Wenzhou, known as "Ou" in ancient times, it was the capital of the Kingdom of East Ou in192BC.In138 it began as Yongning County and in 323 developed into Yongjia Prefecture. It was also called "the City of White Deer" because, according to the legend, when the city was rebuilt a white deer passed round it holding a flower in the mouth, which implies good fortune. In 675 it began to be named Wenzhou and continues to be so called up to now.

Wenzhou's name translation is 'warm prefecture' and that's a moderate meaning of the weather between June and September when the city is a smeltery.

Wenzhou is the hometown of many overseas chinese, famous and clever business people around China and where more often the stories come true that the farmer becomes a millionaire. Not only because near every household has its own business, also of house and land speculation. Under business people the city is called "The shoe capital of China", besides dress, pens, bags and over 70% of the worlds lighter production is coming from the third biggest city in Zhejiang province.

Wenzhou people are really hospitable and that's why you can find many good seafood restaurants in town and a booming entertainment industry. There are not so many meeting points for expats and the only foreign owned bar is the Blue Shell (www.freewebs.com/barwenzhou).

Wenzhou city is surrounded by mountains and lies on the Oujiang river. The main scenic spot in the city is the Jiangxin Islet which is one of the four most famous islets in China. Other travelling spots in Wenzhou area are already state level but on the typical chinese travel routes off the beaten track. You should visit the Yandang mountains with the bizarre peaks and the picturesque waterfalls or the beautiful Nanxi river with crystal clear water and historical old villages. If you like to spread out for swimming and beaches Dongtou Island, Cangnan or Nanji Island are the best choice.

The coastal city Wenzhou has a total population of 7.558 million people and under its jurisdiction three districts (Lucheng, Longwan and Ouhai), two cities (Ruian and Yueqing) and six counties (Dongtou, Yongjia, Pingyang, Cangnan, Wencheng and Taishun). It covers a total land area of 11,784 square kilometres including an urban area of 1,082 square kilometres, and the sea area of about 11,000 square kilometres. Wenzhou natives speak a dialect that has been described as "notoriously eccentric" and has evolved from geographic isolation.