Why Fuzhou Holds the Key to Understanding Chinese Gourmet Delicacies
Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian described as "guarding the northwest and embracing the sea in the southeast," preserves traditional Chinese culture across millennia while embodying a pioneering spirit that connects rivers and oceans. The flavors of Fuzhou are deeply rooted in the mountains and sea—inclusive, profound, complex, and captivating.
Fuzhou boasts abundant ingredients, and its people prefer light flavors.
Whether from the mountains or the sea, ingredients must emphasize freshness.
Since the Qin and Han dynasties, the cultures of the Central Plains and Minyue have collided and blended in Fuzhou with the rich local resources. Fuzhou people have adopted diverse cooking techniques and integrated influences from various regions, forming unique culinary customs. Over a century ago, with the rise of modern Fuzhou and the flourishing of its food culture, Fujian cuisine—one of China's Eight Great Cuisines, known for its seafood foundation, refined techniques, and elegant style—was born. Today, Fuzhou is the mainstream of Fujian cuisine.
Lychee Pork, photo by City Wanderer;
Stir-Fried Double Crisp, photo by GAGALing;
Fragrant Sliced Sea Whelk with Light Distillers Grains, image provided by Fuzhou Culture and Tourism;
What defines the taste of Fuzhou?
It is a culinary feast spanning mountains and sea. Blessed with natural abundance, Fuzhou people pursue original flavors and excel at utilizing marine resources, forming the foundation of Fujian cuisine's expertise in preparing delicacies from land and sea.
It is a millennia-long culinary journey from the heart of China to the Maritime Silk Road, inheriting the cultural depth of intricate craftsmanship like lychee-pattern carvings, while also embracing innovation by blending Chinese and Western influences and harmonizing diverse flavors. A century ago, the creation of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall—a dish combining over thirty ingredients in perfect harmony—epitomizes the evolution of Fujian cuisine.
The enduring taste of Fuzhou continues to innovate and progress, embedding itself into the city's fabric and shaping the spirit of its people.
Adapting a famous quote by Fuzhou native Lin Zexu, the flavor of Fuzhou can be described as: "The sea embraces all tastes, greatness lies in inclusivity."
Fuzhou Fish Balls, photo by Liu Yanhui;
Lao Hua and Oyster Cake, photo by GAGALing;
Embracing flavors from mountains and sea, Fuzhou embodies "Maritime Fujian"!
Each of China's Eight Great Cuisines has its strengths, but Fujian cuisine stands out for its exceptional ingredients. As the mainstream of Fujian cuisine, Fuzhou dishes benefit from the city's unique mountainous and coastal resources, which form the essential framework of its culinary practices.
"Maritime Fujian" boasts superior fishery resources.
Whenever the fishing season begins, countless vessels set sail in Fuzhou's waters.
As the Classic of Mountains and Seas states, "Min lies within the sea," and Fuzhou exemplifies this. The Min River, Fujian's largest river, flows from the eastern foothills of the Wuyi Mountains into the sea, carving out the Fuzhou Basin surrounded by mountains. The ancient Minyue people built their city against these mountains, and over centuries, the shifting coastline gradually formed this "City of Blessings." With its humid climate and fertile land, Fuzhou is renowned for producing treasures like Fujian oranges and olives.
The Tanshishan Cultural Site from the Neolithic period is the origin of Fujian's maritime culture. The site contains thick layers of shells—evidence of ancient people's early reliance on the sea for food.
The tributaries of the Min River weave a network of waterways across the Fuzhou Basin, reminiscent of the landscapes south of the Yangtze River. From an altitude of 10,000 meters, the Min River flows into the sea like a luxuriant banyan tree—Fuzhou’s city tree—with countless branches "reclaiming" vast expanses of tidal flats. The Fuzhou Sea ahead spans both the Mindong and Minzhong fishing grounds, forming the foundation of the city’s abundant seafood.
In terms of variety, during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, Tu Benjun, a native of Ningbo, Zhejiang, came to Fujian as an official and wrote *Min Zhong Hai Cuo Shu* (A Survey of Marine Fauna in Fujian), the earliest extant regional monograph on aquatic animals in China, which recorded over 200 species of marine life. In terms of quality, delicacies such as Zhanggang clams have been praised by renowned figures like Yu Dafu.
The coast of Fuzhou is brimming with freshness everywhere.
Today, Fuzhou’s seafood industry has expanded into a vast "blue ocean." In 2021, the annual seafood production was so abundant that each Fuzhou resident could enjoy over 600 jin (300 kg) of seafood per year. Lianjiang’s abalone now accounts for about one-third of the national abalone production, while Fuqing’s eel dishes are served to eel lovers worldwide.
It’s no wonder that Fuzhou people celebrate seafood all year round, prizing freshness above all.
When visiting Fuzhou, one must indulge in seafood with gusto.
Fig. 1/VCG, other photos by Li Yishuang
Seafood emphasizes original flavor. Besides steaming, the most common cooking method is soup. Fuzhou people are extremely particular about the taste of seafood soups. For example, dried razor clams and dried scallops can blend perfectly in a pot of soup, but combining dried razor clams with dried squid may result in a "muddled" flavor.
The pursuit of exquisite taste naturally leads Fuzhou people to enhance freshness with soup and balance flavors with broth. A banquet might begin with a soup dish, end with a sweet soup, and feature several soups in between. "One soup, ten variations" encapsulates the unique culinary philosophy of Fuzhou.
In terms of soup techniques, "Sea Clams in Chicken Broth" is hailed as the "Pearl of Min Cuisine." Fresh clams are prepared by pouring boiling triple-meat broth (made from hen, beef, and pork tenderloin) over them, scalding (cuān) them instantly. The character "汆" (scalding) highlights the savory chicken broth, which accentuates the clams’ crisp tenderness. This dish exemplifies Fuzhou’s light, fresh, and crisp flavors, as well as the skillful use of broth in cooking.
For Sea Clams in Chicken Broth, the broth must be simmered meticulously and strained to remove impurities.
The clams are quickly scalded in the chicken broth, resulting in a bowl of ultimate freshness.
Seafood also takes on various forms in the hands of Fuzhou people, such as fish balls and fish noodles, showcasing "seventy-two transformations."
Fresh marine fish like eel and small shark are minced, mixed with sweet potato starch to form a skin, and stuffed with pork to create "Fuzhou Fish Balls." In the past, vendors often sold these fish balls by the piece, directly from water tanks. The fish balls bobbing in the broth were likened to stars and poetically named "Seven-Star Balls." Today, these balls have become a massive business, with annual sales reaching 3 billion units, accounting for half of China’s fish ball market.
In the first Fuzhou (including Pingtan) Min Cuisine Protection List released in 2021,
fish balls ranked first among local snacks.
Small seafood like clams, dried shrimp, cockles, and scallops are sun-dried and air-cured, infused with the power of time to become dried seafood. Fuzhou people often add them to noodles and soups, imparting a deeper and more lasting flavor compared to fresh seafood.
Unique home-style condiments like crab paste and shrimp oil are not only seasonings similar to light soy sauce but also elevate the taste of seafood.
Making shrimp oil is no easy task; good shrimp oil requires at least three years of fermentation.
In the eyes of old Fuzhou natives, salt only provides saltiness, while shrimp oil delivers umami. Also known as fish sauce, shrimp oil is made by fermenting small fish and shrimp, a process that takes at least three years. The bottle may appear dark, but the poured liquid is clear and transparent, with an amber-like texture. A simple plate of boiled shrimp, peeled and dipped in a dish of shrimp oil, can truly be described as an explosion of freshness that "makes your eyebrows fall off"!
Fish balls are one of the representative snacks of Fuzhou.
From banquet dishes to daily seasonings, the people of Fuzhou embrace the sea, integrating ingredients, techniques, and flavors into a trinity.
However, "seafood flavors" are only the foundation of Fuzhou cuisine. Along the coast of Fujian Province,蜿蜒的海岸lines abound, and seafood preparation is a common skill. Yet, Fuzhou cuisine became the mainstream of Fujian cuisine not solely because of its seafood.
Fuzhou is a place where mountains and seas converge, embracing a hundred flavors in its culinary world.
The sea represents not only abundant resources but also an open and inclusive oceanic spirit.
Since the Han Dynasty, Fuzhou has been the capital of the Eight Min regions, largely unchanged. It boasts significant administrative importance, convenient transportation, active commerce, and a flow of people. These factors have allowed Fuzhou cuisine to absorb influences from all directions, becoming the epitome of Fujian cuisine and its mainstream.
Giving Fuzhou flavors infinite possibilities.
Fuzhou is the first stop for Central Plains immigrants, culture, and customs integrating into Fujian, as well as an important window for China facing the ocean. Noodles, sweet potatoes, red yeast rice, jasmine... all kinds of外来elements have settled in Fuzhou, making its flavors a millennia-old symphony of "Min flavors"跨越mountains and seas.
From the Central Plains to the world—once here, it becomes Fuzhou flavor!
In Yu Dafu's article "Food and Men in Fuzhou," he begins by stating, "Fuzhou's food has long been appreciated by people from other provinces." This固然refers to the abundance of local products but also highlights the harmonious blend of five flavors in Fuzhou cuisine.
The scene of seaweed cultivation on the coast of Fuzhou.
Seafood is an important part of Fuzhou cuisine.
Traveling upstream along the Min River from Fuzhou, one can reach Zhejiang and Jiangxi. Developed inland shipping has maintained continuous contact between Fuzhou and the Central Plains, while the mountainous terrain has made Fuzhou a peaceful haven, described by Gu Zuyu as "a land not contested by military strategists."
During the late Western Jin Dynasty, "noble families crossed south, eight surnames entered Min"; in the late Tang and Five Dynasties, Wang Shenzhi and his brothers entered Min; during the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties, populations migrated south... From the culinary arts of "Su-Hang elegant dishes" to everyday flavors like noodles, all became nourishment for Fuzhou cuisine through the flow of people.
Red yeast rice is a byproduct of brewing red yeast wine.
Picture: A winemaker turning and sun-drying red yeast.
The "soul of flavor" in Fuzhou cuisine, red yeast rice, originated from the Central Plains. Su Dongpo's famous line, "At night, I pour Min wine, red as cinnabar," refers to the green red wine loved by the people of Fuzhou. This wine requires red yeast, and its byproduct is red yeast rice. The practice of using yeast in dishes has long existed in the Central Plains and Jiangnan, but only the people of Fuzhou have transformed this red yeast into something magical. In ten Fuzhou dishes, half owe their flavor to red yeast rice.
In fact, every local delicacy in Fuzhou, when savored carefully, reveals the historical charm of Fuzhou's inheritance from the Central Plains,积淀over millennia.
Fuzhou flavors are rich in heritage and boast numerous famous dishes.
The crispy and delicious "light cake," perfect with red yeast meat, can be considered a sibling to northern baked pancakes. Legend says it was invented by the Shandong native Qi Jiguang when he entered Min to resist Japanese pirates. The "thread noodles," as thin as silk and as long as threads, were introduced to Fuzhou as early as the late Tang Dynasty. During the Song Dynasty, Huang Tingjian described them as "a cup of soup noodles like tangled silver threads, with wild herbs like jade hairpins横." In the legends of the people of Fuzhou, they hold an even more romantic image—the silk threads woven by the Ninth Heaven Mystic Lady from the heavens.
Figure 1: Fuzhou thread noodles require seventeen meticulous steps to make.
Figure 2: Fuzhou-style flatbread with red yeast pork is an authentic local delicacy.
Figure 1/VCG, Figure 2 Photo/GAGALing
Nourished continuously by the heartland of Central China, Fuzhou cuisine resembles an elegant scholar. Yet when the Age of Exploration connected the world, Fuzhou’s maritime cultural essence began to shine.
In 1593, Chen Zhenlong from Changle, Fuzhou, brought sweet potato vines from Luzon (now the Philippines) that yielded fruits "as small as arms, as large as fists, with a taste like pears and dates." Promoted by Governor Jin Xuezeng, these vines became a green lifeline across Fujian’s mountainous regions. By the Qing Qianlong era two centuries later, China’s annual sweet potato output reached 30 million tons, transforming both China and Fujian’s culinary landscape.
Making Fuzhou fish balls, sweet potato balls, and rouyan (meat swallows).
Sweet potato porridge, oyster omelets, dried sweet potatoes… Sweet potatoes became embedded in the lives of all Fujian people. As for most Fuzhou dishes requiring thickening, sweet potato starch is indispensable.
Rouyan, a representative Fuzhou snack resembling wontons, features "wrappers" made from lean pork hind leg meat, tendon-free, pounded into paste, mixed with sweet potato starch, and repeatedly pressed into thin, jade-like sheets. Served with duck eggs, it becomes the banquet dish "Taiping Yan," embodying Fuzhou’s rich and profound flavors.
Rouyan: every bite is bursting with freshness.
Fuzhou’s classic jasmine tea, known for its "traditional Fuzhou taste, elegant crystal sugar sweetness," also reflects the city’s inclusive maritime spirit.
Jasmine arrived in Fuzhou via the Maritime Silk Road from ancient Rome and Arabia. During the Northern Song Dynasty, scented tea techniques were recorded in Tea Record by calligrapher and tea master Cai Xiang while he served in Fuzhou. For millennia, Fuzhou jasmine tea has thrived, later sailing abroad with "ya ba" (meaning: awesome!) Fuzhou people, spreading its fragrance worldwide.
It is praised as "the supreme scent among jasmine-scented teas, unparalleled in the mortal world."
Satay sauce, mustard, curry, ketchup—foreign flavors continuously landed in Fujian and Fuzhou. Given the right moment, Fuzhou’s deepening culinary heritage could transform, pioneering a province’s taste...
Unprecedented changes in three millennia: circumstances shaped Fuzhou’s flavor.
By the late Qing "Five Treaty Ports" era, Fujian held two (Fuzhou and Xiamon). Fuzhou, "opening its eyes to the world," thrived on tea, with international visitors even calling Mawei Port’s Luoxing Pagoda the "China Tower."
The Luoxing Pagoda at Fuzhou’s Mawei Port still watches over the distance.
As the saying goes, "circumstances create heroes." Fuzhou, positioned by the sea, began shining on the world stage. In 1866, the Qing government established the Fuzhou Mawei Ship Administration, followed by China’s first modern naval academy, first shipyard, first modern naval fleet… all born in "Maritime Fuzhou." Fuzhou people wrote many chapters of China’s modern naval history.
The rise of the shipbuilding industry spurred rapid development across Fuzhou, bringing economic prosperity and culinary richness.
Figures like Lin Zexu, Shen Baozhen, and Yan Fu emerged from Fuzhou’s grand houses and alleys to navigate the "unprecedented changes in three millennia." Though they traveled nationwide, they never forgot hometown flavors: Lin Zexu cleverly used Fuzhou taro paste to express patriotism; Lin Huiyin excelled at light, elegant Min cuisine; naval hero Sa Zhenbing handwritten praise for "Fujian’s first crispy meat floss, renowned worldwide," referring to today’s intangible cultural heritage, Dingding Meat Floss...
Fuzhou tai chi taro paste is hailed as the "Eastern ice cream."
The flavors of Fuzhou spread through bustling human interactions, inheriting the cultural elegance of the "Suzhou-Hangzhou refined cuisine" from the Song Dynasty. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, they integrated the exquisite techniques of "Jing-Guang roasting" and exchanged culinary styles from all regions. Gradually, the Fuzhou cuisine system took shape—refreshing, sweet and sour, aromatic, and meticulously prepared.
Each flavor of Fuzhou is crafted with meticulous techniques.
In 1865, a Fuzhou restaurant named "Sanyouzhai" opened. At that time, the renowned chef Zheng Chunfa traveled across the country and continuously innovated, earning the title of "Top Chef of Fujian." In 1900, he invested in this restaurant, which was later renamed "Juchunyuan," and the business flourished even more.
One day, Zheng Chunfa presented a jar of exquisite delicacies. When the lid was opened, the aroma astonished everyone. A literati casually recited, "The jar opens, the meaty fragrance wafts to the neighbors; even the Buddha would abandon meditation and leap over the wall to taste it." Henceforth, the dish originally named "Fushouquan" became known as "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall." This jar contained premium ingredients such as abalone, sea cucumber, tendon, and shiitake mushrooms, skillfully using sugar to eliminate any fishy or greasy taste. It showcased the overall characteristic of Fujian cuisine's expertise in using "delicacies from land and sea." This story, recorded in "Famous Chinese Dishes: Fujian Flavors," is just a glimpse of Fujian cuisine's brilliance.
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, a representative dish of Fujian cuisine, is a masterpiece that包容山海 (embraces the grandeur of land and sea).
In those days, Fuzhou saw old-established names like Juchunyuan and Quanfulou competing for glory, while renowned chefs like Zheng Chunfa, Chen Shuimei, Qiang Zugan, and Huang Huiliu showcased their skills. Iconic Fuzhou dishes such as Lychee Pork and Southern Fried Liver were created during this time. These establishments were famous south of the Yangtze River and even reached Beijing and Tianjin, leaving behind countless legends and shaping the unique "Fujian flavor"—sweet and sour, soupy, and distinctively seasoned.
Embracing the vastness of land and sea with inclusivity is both a flavor and a spirit!
Today, Fuzhou cuisine continues to innovate. Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is now available in convenient single-serving bowls, and the sweet-and-sour Lychee Pork has been standardized with a "perfect sweet-sour ratio," joining the nationwide trend of pre-made dishes. Fuzhou flavors have always been pioneers.
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall requires premium ingredients and strict procedures.
The ingredients are layered into a jar and simmered slowly after boiling.
Only then can this jar of "Fuzhou's Number One Dish" be achieved.
However, its inclusive spirit remains unchanged, rooted in the memories of 8.42 million Fuzhou residents, becoming a microcosm of the city's development and way of life.
Take, for example, Fuzhou's urban layout of "three mountains, two pagodas, and one main street," which is also a living "culinary geography of Fuzhou."
Banyan trees and the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys accompany Fuzhou.
The White Pagoda on Yushan Hill and the Black Pagoda on Wushan Hill stand to the east and west, respectively, with the city's central axis formed by August 1st Road and Liberation Bridge. Along this axis lies the "Three Lanes and Seven Alleys," where Fuzhou's prominent families once gathered. The elegant and refined Fujian-style official cuisine originated here and gradually spread throughout Fujian, forming the backbone of Fujian cuisine.
Extending along the central axis, Shangxiahang was Fuzhou's commercial center and shipping port in earlier times. Due to the historical opportunity of the "Five Ports Open for Trade" during the Qing Dynasty, guilds from all over Fujian gathered here. Commercial prosperity brought about a flourishing food culture, and mainstream Fuzhou snacks emerged from here, gradually integrating into everyday life.
The filling of rouyan (meat swallow) is made from meticulously processed pork hind leg meat paste.
Snacks play a pivotal role in Fujian cuisine. Among the first batch of 65 protected Fujian dishes in Fuzhou (including Pingtan), 35 are snacks! Local snacks like laohua (rice noodles with offal), scallion meat饼, eight-treasure rice, oyster pancakes, and tofu with oysters often use only a few ingredients but require the same meticulous preparation as official cuisine, originating from humble lives yet crafted with utmost care.
Various Fuzhou snacks are all exquisitely made and full of flavor.
A bowl of guobianhu (dingbianhu) in the morning perfectly combines "delicacies from land and sea" with carbohydrates, embodying the inclusive spirit of Fuzhou flavors.
A sweet and savory broth made from clams forms the base, while soaked rice is ground into a slurry and poured along the hot rim of the pot. The scorching pot surface instantly cooks the rice slurry into thin sheets, which are then scraped into the clam broth. Fresh shrimp, dried fish, clams, and other seafood join the mix, dancing together with shiitake mushrooms, napa cabbage, celery, and more. In this large pot, the flavors of the mountains and the sea converge.
Enjoying a bowl of Guobianhu is often accompanied by the "classic trio" of Fuzhou snacks: oyster cakes, triangular pastries, and taro cakes. A single breakfast encompasses both land and sea, capturing the beloved hometown taste that Fuzhou natives cherish. This rather "grand" style of snack is rare even when compared to other regions across China.
Guobianhu is one of the representative snacks of Fuzhou.
If you visit Fuzhou, you can experience the carefree lifestyle captured by the local saying, "Strolling around, never leaving Fuzhou." Savor Min-style delicacies at time-honored establishments like Juchunyuan, or wander into the streets and alleys to enjoy a bowl of Guobianhu, take a bite of meat wontons (Rouyan), or relish a bowl of shrimp oil noodles (Lao Hua). Alternatively, simply grab a Guangbing (a type of baked pastry) from a street vendor, stuff it with local red yeast pork, and savor it while exploring this 2,200-year-old nationally renowned historical and cultural city—
Shangxiang and Xiaxia continue to thrive, Sanfang Qixiang has been reborn through restoration, and pedestrian "Fudao" pathways connect major parks. Ancient sites like Hualin Temple, Luoxing Pagoda, Zhenhai Tower, and Zhuzi Fang hold stories of bygone eras, while towering ancient banyan trees with lush foliage guard the city, embodying its enduring spirit.
The Fuzhou "Fudao," which connects waters and mountains,
is fully named the Fuzhou Forest City Walkway.
Today, over four million Fuzhou overseas compatriots have "spread their wings" beyond Fujian to make their mark on the world, carrying the flavors of Fuzhou far and wide. No matter the distance, a taste of familiar Fuzhou dishes can make those away from home feel as though they have returned to the hometown they hold dear.
"Fujianese emigrants are found all over the world... In their homes and shops, eating Fuzhou dishes and drinking jasmine tea, I feel that as a Fujianese, I can find a home anywhere under the heavens."
Experience the subtle and enduring elegance of jasmine.
After savoring the diverse flavors of Fuzhou, enjoy a cup of jasmine tea like this—it has journeyed over countless mountains and rivers, embodying openness and inclusivity, with a delicate and lasting fragrance that naturally reflects the character of Fuzhou people. Fuzhou natives can be well-versed in literature and history, profound and erudite; they can "embrace Chinese learning as the foundation, Western learning for practical use." At critical moments in history, they have also demonstrated the spirit of "devoting oneself to the nation, undeterred by personal cost" and "standing atop the highest peak, I am the summit."
Such openness and inclusiveness truly make Fuzhou a city of fortune and a haven of delightful flavors.
No matter how far the ocean stretches, the fresh taste of Fuzhou can travel just as far.
Map Editor | Bing Zheng Panda
Header Photo | City Traveler
Cover Photo | City Traveler
Special Collaboration Unit for This Article: Fuzhou Culture and Tourism Bureau
Huang Xiufang, Editor-in-Chief of China Heritage
Cui Jiannan, Former President and Editor-in-Chief of Fujian Pictorial
Shen Zhou, Writer and Author of The Taste of Fujian
Yang Weihua, the eighth-generation inheritor of the Intangible Cultural Heritage "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall" from Juchunyuan
Ankai Township Government of Lianjiang County, Fuzhou City, and Qida Village Committee
"Fuzhou Evening News · A Bowl of Fuzhou"
Public data from the official website of the Fuzhou Municipal People's Government
Preface to "Famous Chinese Dishes · Fujian Flavors" by Wang Shixiang
The Formation, Development, and Characteristics of Mindu Culture by Huang Qiquan
Research on the Development of Culinary Cultural Tourism Resources in Fuzhou Urban Area by Ye Ting