I’m Big In Fuzhou.

You’re big in Japan. I’m big in Fuzhou.

Halfway between Shanghai and Hong Kong,ⁱ just across from Taiwan, lies Fuzhou: a hydro-powered city of 4.5 mn inhabitants. Like many small-midsize cities in China, it’s experienced tremendous growth in the past decade, averaging +12-15% GDP per year.ⁱⁱ

Over the last month, residents of Fuzhouⁱⁱⁱ have made up a whopping 14% of Contravex’s^iv traffic, a remarkable phenomenon that I’m at a bit of a loss to explain. Even more curiously, the most popular article for this robust readership has been Deflation Isn’t Bitcoin’s Problem, It’s Bitcoin’s Solution followed in a distant seconds and thirds by Analysis: Annual Letter From Bitcoin Fundation Chairman Peter Vehehes and Consumerism: The Great Equalizer – The Legacy of the French Revolution.

Is there a pattern here? Maybe the city’s history will reveal some clues:^v

In 1866 the port was the site of one of China’s first major experiments with Western technology when the Fuzhou Navy Yard was established; and an arsenal were built under French guidance, and a naval school was opened. A naval academy was also established at the shipyard, and it became a centre for the study of Western languages and technical sciences. The academy, which offered courses in English, French, engineering, and navigation, produced a generation of Western-trained officers, including the famous scholar-reformer Yan Fu (1854–1921).

Here, we find that Fuzhou has a history of Western influence. Not a bad thing at all.

And I’m more than happy to keep the tradition alive.

(Hi Fuzhou people!)

___ ___ ___

1. 

   ↩

2. Not unlike what the Bitcoin network continues to do every 13-14 days. It’s currently at 205 petahash/second!↩
3. Or IP addresses routed through this region. Quid est veritas?↩
4. On occasion, you may see this place of enlightenment and entertainment referred to by its slave name: douchecanoe.↩
5. Quote via Encyclopedia Britannica.↩