​Fuzhou

Fuzhou is the capital of East China's Fujian province and the nearest mainland provincial capital to Taiwan. It is situated on the banks of the Min River and is right across the East China Sea from Taiwan.

It has been called one of the most competitive manufacturing cities in China, one of the 200 most attractive cities in the world and the eco-city in China with the highest investment value.

The city has a subtropical marine monsoon climate and an average temperature of about 19.6 degrees Celcius. As temperatures can reach up to 20 degrees Celcius in January, Fuzhou is a perfect place for a winter retreat from China's cold northern regions.

Jasmine is the city flower and the banyan is the official city tree. Fuzhou, with its marvelous green cityscape that is full of parks and gardens, is also known as the "City of Banyans" due to the numerous banyan trees that have been planted there since the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Fuzhou has been one of China's most rapidly growing cities by becoming a major hub of industrial, high-tech and manufacturing sectors. It is now home to a number of domestic and international companies as well as economic development zones, such as the Fuzhou Economic and Technical Development Zone, the Fuzhou Free Trade Zone, Fuzhou Hi-Tech Park and the Fuzhou Taiwan Merchant Investment Area.  

In recent years, Fuzhou has striven to build itself into a strategic hub for the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and has become a founding member of the United Nations Maritime-Continental Silk Road Cities Alliance (UNMCSR).

In 2022, Fuzhou's GDP reached 1.23 trillion yuan ($181.52 billion), an increase of 4.4 percent compared to that in 2021, according to official data. The added value of the city's primary, secondary, and tertiary industries totaled 68.34 billion yuan, 465.69 billion yuan, and 696.8 billion yuan in 2022, respectively, increasing 3 percent, 5.2 percent, and 4 percent. The three industries contributed to 3.7 percent, 43.9 percent and 52.3 percent of the city's economic growth, respectively, boosting the city's GDP growth by 0.2, 1.9 and 2.3 percentage points.

Fuzhou, the only city in China with a name that has the Chinese character "Fu"(福), which means blessings, boasts rich Fu culture. It is a gem for explorers, cultural enthusiasts and foodies.

The city is home to various ethnic and language groups, with the Fuzhou version of the Min dialect being the most commonly spoken vernacular.