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 Author: Du Yan |
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1. The Three Lanes and Seven Alleys I still remember the many sunny afternoons I spent in a tea shop on Nanhou Street. There are many more tea shops like this on Nanhou Street. The street is the axis of a larger group of ancient streets and lanes, and together they are called Three Lanes and Seven Alleys. Many people used to live in the courtyard dwellings along the lanes, and sometimes you could hear the sweet singing of the Min Opera Singers coming from some unknown alleyway. Tea shops dotted the streets, sending the clear fragrance of tea miles away. Now, the clean white walls and grey brick eaves are coarse and tainted with age, and the area is open to visitors.
I began listening to the stories of the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys when I was a little girl. My mother would take me along the winding alleys and point out the place she used to live in. She told me that the alleys around here were mostly more than 1,000 years old, and that they were constructed in a style typical in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. I got to know the stories of Zheng Peng, Su Tingyu, Yan Fu, Lin Zexu and Lin Juemin, all of them famous people who once lived around this area. History has left so many memories here that it hardly seemed distant at all.
2. The old buildings in Cangshan
Fuzhou is a city that carries the burdens and traces of history. Unlike the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, the old buildings in Cangshan tell a story about Fuzhou’s development in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
After the Opium War, China was forced to open up five port cities and Fuzhou was one of them. All at once, western influence began to reshape Fuzhou as foreign firms, churches, hospitals and western schools were built. The remains of French and American embassies can still be found in the Cangshan Area now.
3. Fan Chuan Pu Catholic Church
One of the most famous churches in the Cangshan area is the Fan Chuan Pu Catholic Church. First built in 1864 by an Italian missionary, it served as a historical landmark for more than 100 years. One would be amazed by its magnificent Gothic design and the gorgeous interior. For 100 years, the hustle and bustle of the burgeoning city did not affect the quiet religious splendor of this church. Standing in the midst of a changed world, the church has been, and always will be, a faithful testimony of history.
4. Wuyi Square
If you want a glimpse of night life in Fuzhou, you can’t miss with Wuyi Square. Located in the downtown area, Wuyi Square attracts people from all walks of life. I used to practice my English at the free English corners here. Many of my friends enjoy coming here for a walk with their parents after dinner. Some ladies love doing square dancing and young people come to the Fujian Opera House for a romantic movie night. During the Lantern Festival, creative lanterns will light up the entire square with joy and festivities and on the New Year’s Eve, fireworks displays will often push the new-year frenzy to a climax.
6. Rivers in Fuzhou
Fuzhou is also blessed with rich river transport. The Min River and the Wulong River runs across Fuzhou. In recent years, shopping malls and riverside residences are being built and the riverside parks are renovated to provide citizens with recreations and relaxations.
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