Lin Zexu was a great patriot and an outstanding national hero in modern China. His brilliant patriotic achievements were mainly reflected in the ban on smoking in Guangdong and the Opium War against British aggression. As the "first man in the world" in modern China, Lin Zexu's thought and practice in the Opium War represented the most progressive trend in history at that time, which had a far-reaching impact on the development of modern China society. At the same time, he has made great contributions in rectifying water affairs, coastal defense construction, water conservancy construction, flood control and disaster relief. Therefore, the International Astronomical Union named the asteroid (international permanent number 7 145) discovered by Beijing Observatory on June 7, 1996 as "Lin Zexu". Asteroids named after historical celebrities are rare in China.

Lin Zexu was born on July 26th, the 50th year of Qianlong (1August 30th, 785), a lower-class intellectual family in Houguan, Fujian (now Gulou District, Fuzhou). After passing the imperial examination, he stepped onto the political stage in China as an "official" and experienced three dynasties: Jiaqing, Daoguang and Xianfeng. No matter where he goes to be an official, he takes the economy as his primary task and saves the world as his own responsibility. He was generous to the people, honest and clean, and was a rare honest official in the late Qing Dynasty.

Fuzhou is the birthplace and hometown of Lin Zexu. He spent quite a long time in Fuzhou, leaving some relics. In addition to Lin Zexu's birthplace, there are also the tomb of Lin Zexu, a national key cultural relics protection unit, the former residence of Lin Zexu, the West Lake Reading Office of Lin Zexu, the cliff stone carving of Fuzhou Shengshan Temple, and the stone statue of Lin Zexu's star. These cultural relics are all in memory of great historical figures and stars. Governments at all levels and all walks of life have invested a lot of money in the protection and restoration of Lin Zexu's series of cultural relics. At present, Lin Wenzhong's ancestral hall (Lin Zexu Memorial Hall), Lin Zexu's birthplace and Lin Zexu's West Lake reading room are open to the public, and nearly 500,000 people come to pay their respects and visit each year.