Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, located at the centre of Fuzhou City, is the well preserved architectural complex of the Ming and Qing Dynasty. It covers an area of 40 hectares with 268 ancient houses. As a famous ancient block, Three Lanes and Seven Alleys is an important symbol to show the long history of Fuzhou city. It enjoys a reputation of "the Museum of the buildings of the Ming and Qing Dynasty“. Nowadays, some of the local people are still living there.
Each lane and alley in this ancient complex has its own special name which is given by its own history and story. The three lanes are Yijin (衣錦) Lane, Wenru (文儒) Lane and Guanglu (官祿) Lane. And the Seven Alleys are Yangqiao (楊橋) Alley, Langguan (郎官) Alley, Anmin (安民) Alley, Huangxiang (黃巷) Alley, Taxiang (塔巷) Alley, Gongxiang (宮巷) Alley and Jibi (吉庇) Alley.
Three Lanes and Seven Alleys is compared by many architects as the museum of architecture in the Ming and Qing Dynasties era. It is said the layout of the lanes and alleys was formed even earlier back in Tang and Song dynasties almost 1000 years ago. The houses was built with ancient huge-bricks and decorated with seashells, they are easier to got the material from sea because of Fuzhou coastal location.
In the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, there are some former residences of the famous people in China. For example Lin Zexu, the national hero and famous politician in the Qing Dynasty. He is the first man who advocated Chinese to learn advanced technology from Western countries. Bing Xin is a famous poet, translator, and writer who has translated 10 works including 4 works of Tagore. Her literature has deep affection on Chinese people.
