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| San Fang Qi Xiang |
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In the heart of downtown Fuzhou, instead of skyscrapers, you will
find a huge area of ancient residential buildings, which is a rarity
in modern Chinese cities. This area is known as Sanfang-qixiang, namely,
three lanes and seven alleys - a critical symbol of Fuzhou as a historic
city.
Everywhere you touch upon is history in Sanfang-qixiang. For example,
look at this wall. It's all built with huge bricks and you cannot
find it anywhere in modern houses. And check this wall, this is
even older, this was built probably in Ming Dynasty, rammed earth.
And if you look closely, you can find seashells, a lot of seashells,
because this is a coastal city, they got the material from seaside.
Covering an area of about 40 hectares, Sanfang-qixiang is praised
by many architects as the museum of architecture in the Ming and
Qing Dynasties.It is said the layout of the lanes and alleys was
formed even earlier back in Tang and Song dynasties almost 1000
years ago.
Around a hundred houses built in Ming and Qing dynasties are still
in existence. Although, many are in derelict situation. Most of
the houses were built by well-off people such as officials or businessmen
at the time. The exquisite wood carvings, stone carvings, and opulent
details all testify to the past glory.
This area used to be the upscale neighborhood of Fuzhou early 20th
century. It nurtured many eminent scholars and politicians of the
Chinese contemporary history, such as Mr. Yanfu, who introduced
the modern western thoughts into China.
Strolling in Sanfang-qixiang is like taking the time machine back
to last century. While younger generation just can't wait to move
out to enjoy the modern luxury; for older people, their spiritual
root is deeply set in this community, and they can find the best
pastime here too. Once a week, retirees put on local opera performance
in one of the old houses. |
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