History of Fuzhou
Between 1405 and 1433 AD, a fleet of the Ming Imperial navy under Admiral Zheng He sailed from Fuzhou to the Indian Ocean seven times; on three occasions the fleet landed on the east coast of Africa. Before the last sailing, Zheng erected a stele dedicated to the goddess Tian-Fei (Matsu) near the seaport. Galeote Pereira, a Portuguese soldier and trader, was taken prisoner during the pirate extermination campaign of 1549 and imprisoned in Fuzhou. Later transferred to a form of internal exile elsewhere in the province, Pereira escaped to Macau in 1553. The record of his experiences in the Ming Empire, logged by the Jesuits at Goa in 1561, was the first non-clerical account of China to reach the West since Polo's.
The city is also prosperous in culture, from the Tang through to the Qing Dynasty (1636-1911) , there were thousands of Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) from Fuzhou which has been enjoying the honor of “Home to Talents” . Many celebrated figures from Chinese history also hailed from this land, and thus, the birth of heroes also brings glory to such a place.
Source: travelchinaguide.com/chinadiscover.net
Editor: Wang Moyan
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