暖)

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People tasted it between their lips and teeth

Fish wrapped in pork filling

Fish balls

(Fuzhou fish balls, picture from @Visual China)

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Boiled chicken broth

Fresh sea clams brewed

Sea clams in chicken soup

(Chicken soup with clams, picture from @Huitu.com)

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besides

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall: a combination of local delicacies and seafood

Sea cucumber, abalone, chicken, duck, pigeon eggs

More than 30 kinds of ingredients including bamboo shoots, mushrooms, etc.

Simmered over low heat

As the saying goes

"When the altar is opened, the aroma of meat spreads to the surroundings, and the Buddha hears it and abandons his meditation and jumps over the wall to come."

(The above is from a folk saying, the picture below is Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, photographer @陈暖)

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It can be said

Rivers laid the foundation for the development of Fuzhou City

Influenced the cultural outlook of Fuzhou

And then

Oceans Relay Rivers

Pushing Fuzhou to a new height

03

sea

As early as about 5000 years ago

The ancient people of Fuzhou made their living from the sea.

Create a unique marine culture

"Tanshishan Culture"

Many scholars also generally believe that

The Austronesian language group is now found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Most likely from the southeast coast of China including Fuzhou

Spreading branches and leaves in the vast ocean

Reproduction

(Pottery tower-shaped pot in Tanshishan culture, drawn by @杨宁/Planetary Research Institute, base map from @福建省谭石山墟博物馆official website)

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To Ming Dynasty

The great navigator Zheng He

It opened a new chapter in ancient Chinese history.

An unprecedented ocean voyage

Fuzhou

This is another crucial step

Zheng He's Seven Voyages to the West

Almost all of them choose to stay in Fuzhou

A large number of Fuzhou sailors are active in the fleet

Driving a treasure ship made in Fuzhou

Riding on the sea

(Please watch in horizontal mode, the route of Zheng He's seven voyages to the West, map by @郑艺/Planetary Research Institute)

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Ships from around the world

Along the Maritime Silk Road

Coming to Fuzhou

People built Luoxing Tower to guide ships

Later generations even heard that the overseas sailors who came from afar

Seeing Luoxing Tower from a distance

They began to cheer for arriving in China.

Therefore, this tower is also called

"Chinese Tower"

(Luo Xingta, photographer @雾雨川)

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In the Ming Dynasty, Fuzhou City was renovated.

To ensure the quality of the project

Builders on the top of Pingshan Mountain

Build a tower overlooking the sea

As a "model project" for construction

Zhenhai Tower

(Zhenhai Tower, a modern reconstruction, image source: @Visual China)

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At the call of the ocean

Fuzhou people boarded cargo ships and went out to sea to do business

Many commercial buildings emerged

(Please watch in horizontal mode. The center of the picture below is Nanhou Street in Sanfang Qixiang, with shops on both sides of the street. Photographer: @林双伟)

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Merchants from all over the world

To facilitate gatherings and mutual assistance among fellow townspeople

Guild halls were set up in Fuzhou one after another

It integrates various architectural elements

Luxurious decoration

(Fuzhou Gutian Guild Hall, built in 1915, photographer @蔡沂霖)

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Modern times

Foreign powers invaded and the country opened its doors

Fuzhou was opened as one of the treaty ports

Luoyuan Bay, Dinghai Bay, Mawei Port, Fuqing Bay

The 18 Fuzhou ports are arranged from south to north.

There is a constant flow of ships

(Lianjiang Dashan Lighthouse, photographer @蔡沂霖)

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Foreign merchants, missionaries and other foreigners

Build churches and consulates in Cangshan area

As many as 17 countries

(The former site of the American Consulate in Yantai Mountain, photographer @蔡沂霖)

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One-third of China's tea is exported from Fuzhou

Especially jasmine tea

Sales volume ranks first in the country

Fuzhou becomes the world's tea port

(Fuzhou Changlong Tea Mountain, picture from @Visual China)

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Active import and export trade

Catalyzing the transformation of cities and industries

Fuzhou takes the old city as its political center

Taijiang develops into a commercial district

Mawei develops into an industrial zone

The “cluster-type” urban layout has initially emerged

(Modern Fuzhou City, image source @Visual China)

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Guling in Jinan District

It was also developed by Westerners as a summer resort.

The approximately 1,300-year-old Cryptomeria japonica stands here

Tennis courts, swimming pools, nursing homes

Facilities and institutions such as the World Charity Society are all available

(Guling, photographer @陈捷阳)

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Fuzhou Mawei area

Ship Administration

The first steamship built in China

The first steel gunboat

The first wooden second-class cruiser

The first seaplane

Born here

As China's largest shipbuilding company at that time

A total of more than 40 ships were built

It accounts for about 82% of the country's total shipbuilding tonnage.

Modern ships

Building half of China's coastal defense

(A map of the coastal defense forces of Fuzhou that built warships in modern times, drawn by @Zheng Yi/Planet Research Institute)

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About shipbuilding

Wooden mold factory, iron foundry, boiler factory

Engine plant and water tank plant, etc.

A series of supporting factories also emerged

Aircraft Manufacturing Engineering Department of the Shipbuilding Bureau

It is also the earliest aircraft manufacturing plant in my country.

China's modern shipbuilding and aviation industries

The technical foundation was thus laid

(Fuzhou Mawei Shipbuilding Cultural Relics Group, Photographer @Visual China)

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Entering New China

Fuzhou has become the

The first coastal cities to open up to the outside world

Demonstration Zone for Marine Economic Development

And an important component of the China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone

(Fuzhou Mawei Port, picture from @Visual China)

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now

Standing on the coast of Fuzhou and looking out

Floating on the blue sea

Millions of cages arranged in an orderly manner

Nutrient-rich seawater

Like fertile soil

Fish and shrimp farmed in cages

Like grazing cattle and sheep

This is Fuzhou's "Ocean Ranch"

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Sha'ao Village, Ankai Township, Lianjiang County, Fuzhou, photographer @刘剑聪)

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Wind energy between land and sea

Also fully utilized

Windmill fields appear one after another

(The wind turbines look particularly huge against the backdrop of people, photographer @赵高翔)

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Fuzhou Port has become

One of the 20 hub ports along the coast

With ports in more than 40 countries and regions around the world

Start trading

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Fuzhou Jiangyin Port, image source: Visual China)

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In recent years

The only museum in China with the theme of "Maritime Silk Road"

International Tourism Festival

Held in Fuzhou

Attracting tourists from home and abroad

The vast ocean makes Fuzhou

From the hub of southeast China

Upgraded to become one of China's windows to the world

The basis behind this is

It is the hard work of generation after generation.

Fuzhou People

04

Fuzhou People

Warring States Period

The Yue people migrated southward and merged with the local Min people to form

Min Yue

(Tile end with long-lived pattern on arrowheads of the Minyue Kingdom, drawn by @杨宁&白谷/Planetary Research Institute, base map from @Fuzhou Cultural Relics and Archaeology Team)

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after

Immigrants from the Central Plains who migrated south on a large scale due to wars

They merged with the Minyue people to form

“New Fuzhou People”

These new Fuzhou people

It's not just a corner

Instead, he cared about the world and actively entered the government.

(Zhengyi Academy is one of the four major academies in Fuzhou during the Qing Dynasty. Its predecessor was the "Zhengyi Bookstore" founded by Zuo Zongtang, the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang. Photographer: @陈捷阳)

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Home and Country

Deeply rooted in the hearts of Fuzhou people

In times of national crisis

They will stand up

1840

The First Opium War begins

Facing foreign invasion

Lin Zexu, a native of Fuzhou, led the army and the people to rise up in resistance

Wei Yuan was influenced by him

He put forward the famous idea of ​​"learning from foreigners to defeat them"

(Shude Hall in the Lin Zexu Memorial Hall, with a statue of Lin Zexu in the middle, photographer @陈捷阳)

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Afterwards

Zuo Zongtang, Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang

With Lin Zexu's son-in-law Shen Baozhen

Inheriting Lin Zexu's unfinished work

Established the Ship Administration in Fuzhou

The pioneer of modern shipbuilding industry in China

at the same time

A special Naval Academy was also established to train talents.

Implementing the "factory-school integration" school-running system

It is a pioneering work in the history of modern education in China.

Rough statistics

About 60% of modern Chinese naval officers

Born in Fujian, known as the "Fujian Navy"

Deng Shichang, Liu Buchan, Sa Zhenbing, Chen Shaokuan, etc.

It's all like this

(Fuzhou Zhaozhong Temple, a temple commemorating the soldiers who died in the Sino-French Battle of Majiang and the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, photographer @王炳瑞)

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Other graduates from the Naval Academy include

Yan Fu, famous translator and educator

Zhan Tianyou, the "Father of Chinese Railways"

Gao Lu, one of the founders of modern Chinese astronomy

etc.

They are pioneering in various fields

Leading the trend in China

(Statues of prominent figures in the Chinese Shipbuilding Culture Memorial Hall, image from @Visual China)

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In addition to modern coastal defense

Batch after batch of Fuzhou people with lofty ideals

Fighting on the front line of saving the nation

Among the 72 martyrs of Huanghuagang in 1911

23 are from Fuzhou

1919 Lin Changmin (Lin Huiyin's father) from Fuzhou

Published "Diplomatic Alert to the People"

First to disclose the inside story of the Paris Peace Conference to the public

The May Fourth Movement was ignited

In 1920, Liu Chongyou from Fuzhou

Funded Zhou Enlai and others to study in France

1945-1949

Fuzhou-born naval generals Li Shijia and Lin Zun

Led the fleet to accept the surrender of the Japanese army and recover Taiwan

Receiving the Xisha Islands and the Nansha Islands

(Li Shijia's former residence, photographer @陈捷阳)

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also

There is also the last imperial teacher Chen Baochen

Lin Baishui is regarded as a pioneer in the newspaper industry

Hou Debang, who invented the "Hou's alkali production method"

As well as architect Lin Huiyin, writer Bing Xin, etc.

They are all from Fuzhou

(The Luojiang Chen Clan Ancestral Hall was first built in the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. It is the ancestral hall of the Chen family to which Chen Baochen belongs. Photographer: @陈捷阳)

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Although Fuzhou has many talented people

But the turmoil in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China

Still persecuting thousands of Fuzhou people

Going abroad to make a living

(Old photos of Fuzhou City. In the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, most of the houses in Fuzhou were simple wooden houses, which were very prone to fire and were called "Paper-covered Fuzhou City". Map by @杨宁/星球研究院, picture from @视觉中国)

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These fellow countrymen who left

With hard work and perseverance

Gradually accumulate wealth

There are even overseas

Towns named "New Fuzhou" and "Little Fuzhou"

Wait until the founding of New China

A lot of work needs to be done

They have a pure heart

Return to hometown to invest and give back to the land

(The tall building in the picture is the Rongqiao Center built by overseas Chinese investment, picture source: Visual China)

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at the same time

There are more people in Fuzhou working for the new China

Make outstanding contributions

For example, Deng Tuo, who was once the editor-in-chief of the People's Daily

Famous mathematician Chen Jingrun

Among the academicians of the two academies of China since the founding of the People's Republic of China

There are 74 people from Fuzhou

Ranked first among provincial capital cities in China

(The above data comes from the Fuzhou Base of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou University Town, photographer @罗南军)

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For thousands of years

Fuzhou people in this sea of ​​mountains

Building homes and pioneering innovation

This makes today's Fuzhou more profound.

now

Fuzhou's GDP has entered the trillion club

Return to being the largest economic city in the province

And entered the top 20 in the country

(Wuhu Mountain and Fuzhou City, picture from @Visual China)

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Bridges across rivers and seas

Connecting the world

(Luoyuan Bay Bridge, photographer @王炳瑞)

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Straits Olympic Sports Center, Straits International Convention and Exhibition Center

Straits Culture and Art Center and other cultural and sports facilities

Inclusiveness

(The 2021 World Heritage Conference was held in Fuzhou; the picture below is the Straits Culture and Art Center, the picture comes from @Visual China)

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Fuzhou National Forest Park, Minjiang Estuary Wetland Park

Wuhushan Forest Park, Fuzhou Qishan National Forest Park

Changle National Forest Park, Lingshishan National Park, etc.

Parks are lined with lush greenery

19 km long "Fudao"

Overlooking the green city

It is the longest urban forest trail in the country.

(Fudao, picture from @图虫网)

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When urban development conflicts with ancient trees

Fuzhou people will also be grateful for the ancient trees.

Leave room for survival

(Fuzhou, aerial photography of a large banyan tree standing in the middle of a crossroad, forming a unique landscape of "Banyan City". The intersection is the intersection of Bayiqi Middle Road and Gutian Road. The picture comes from @Visual China)

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As China's first

Cities that have established special hot spring management agencies

Fuzhou is famous for its numerous hot springs.

The reputation of "China's Hot Spring Capital"

(Hot spring in Gui'an Village, Pandu Township, Fuzhou City, photographer @朱庆福)

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Looking back at Fuzhou’s past

The Minjiang River and the sea give it the direction to move forward

Generation after generation of Fuzhou people

It has been reborn and given new life

Looking into the future

On the top of Drum Mountain

Lin Zexu once wrote a couplet

"The sea is endless and the sky is the shore; I am the peak when I climb to the top of the mountain"

Perhaps it is the broad-mindedness of the people of Fuzhou

Supporting Fuzhou towards tomorrow

Going Further

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Fuzhou Basin, photographer @陈捷阳)

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This article was created by

Written by: Huchu

Image: Elegant and easy-going

Map: Zhengyi

Design: Yang Ning, Bai Gu

Cover Photographer: Cai Yinlin, Visual China

Reviewers: Ding Hao, Chen Zhihao, Liu Xiangyu, Lushu Mao, Niu Mianmian, Xxxihannah

Special partner of this article: Fuzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism

【References】

[1] Fuzhou Local Chronicles Compilation Committee. Fuzhou Local Chronicles[M]. Fangzhi Publishing House, 1998.

[2] Zhou Yongchun. History of Modern Architecture in Fuzhou[M]. Science Press, 2017.

[3] Ruan Zhangkui. Construction Technology of Fuzhou Folk Houses[M]. China Architecture & Building Press, 2016.

Planetary Research Institute

Focus on exploring the extreme world from a geographical perspective

···THE END···