Lin Zexu, a name that is a household name in China, whose Humen Smoking Incident more than a hundred years ago left a colourful mark in China's modern history and is widely celebrated by the world.

　　However, compared to its glorious historical achievements, Lin Zexu's hometown is little known. The answer is not the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, where the Tiger Gate Smokeout took place, but a relatively obscure city - Fuzhou.

　　Fuzhou, also known as ‘Banyan City’, although the banyan tree does not have any flowery branches, it is a flourishing tree with strong roots, and a single tree can become a forest, which seems to be a metaphor for the city of Fuzhou itself: it has a deep heritage, but is low-profile and simple.

　　Of all the provincial capitals, Fuzhou is perhaps one of the most understated and least present cities. When outsiders think of Fujian, they are more likely to think of the literary and romantic Xiamen, Wuyi Mountain, famous for its Dahongpao, or the World Heritage-listed Quanzhou.

　　Most people don't seem to have a clear idea of what this provincial capital is, and some even mistakenly think that Fujian's capital is Xiamen, not Fuzhou. This low profile contrasts with its rich history, culture and geographical features.

　　Although Fuzhou seems to have a small presence in the minds of outsiders, in the eyes of Fuzhou's own family, the city has had a distinguished family lineage since ancient times.

　　It is important to know that as an ancient city with a history of more than 2,000 years and a stable administrative centre for 1,000 years, Fuzhou has been the political and economic centre of the province since the Ming Dynasty, with well-developed commerce and a high level of culture.

　　∆ Three Square and Seven Alleys and Fuzhou Temple of Literature.

　　In the city of Fuzhou, there is nothing more striking than the ‘Three Square and Seven Alleys’, a rare and well-preserved historical district in China's ancient cities, which is known as the ‘Museum of Chinese Architecture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties’.

　　This area not only carries a rich historical heritage, but has also nurtured many outstanding sages. Cultural giants such as Lin Zexu, Shen Baofang, Yan Fu, Bing Xin, Lin Huiyin and Shu Ting all left traces of their lives here. It can be said that Sanfang Qixiang witnessed and participated in the weaving of half of China's modern history, and its influence cannot be underestimated.

　　∆ A piece of Sanfangqixiang, half of China's modern history.

　　Min Opera is the only existing opera genre that sings and recites in Fuzhou dialect. As the first batch of national intangible cultural heritages, it carries the weight and splendour of a hundred years of history. Nowadays, Min Opera is still being sung in this land.

　　Fuzhou, with its topography of the river and the sea, has been famous for its good shipbuilding and boatbuilding since ancient times, and it is also the birthplace of Chinese shipbuilding culture after a thousand years of rowing.

　　In 1866, Zuo Zongtang founded China's first naval school, the Mawei School of Shipbuilding, which made Mawei, Fuzhou, the cradle of modern China's navy, and the culture of shipbuilding was thus born.

　　∆ The Luoxing Pagoda in Mawei, Fuzhou is a landmark on the Minjiang River. Climbing to the top of the pagoda, you can see the harbour terminals as far as the eye can see.

　　Obviously, Fuzhou's low profile comes from the self-confidence and confidence precipitated by time, and this layer after layer of historical inheritance has made it calm and composed, not scrambling, and advancing with the times at its own pace.

　　Fuzhou's alias is Banyan City, and as the name suggests, the whole city is like a giant banyan forest, with nearly 1,000 ancient banyan trees scattered all over the city. Walking around the city, the banyan trees add a lot of elegance to the city, making it a pleasant place to be.