When I Explored Fuzhou with My Camera

Day 1: Touching History in the Morning Light of Old Streets At 6am, Sanfang Qixiang was still shrouded in mist. I walked on the dew-dampened stone slabs into Yijin Fang, where Uncle Li was setting up his pot to fry oyster pancakes. Following the "thump-thump" sound of wooden mallets, I found Tongli Meat Wonton Shop (Sanfang Qixiang Branch) and watched the master making translucent wonton wrappers. A bowl of steaming wonton soup awakened my senses completely. At Bing Xin's Former Residence in Sanfang Qixiang, while reading "The singing banyan trees of my hometown," sunlight filtered through banyan branches, casting dancing shadows on the pink walls. Turning out of Nanhou Street, I almost bumped into Aunt Yi carrying her jasmine flower basket. I followed her to Lin Zexu Memorial Hall on Macau Road, where raindrops from the eaves fell perfectly onto the plaque reading "Tolerance as Vast as the Sea." In the afternoon, I took Metro Line 1 to Dadao Station, where the aroma of Dadao Traditional Beef led me through maze-like alleys to this 30-year-old restaurant. Seeing my camera, the owner sprinkled extra green onions in the soup: "Take a good photo, young lady!" Day 2: An Artistic Journey and Intoxicating River Breeze Waking up at Yantai Hill, bougainvillea cascaded from red brick walls to the rim of my coffee cup. Holding jasmine milk tea, I wandered through the consulate district on Lequn Road, suddenly encountering the Stone House Church where Shen Yi painted in "Crime Cracker." The barista on the second-floor terrace taught me to identify architectural styles on Zhongzhou Island Heart across the river, saying the Gothic spire was once a church school, now home to Fuzhou's most authentic taro paste. Following girls in Hanfu, I found the steps at YMCA Square. While posing with an oil-paper umbrella, the river breeze suddenly lifted my skirt - thankfully the photographer shouted "That motion is beautiful!" In the evening, aboard the Min River Night Cruise, as the lights of Liberation Bridge cascaded like a golden waterfall, I felt surrounded by romance. Day 3: Mountain Temple Zen and Culinary Adventures As the Drum Mountain cable car started moving, I was speechless with awe: below the transparent cabin wasn't just treetops, but an entire rolling sea of green! At Yongquan Temple, the monk saw me staring at the thousand-year-old iron tree and smiled, offering vegetarian cookies: "Dear visitor, a butterfly has been resting on your bag for quite a while." Coming down, I deliberately missed the last cable car to count 137 cliff inscriptions along the Song Dynasty trail. When sudden rain came, I took shelter in a mid-mountain tea pavilion, enjoying sweet jasmine tea. In the evening, I went on a food adventure on Old Yazhou Street: Toothless Uncle's Peanut Soup Shop (Old Yazhou Branch) served soup so thick it could hold up a spoon, Bingding Rice Noodles' braised intestines carried a subtle wine fragrance. Finally, I waddled to Deaf Uncle's Tangyuan Shop for sweet and savory mixed tangyuan. Looking through my photos later, I realized the unplanned encounters were the most wonderful: the old craftsman in Sanfang Qixiang who taught me to string jasmine flower bracelets, the grandmother who suddenly invited me to share her meal at Shangxia Hang. Fuzhou is like aged jasmine tea - seemingly plain at first, but revealing more charm with each sip. Meixijue She Xunfu Official Residence (Sanfang Qixiang Dongjiekou Metro Station Branch)