FUZHOU

or Fu-chou conventional Foochow formerly Minchow

City (pop., 1999 est.: 1,057,372), capital of Fujian province, China.

Located on the bank of the Min River , it was the capital of the kingdom of Yue in the 2nd century BC. Fuzhou, important militarily in the 1st century AD, came later under the Tang dynasty . During the Song dynasty (960–1279), it was a centre for overseas trade and also an important cultural centre. It reached its height of prosperity when it was opened as a treaty port after the Opium War of 1839–42. It is now a centre for industrial chemicals. In the city and nearby hills are notable examples of traditional Chinese architecture, including pagodas and temples.