Sanfang Qixiang
To Fuzhou natives, Sanfang Qixiang is more than just home — it’s the very symbol of the city.
Sanfang Qixiang traces its origins to the Jin Dynasty, took shape during the Tang and Five Dynasties, and flourished in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Its ancient layout of lanes and alleys remains largely intact today, making it one of the few surviving examples of China’s ancient Lifang (neighborhood) system. The area is home to more than 200 ancient buildings, including nine protected at the national level, as well as many others protected at the provincial and municipal levels. Often described as a remarkable “museum of Ming and Qing architecture,” it offers a rare glimpse into the city’s rich past.
In Sanfang Qixiang, the three lanes to the west are known as “Fang” (residential wards), while the seven to the east are called “Xiang” (alleys). From north to south, the three Fangs are Yijin Fang, Wenru Fang, and Guanglu Fang; the seven Xiangs are Yangqiao Xiang, Langguan Xiang, Anmin Xiang, Huang Xiang, Ta Xiang, Gong Xiang, and Jibi Xiang.
Unlike the lively thoroughfare of Nanhou Street, the lanes and alleys of Sanfang Qixiang exude a quiet, unhurried charm. Scattered throughout are the former residences of renowned figures including Yan Fu, Bing Xin, and Lin Huiyin, as well as earlier officials and aristocrats. As you walk these paths, their names come to life, and time seems to fold in on itself. One moment, you’re in the Ming and Qing dynasties, where high-ranking officials and scholars debated affairs of state over the clatter of dishes and crowing of roosters; the next, you’re in the early 20th century, swept up in the ideals of freedom and democracy, among the bold minds who championed change. Each lane and each alley bear the mark of history, named after significant individuals or events. Over the centuries, more than 70 notable figures lived here, and generations of influential politicians, military leaders, writers, poets, and scholars began their journeys in these very streets.
Strolling through this historic district, you’ll find yourself winding through a lattice of stone-paved lanes and alleys. Lined with whitewashed walls and black-tiled roofs, the neighborhood reveals a striking architectural rhythm—gracefully curved gables, precise layouts, and craftsmanship of remarkable finesse. Many of the residences are accented with pavilions, terraces, towers, and rock gardens, seamlessly blending cultural heritage with natural beauty. Doors and windows are adorned with intricate openwork carvings and floral lattice designs, crafted using traditional mortise-and-tenon techniques. Delicate stonework—plinths, steps, door frames, floral bases, and column shafts—adds refinement at every turn. These interwoven lanes distill the essence of traditional Fujian residential architecture and offer a vivid expression of Fuzhou’s deep cultural legacy.
A land rich in natural beauty and cultural heritage naturally attracts great minds in clusters.
In Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province, there is a distinguished district: the Sanfang Qixiang Historical and Cultural District. Spanning just 40 hectares, it has produced 10 academicians, 10 imperial ministers, 10 governors, and 151 successful candidates for the imperial examinations. It’s often said that “one Sanfang Qixiang represents half of modern China’s history.”
(Photo Source: Here’s Fuzhou)
(Photo Source: China Place Names Conference)
In Langguan Xiang, one of the lanes in Sanfang Qixiang, lived Yan Fu—celebrated as “China’s leading authority on Western thought.” He was a prominent enlightening thinker, translator, and educator during the late Qing dynasty.
Photo by Fuzhou Daily Reporter You Qinghui
Yan Fu spent his later years in this quiet, tucked-away alley. Through his translations, including Evolution and Ethics, he introduced key ideas of biological evolution—such as “natural selection” and “survival of the fittest”—to articulate his vision for national salvation. His works not only ignited lively debate among intellectuals of his time but also inspired and enlightened generations of Chinese thinkers.
Evolution and Ethics (Photo Source: Fuzhou Museum)
Strolling south along Nanhou Street from Langguan Xiang, you’ll soon reach Wenru Fang. Here lived Lin Zexu, a national hero, prominent politician, thinker, and poet of the late Qing dynasty. His mother, Chen Zhi, came from a family that had lived in Wenru Fang for generations. As a child, Lin Zexu frequently visited Wenru Fang and spent much of his early years here.
Lin Wenzhong Memorial Temple (Photo Source: Fuzhou’s Ancient Architecture)
Lin Zexu is often regarded as the one who opened the first chapter of modern Chinese history. He is recognized as the first person in modern China to look at the world with open eyes. He organized the translation of An Encyclopedia of Geography by British scholar Hugh Murray, which was later compiled into the Encyclopedia of Four Continents (Sizhou Zhi). Covering the geography and history of more than 30 countries across five continents, it became the first relatively complete and systematic world geography text in modern Chinese history.
As the saying goes, “Like knows like.” Yan Fu, a pivotal figure in China’s translation, held great admiration for a fellow native from his hometown—Lin Shu. Remarkably, Lin Shu knew no foreign languages, yet he is remembered as the “King of Translation.”
Lin Shu lived in Guanglu Fang during his youth. Though he never learned a foreign language, he translated more than 170 novels from Europe and America, including La Dame aux Camélias and Robinson Crusoe, into classical Chinese. His translations stood out for their poetic imagery and refined tone, often using plain, understated language to express deep and genuine emotion. In addition to his translation work, he also published several collections of essays in classical Chinese, including Wei Lu Wen Ji, Wei Lu Xu Ji, and Wei Lu San Ji.
Lin Shu’s Translation of La Dame aux Camélias. (Photo Source: Sanfang Qixiang)
Lin Shu’s translations of foreign novels, particularly La Dame aux Camélias, were immediate bestsellers, famously causing a “paper shortage in Luoyang” due to their immense popularity. One of his readers was Bing Xin, a celebrated cultural figure who also came from Sanfang Qixiang.
Bing Xin spent her childhood at her grandfather’s residence near the entrance of Yangqiao Xiang on Nanhou Street. Her grandfather, Xie Luan’en, was a well-educated and progressive thinker. It was through him that young Bing Xin was first introduced to Lin Shu’s translated novels, including La Dame aux Camélias, which sparked her early fascination with Western literature.
Afterward, Bing Xin authored works like A Maze of Stars, Spring Water, To My Little Readers, and Little Orange Lantern. Her heartfelt philosophy that “where there is love, there is everything” has touched and inspired generations of readers and countless young people, becoming a treasured cultural legacy of the Chinese people.
Bing Xin was reading. (Photo Source: The Complete Works of Bing Xin)
Bing Xin once expressed her heartfelt feelings for her childhood home in her famous essay My Hometown: “I remember when I was 11 years old in 1911, we returned to Fuzhou from Yantai, Shandong. At that time, our home was located ‘behind the Wanxing Tongshi Shop, near the entrance of Yangqiao Xiang on Nanhou Street in Fuzhou’…” This same residence was once home to Lin Juemin, the revolutionary martyr and author of Letter to My Wife. He was, in fact, a paternal cousin of Lin Huiyin, the renowned female intellectual of the Republican era.
Former Residence of Lin Juemin and Bing Xin. (Photo Source: Fuzhou’s Ancient Architecture)
Lin Juemin was a paternal cousin of Lin Huiyin. She came from a prominent Fuzhou family that originally lived on Nanhou Street before later moving to Yijin Fang and Ta Xiang. Throughout her life, Lin Huiyin returned to Fuzhou only once. During her visit to Fuzhou to seek family ties and explore her roots, Lin Huiyin delivered lectures on Architecture and Literature and The Art of Garden Design to students. She also designed the Dongjie Art Theater for her uncle, Lin Tianmin.
Lin Huiyin (Photo Source: CCTV News)
There are many other historical and cultural figures who came from Sanfang Qixiang, such as Chen Baochen, Shen Baozhen, Liang Zhangju, He Zhendai, Lin Changmin, and Lin Xu... They all stepped out from the deep, secluded alleys, and even today, they continue to shine like stars in the brilliant night sky of history and culture.