Fuzhou: An Alternative One-Day Tour

Route: Fuzhou Kaiyuan Temple – Aqiu Steak Restaurant (lunch) – Mount Gu (Yongquan Temple) – Chinese Fringe Trees in Three Lanes and Seven Alleys – Antai Community Canteen (dinner) Tips: This route is suitable for tourists arriving in Fuzhou at 8–9 am who will check in before heading out. Yongquan Temple tickets are CNY 40/person. However, there is a small path at the cliffside inscriptions of Yongquan Temple that leads directly to the road between Yongquan Temple and the Prajna Hall (closer to Yongquan Temple), and no one is guarding it. Fuzhou Kaiyuan Temple was built in the Liang Dynasty of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. It is the oldest temple in Fuzhou and one that tourists tend to overlook, as Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou is more famous. The pilgrims at Fuzhou Kaiyuan Temple are mainly locals or people living in the area, with very few tourists, and the incense is very prosperous. The iron Buddha in the temple was cast in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, and is now 1,102 years old. Aqiu Steak Restaurant is located near Kaiyuan Temple. Does it remind you of Haochengcai Steak in Quanzhou? The overall food pairing of Aqiu Steak Restaurant is very similar to that of Haochengcai, except that the rice here is not Thai fragrant rice, and no shredded carrots are added. It is just ordinary white rice. The spices used to stew the steak are also different, and the cuts used are also slightly different. Of course, the taste here is still very rich. The beef has a little tendon, is crispy but not mushy, and has a full meaty flavor. The beef tendons in the beef tendon soup have no peculiar smell, and the beef broth is really fresh and sweet. The salt is added just right. Mount Gu is a hiking secret in Fuzhou. There are three routes: Gushan Ancient Road, Songzhilian Hiking Trail, and Brave Men's Hiking Trail. The Brave Men's Trail is the most difficult, and the Songzhilian Trail feels slightly longer. Although the Ancient Road has a steeper slope, the actual distance should be the shortest. Of course, Yongquan Temple is the most important part of Mount Gu. Yongquan Temple was built in the mid-Tang Dynasty. Although it is later than Kaiyuan Temple, it has become the crown of Min temples. I personally think that the cliffside inscriptions in Yongquan Temple are the most exciting stone carvings on the entire Mount Gu. Chinese Fringe Trees: It is said that there are only three Chinese fringe trees in Fuzhou that are more than 100 years old, and Three Lanes and Seven Alleys account for two of them. The one in the former residence of Shen Baozhen is more suitable for taking large-scale scenery, while the one in Jinyifang is more suitable for taking close-ups. After returning from Mount Gu, take the subway directly to Nanmendou Station and buy a cup of olive Americano coffee at the Grand World near Exit A1. It is so delicious that you will have no friends. Then, go all the way from Jinyifang to Gong Lane to take enough photos of the ancient fringe trees. If it is your first time in Fuzhou, stop by the "butt" love tree in Three Lanes and Seven Alleys. In this way, you can take photos of all the popular spots. Antai Community Canteen: When I came to Fuzhou two years ago, it was still a community restaurant in a residential building, so popular that you had to wait in line at any time. Now it has moved to a street-front shop, and the taste is a bit more sloppy than before, but it can't stand the high cost performance. With such a taste and such a quantity, Fuzhou cuisine in the city center is of course still the best choice. Shuangcui and Drunken Ribs are the real specialties, and other dishes that are suspected of being specialties are still a level behind. However, this is a restaurant that I check in at every time I come here. This time, I only had two days, and I had dinner here twice.