Mawei

Mawei (马尾 Mǎwěi) is in Southeast China, about 20 kilometres southeast of Fuzhou, downstream along the Min River. It is a small town by Chinese standards; its population was 232,000 in the 2010 census. Administratively, Mawei is a district of Fuzhou. It is the port area of Fuzhou, and has been a center of shipbuilding for centuries.

Understand
To 19th-century seamen, what is now Mawei was Pagoda Anchorage and the pagoda was often the first conspicuously Chinese thing a sailor saw. In that period, Fuzhou shipped more tea than any other Chinese city and nearly all of the loading was done at Mawei.

The name Mawei came from a legend that in the river there was a huge stone which looked like a horse (ma), whose tail (wei) was toward the town.

By plane
If you arrive via Fuzhou International Airport in Changle, Mawei is the midpoint on the way to downtown Fuzhou.

By bus
Fuzhou Municipal Government has built a broad and beautiful avenue along the Min River. It now takes only 15 or 20 minutes to drive from downtown Fuzhou to Mawei. Taking a bus from Fuzhou is also possible; it is very cheap (only &yen;1 one-way). The lines include Route 37, 58, 73 and 131.

Get around
The downtown area is small enough to make getting around on foot reasonable. There are also busses, taxis and (for the adventurous) motorcycle taxis.

See


If traveling from Mawei Town to Langqi Island, then in Tianluowan, Minan and Tingjiang the visitors will find the relics of old batteries built in the Qing Dynasty, which were important part of the Minjiang defense line.

Do
Because of Mawei's geographic location (on the bank of Min Jiang River and facing the East China Sea), it is a wonderful place for fishing and swimming.

There is a long walkway companied the avenue along the Min Jiang River. People can walk, jog or run on it.

Buy
A factory in Mawei makes shoes for Adidas and Reebok. There are some stores with cheap shoes, possibly factory seconds. Check quality carefully and bargain hard.

Shopping places include Huanyu Baihuo, Zhongshan Shangchang, and Xinrong Baihuo Shangchang.

Eat
Tianfu Restaurant: the best Szechuan style food in Mawei

Xinbada Coffee: mainly offering western style food

Shangdao Coffee: mainly offering western style food

Wanglou Restaurant: Fujian Cuisine and Seafood

Sleep
Mawei does not have many hotels. Some are: It is also possible to stay in downtown Fuzhou.

Go next

 * Wenfu Railway &mdash; from Fuzhou to Wenzhou.
 * Airport Highway I & II &mdash; from Fuzhou to Changle International Airport.
 * Shenhai Highway &mdash; northbound to Zhejiang and Shanghai, southbound to Guangdong.
 * Cruise &mdash; from Mawei Port to Matsu Port and Taiwan Island; northbound to Shanghai, Qingdao, Tanggu and Dalian; southbound to Xiamen, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Singapore.