Port Guide | China | Worth a Wander

Fuzhou

Isabella Moreno | Editor

Published on 2025-08-04

Welcome to Fuzhou, East Asia's quietly charismatic port city, whose name roughly translates as "Blessed Settlement." And frankly, after days bobbing around on a floating condo, you could probably use a blessing or two-alongside a good cup of tea. Luckily, you've docked in a city that takes tea seriously enough to build entire cultures around it (the Brits may boast teatime, but here tea is practically a religion). Wander into the labyrinthine maze known as the "Three Lanes and Seven Alleys" to marvel at impeccably preserved Ming and Qing residences, and watch master craftsmen weave bamboo baskets, carve ornate combs, or brew teas that will ruin Lipton bags for you forever. Fun fact: Fuzhou was once famed for exporting lacquerware boxes to Europe, because nothing says "luxury souvenir" quite like a box painted from beetle secretion. Shake off your sea legs, grab a bowl of fragrant peppery fish balls at a street stall, and toast your arrival in a city that masterfully blends ancient subtleties with unapologetic vibrancy.