Fuzhou
Discover Fuzhou
Fuzhou (福州; Hók-ciŭ in Fuzhou dialect, Fúzhōu in Mandarin) is the capital of Fujian Province in China. An older romanisation is "Foochow". Population is about 4.4 million in the city, 7.1 million for the whole prefecture. Fuzhou is known in China as a city of parks, plazas and man-made green space, designed to compensate for its extensive urban sprawl and the heat effects of concrete and asphalt. This phenomenon is so pervasive that entire research papers and case studies are written about Fuzhou's green space evolution.
What to Experience in Fuzhou
Taste of Fuzhou...
26.0808119.29532 Restaurants near the white pagoda (behind Grand Ocean Mall) (on a pedestrian-only side street running west off Baiqi Lu, a bit north of Gutian Lu). More than a dozen restaurants, mostly upmarket. There are a number of cheap hotels around Fuzhou Railway Station. (The new Fuzhou South Railway Station has a lot fewer lodging options in its vicinity). However, be sure to call ahead to confirm that they can register foreigners. China Unicom and China Mobile will register phone plans with foreigners; however, smaller outlets may sometimes lack the knowledge to do so. A passport is required, and it's highly advised to visit an outlet in a highly trafficked area.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple Options25.9313119.66851 Fuzhou Changle International Airport (福州长乐国际机场 FOC ), Changle District. Fuzhou is a secondary hub for XiamenAir, and has air links to most other major Chinese cities, plus some international flights from other Asian cities (including a low-cost carrier route from Singapore). The Binhai Express Line of the Fuzhou Metro connects the airport to the city center. It takes 44 minutes to reach the terminus of the line at Fuzhou Railway Station. The airport is about an hour from town by road, ¥20 by bus. You can get the bus at the Apollo Hotel. Shared taxis also go from there, at around ¥25 a person. A private taxi would be at least ¥120, likely more unless you haggle very well. There are complimentary shuttles from other hotels, such as the Min Jiang, to the Apollo. If you have the Didi Dache App or Shenzou Hired Car App, rates range up to ¥250. The Didi Express car service does not include highway tolls, so you should consider splurging on Didi Luxe....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Taxis are cheap, from ¥10 for short trips and under ¥30 for almost any trip in town. Taxi rates are ¥10 for the first 3 km, and then ¥1.4 per km and one more after 23:00. Taxis are more available in the downtown area and always available at train stations/Fuzhou airport. Taxi stands exist across Fuzhou. Beware that almost all taxis will refuse to stop if there are traffic cameras nearby, especially at parks with entrances along busy roads. It is always more advisable to identify a nearby taxi stand and wait there. If leaving Fuzhou proper (going to a more rural district), taxis will often round up to a multiple of ¥10 to compensate for the lack of return visitors. If you're having trouble finding a taxi driver that is willing to go to a rural district, going to a train station is generally a good idea. Taxis line up for hours at a time at train stations and are desperate for fares. Didi Dache operates in Fuzhou.
Where to Stay
There are a number of cheap hotels around Fuzhou Railway Station. (The new Fuzhou South Railway Station has a lot fewer lodging options in its vicinity). However, be sure to call ahead to confirm that they can register foreigners. China Unicom and China Mobile will register phone plans with foreigners; however, smaller outlets may sometimes lack the knowledge to do so. A passport is required, and it's highly advised to visit an outlet in a highly trafficked area.
Money & Budget
There are also carvings in wood and jade, paper umbrellas and combs made of ox horn. As a general rule, these are generic crafts procured from Alibaba, T-Mall or Taobao, and resold to tourists. Unless you see an active workshop producing these goods in the store, assume that it is being resold and that there is a considerable markup over the original price. You may be offered ivory. Most nations have banned ivory to protect endangered species; do not buy it unless you are certain it is fake. In China, this is quite likely, but it is hard to be certain and it might be harder yet to convince customs officials if you try to bring it home. It is generally a very poor idea to purchase Western branded goods in Fuzhou, as these product almost always carry a substantial markup. 26.0808119.
Language & Talk
Fuzhou and the surrounding area have a local language called Fuzhou Hua (福州话, literally Fuzhou speech), which is part of the Mindong (闽东话, literally East Fujian speech) branch of the Min family of Chinese dialects. This is not mutually intelligible with Mandarin (standard Chinese) or any other Chinese dialect, not even other Min (Fujian) dialects. The same language is spoken by some in the overseas Chinese communities of New York and Southeast Asia where it is known as Hokchiu or Foochow in the latter, and on the Taiwan-controlled islands of Matsu. These days, Fuzhou Hua is primarily spoken by the elderly and middle-aged people; most younger locals cannot speak it unless they were raised by their grandparents or grew up in the countryside.
Safety Information
Nearby Destinations
Glimpses of Fuzhou
我晚上入夜后在南江滨拍摄 让我感觉很美
white and black concrete building
brown and white concrete building under blue sky during daytime
A group of windmills sitting on top of a body of water
a body of water surrounded by buildings and trees
woman in white dress standing near green trees during daytime
a tall building with a lot of windows on top of it
A man riding a bike down a street next to tall buildings
a river running through a city next to tall buildings
a boat floating down a river next to a lush green forest
我晚上入夜后在南江滨拍摄 让我感觉很美
white and black concrete building
brown and white concrete building under blue sky during daytime