History
In the early 20th century, Zhangzhou-fu was surrounded by 42 miles (68 km) of wall (in circumference). Its streets were paved with granite, but struck some Western visitors as dirty, as reported in the Encyclopædia Britannica. The Jiulong River was crossed by an 800-foot bridge of wooden planks supported on twenty-five stone piers. At this time, heavy silk trading activity occurred in the city, while brick kilns and sugar-manufactures were among its primary industrial activities. In 1911, its population was estimated around 1,000,000.
Zhangzhou's central urban area (now Xiangcheng District) was occupied in April and May 1932 by a column of Communist guerrillas under Mao Zedong. Due to the presence of Western gunboats in Xiamen Bay, arms shipments from the Soviet Union were unable to get up the Jiulong River to Mao's forces and on to the main Communist base area. According to some reports, Mao's forces took with them a substantial amount of loot from bourgeois residents when his column retreated from the city.
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