Quanzhou Urban Area

The world's maritime trading hub in Song-Yuan China and a World Heritage old city, with Kaiyuan Temple, Xunpu flower-crown hairdos and southern Fujian snacks. A viral hit in recent years.

Quanzhou lies on the southeastern coast of Fujian Province, at the mouth of the Jin River. Known in ancient times as "Zayton" (the Citong City), it ranked in the Song and Yuan dynasties alongside Alexandria as the greatest port in the East, and both Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta visited. In 2021, "Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China" was inscribed on the World Heritage List with 22 component sites, including Kaiyuan Temple, Qingjing Mosque, the Tianhou (Mazu) Temple, Luoyang Bridge, Laojun Rock, the Wind-Praying Inscriptions on Jiuri Mountain and Liusheng Pagoda. Islamic, Hindu, Manichaean, Catholic, Buddhist and Taoist remains coexist here, earning it the name "world museum of religions." In recent years the "flower-crown hairdos" of Xunpu Village and southern Fujian snacks have gone viral on social media, making this small city a hot destination at Spring Festival and during the May Day holiday. The old city core is in Licheng District, where Kaiyuan Temple, West Street, Qingjing Mosque, Guan-Yue Temple, Tianhou Temple and the Prefectural Confucian Temple are all within walking distance. Extensions include Xunpu Village to the east, Luoyang Bridge to the north, Chongwu ancient town and its stone carvings in Hui'an, and Jinjiang's Wudianshi district and Anping Bridge to the south. The climate is subtropical oceanic monsoon. October to April is warm and dry, the most comfortable time. The lantern fairs in the old city on the 1st–15th of the first lunar month and the village deity processions ("youshen") are the liveliest folk events. May–September is hot, humid and typhoon-prone. Getting there: Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport is about 15 km from downtown. Quanzhou Station (high-speed rail) is in the north of the city, about 30 minutes from Xiamen and about 1 hour from Fuzhou, and it takes about 20 minutes by taxi or bus to the old city. Inside the old city, walking, shared bikes or the "Xiaobai" electric carts (free or cheap) are easiest; Xunpu Village is about 20 minutes by taxi and Chongwu ancient town is about 1 hour by car. Plan on 2–3 days: Day 1, Kaiyuan Temple – West Street – Bell Tower – Qingjing Mosque – Guan-Yue Temple – Tianhou Temple – Prefectural Confucian Temple, with snacks on West Street at night; Day 2, flower-crown hairdos in Xunpu Village in the morning, Luoyang Bridge and the Maritime Museum of overseas transport history in the afternoon, then a puppet show or Nanyin music in the evening; Day 3, Chongwu ancient town or Jinjiang's Wudianshi. Notes: Guan-Yue Temple and Tianhou Temple are busy with worshippers, especially at prayer times; Xunpu flower-crown styling needs to be booked in advance, with waits of several hours on holidays; must-try foods are mian xian hu (vermicelli soup), ginger mother duck, four-fruit soup, popiah (runbing) and sea worm jelly (tusun dong). Many time-honored shops in the old city open in the morning and again in the evening.

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