Today, Three Lanes and Seven Alleys bridges both old and new Fuzhou. Visitors can leisurely walk in the footsteps of the literati and admire their handsome former homes, many in their original form. But amid the heritage buildings, you’ll find very modern establishments like Makers Live, one of Fuzhou’s best live music venues, which hosts domestic and international indie bands that usually draw huge crowds.

There are good reasons so many notable figures chose to settle in Fuzhou, also known as The Auspicious Settlement. The city is known for its laid-back vibes, intellectual history, streets lined with banyan trees, stunning mountainous landscapes as viewed from the top of Drum Hill (Gu Shan), volcanic hot springs and delicious cuisine, the most famous dish being "Buddha jumps over the wall", a rich, double-boiled seafood broth generously filled with abalone, conpoy, sea cucumber and fish maw. You can savour it at Ju Chun Yuan Restaurant, where the dish is said to have originated. "I’ve already had it three times," says Shanghai native Clare Plauborg, who travelled here with her husband and newborn.