Changle
Introduction
Changle is one of six urban districts of Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province, and it looks out across the East China Sea. The Min River separates it from Mawei district. Its territory takes in both land and a wide stretch of sea, and its history reaches back to the Tang dynasty, when it was established in the reign of Emperor Wude; it later served as a capital of the succeeding Min Kingdom. More recently it was a county-level city before being upgraded to a district of Fuzhou in 2017.
The district's growth has come alongside a broader rise in business across the province, which is now among the wealthiest in China. For a visitor, that means a place shaped by both its long history and its present-day commercial energy.
Before you go
Changle is connected to the Fuzhou Metro system, but most of the city remains off the beaten path, and few foreign tourists come here unless they have family in the area. Before you go, it helps to understand what shapes the place: generations grow up being told their life purpose is to help move their families to the United States, especially New York City, driven by watching families with U.S. ties build large homes and send back remittances that let relatives here live in relative luxury. Changle is sometimes alleged to be a stronghold of Chinese snakehead gangs who smuggle Chinese nationals into the United States and United Kingdom.
Set your expectations accordingly. Local tourists tend to visit as a daytrip for the handful of commercialized attractions, most of them the result of investments from remittances. Economics students passing through often stop here as a field trip, since it is China's strongest case study for the power of remittances in local development, and New Yorkers visit for bragging rights to having been to "Big Fuzhou," in contrast to Little Fuzhou. Most visitors, though, have a reason to be here, such as meeting family.
Getting there
Changle is served by Fuzhou's airport, which actually sits within Changle itself. From the airport you can reach downtown Fuzhou in about an hour by bus or taxi, choosing between a faster toll freeway and a slower older road. The airport also has its own station on the Binhai Express Line of the Fuzhou Metro.
By road, Changle has good highway connections, whether you come from Fuzhou via Mawei or from Ningde to the south. High-speed trains also reach the city, though services are not very frequent, and most trains bypass the more centrally located Changle Railway Station to stop only at Changle East Railway Station. Two metro lines link Fuzhou's city center with Changle: the Binhai Express Line, which serves the airport and some newly developed areas, and Line 6, which brings you to the old part of Changle.
Getting around
How you get around Changle depends on which part of the district you are heading to, so decide first whether your destination is the old part of Changle, the airport zone, or downtown Fuzhou. The district is separated from Mawei by the Min River and sits outside downtown Fuzhou, and its built-up old area is distinct from newer development and the airport zone. The Fuzhou Metro connects the district with the city centre: the Binhai Express Line reaches the airport and some newly developed areas, while Line 6 serves the old part of Changle. If your destination is the old town rather than downtown Fuzhou, note that the Binhai Express Line is oriented toward the airport and newer areas, so you may need to connect onward by other means. Changle can also be reached by high-speed train, though services are not very frequent, and most trains bypass the more centrally located Changle Railway Station and stop only at Changle East Railway Station, so check your arrival station carefully before arranging onward transport.
Fuzhou Changle International Airport sits within Changle in the Zhanggang Subdistrict, and from there you can take the metro on the Binhai Express Line, an airport bus or a taxi to downtown Fuzhou — buses and taxis each take roughly an hour. By road there is a freeway connection, which is faster but carries tolls, and an older road, which is slower. Local bus services operate across the district and are often the most useful option for reaching places the metro does not serve directly, while taxis and ride-hailing apps are convenient for airport transfers and shorter trips away from main transit lines. On foot, the old part of Changle is the most amenable to exploring, with streets, markets and local food at close range; elsewhere the district is spread out and includes coastal areas, hills and newer development, so plan to combine walking in compact areas with metro, bus or taxi for longer hops. Allow generous time for journeys, since the airport sits well away from the old town.
Where to stay
Budget hotels in Changle typically do not accept foreign passport holders, so you will need to look at three-star, four-star and five-star properties, which are concentrated particularly in the area near the airport. If you want more choice, consider staying in Fuzhou instead, or pick a hotel on Line 6 of the Fuzhou Metro so that reaching Changle is easier.
- Fuzhou Marriott Hotel Riverside, on Hujiang Road in Donghu Digital Town. Reach it by bus no. 640 from Changle East Railway Station, or by bus no. 641 or 645 from Wanshou Metro Station on Line 6.
- Changle Guohui Hotel, on Wuhang Road near its intersection with Guangchang Road, roughly 660 metres from Hangcheng Metro Station on Line 6.
Food & drink
The source material for Changle offers no specific dishes, drinks, restaurants, or food districts, so there is nothing to describe in detail here.What to see and do
Nanshan Park offers a free green space on Nanshan Road, while the Changle Qinjiang Manchu Village preserves a distinct Manchu heritage. Along Binhai Road, about 1.5 km east of Wenling Metro Station at the end of the Binhai Express Line, you can view the Enterprise Building, a NetDragon headquarters shaped like the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek; it is not normally open to the public, so admire it from outside. Zheng He Park in Wuhang Subdistrict, a short walk from Shiyang Station on Metro Line 6, is dedicated to the famous Chinese navigator and contains the Shengshou Pagoda, one of the oldest pagodas in the Fuzhou region, along with a museum of artifacts from his voyages, including a stele recording his seven expeditions to the Western Pacific and a replica of a temple bronze bell. Bingxin Park on Aixin Road, across from the Changle District Museum, occupies the former site of Taiping Port, from which Zheng He departed on his voyages; its main draw is the Bingxin Literature Museum, with exhibitions on the writer Xie Bingxin and a documentary on her life. For indoor viewing, the Changle District Museum on Aixin Road and the Changle Overseas Chinese Museum on the same road both display collections rooted in local history, the latter featuring items donated by people of Changle ancestry who migrated overseas. Xianying Palace in Xianqi Village, Zhanggang Town, is a Taoist temple close to the airport, first built in the Song Dynasty, burnt in the late Qing Dynasty, and rebuilt over surviving underground sections uncovered in 1992, with sculptures and artifacts from the old temple preserved within it. The Min River Estuary National Wetland Park, reached via National Highway G228, is rich in bird life, including rare species such as sand-billed pipers and black-faced spoonbills, best seen between October and March; a museum sits in the park's southeastern corner.Three days in Changle
Day one: Start in Changle itself, a district of Fuzhou in Fujian Province on the coast of the East China Sea. Get your bearings along the Min River, which shapes the area and links it to Mawei. Trace the long history of the place, from the Tang era and Emperor Wude to the Min Kingdom, and let the river set the pace of your first day.
Day two: Use the Fuzhou Metro to move between the city's districts, including the Binhai Express Line, and consider the rail links at Changle Railway Station and Changle East Railway Station for connections onward to Ningde or back into Fuzhou. Spend the day comparing the two sides of local life, from the older riverfront to the newer lines that tie Changle into Big Fuzhou.
Day three: Look outward, as Changle always has. The district's ties run far beyond China, to the United States and the United Kingdom, and to Chinese communities in New York City, where New Yorkers know the neighbourhoods of Little Fuzhou and the wider pull of Big Fuzhou. Close your three days by following that thread, from the Min River to the East China Sea and the routes that carried local people across the world.