Three Lanes and Seven Alleys (Sanfang Qixiang)

"Museum of Ming and Qing architecture"—China's largest and best-preserved historic and cultural district: Yijin Fang / Wenru Fang / Guanglu Fang + Yangqiao Alley / Langguan Alley / Ta Alley / Huang Alley / Anmin Alley / Gong Alley / Jibi Alley; the Water Pavilion Stage (Yijin Fang) and the lanterns of Nanhou Street; the Former Residence of Lin Juemin and Bing Xin (No. 17 Yangqiao Alley, where 'Letter to My Wife' was written), the Former Residence of Yan Fu (Langguan Alley), and the Former Residence of Shen Baozhen (Gong Alley). Emerging in the Jin dynasty, taking shape through the Tang and Song, and flourishing in the Ming and Qing, this "living fossil of the ancient ward system" arranges its three fang and seven alleys in a row from west to east, with white walls, dark tiles, and saddle-shaped firewalls stretching in unbroken sheets—earning the title "Museum of Ming and Qing architecture." Modern figures such as Lin Zexu, Shen Baozhen, Yan Fu, Lin Juemin, and Bing Xin all walked out of these lanes, hence the saying "one stretch of the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, half of modern Chinese history." With lanes crisscrossing on either side of the Nanhou Street axis, the sound of Min opera at the Water Pavilion Stage mingles with the old-Fuzhou flavors of fish balls and rouyan, making it Fuzhou's undisputed calling card.

Getting there: Metro Line 1, Dongjiekou Station