Written by
Anthony
Quanzhou, a historic city in southeastern Fujian, is one of the province’s three major centers.
With a population of 8.88 million, it covers 11,295.57 square kilometers and boasts a subtropical climate.
The city, founded in 260 AD and officially named Quanzhou in 711, is a key point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road.
Known for its rich Minnan culture and thriving port economy, Quanzhou has been a hub for overseas Chinese, contributing to its rapid development.
Recognized as one of China’s first historical and cultural cities, it is also the birthplace of South Shaolin martial arts and holds numerous cultural heritage sites.
If you want help choosing routes, trip length, and the best places to combine on a first visit, see our Quanzhou Travel Guide.
| Category | Detail | Category | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Licheng, Wenling, Citong City | Administrative Code | 350500 |
| Administrative Level | Prefecture-level city | Region | Fujian Province, China |
| Location | Southeastern Fujian, west coast of Taiwan Strait | Area | 11,295.57 km² (as of 2022) |
| Subdivisions | 4 districts, 3 county-level cities, 5 counties, 1 development zone, 1 investment zone | Government Seat | Donghai Administrative Center, Quanzhou |
| Telephone Code | 0595 | Postal Code | 362000 |
| Climate | Subtropical maritime monsoon climate | Population | 8.88 million (as of 2023) |
| Famous Attractions | Kaiyuan Temple, Confucian Temple, Tianhou Temple, Qingyuan Mountain, Qingshui Rock | Airport | Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport |
| Railway Stations | Quanzhou Station, Quanzhou East, Quanzhou South, Quangang Station | License Plate Code | Min C |
| GDP | 1.309 trillion RMB (2024) | Coordinates | 24°22′~25°56′ N, 117°25′~119°05′ E |
| Language | Predominantly Minnan (Hokkien) dialect | Per Capita GDP | 137,060 RMB (as of 2023) |
| Disposable Income | 49,486 RMB (2023) | Major Ports | Quanzhou Port |
| Universities | Huaqiao University, Fuzhou University (Jinjiang Campus), Fuzhou University Petrochemical Institute (Quangang Campus) | City Tree | Erythrina Tree |
| City Flower | Erythrina Flower | Government Website | Quanzhou Official Site |
| Ancient Name | City of Light |
Quanzhou, a historic city in southeastern China, is a cultural gem and a top travel destination.
As a key hub on the ancient Maritime Silk Road, it boasts UNESCO-listed heritage sites and breathtaking landscapes.
Visitors can explore Kaiyuan Temple, Luoyang Bridge, and Qingyuan Mountain.
Tumen Street offers a glimpse into Song and Yuan Dynasty history, while Anping Bridge showcases ancient engineering.
Nature lovers can visit Niumulin Forest Park and Daiyun Mountain.
Quanzhou’s vibrant Minnan culture, traditional architecture, and rich maritime heritage make it a fascinating place to explore.
Its blend of history, nature, and culture attracts travelers worldwide.
A historic street with well-preserved ancient buildings, vibrant local life, and famous landmarks like Kaiyuan Temple and the East and West Pagodas.
A 1,300-year-old Buddhist temple featuring unique architecture, ancient pagodas, and one of the largest monastic precepts platforms in China.
The largest Confucian temple complex in Southeast China, showcasing architectural styles from the Song to Qing dynasties and symbolizing local education.
A significant Taoist temple dating back to the Song Dynasty, attracting thousands of worshippers, including many from Taiwan and overseas.
A traditional fishing village known for its ancient seaport and the unique floral headpiece culture of Xunpu fisherwomen, a national intangible heritage.
A famous scenic area with stunning natural landscapes, ancient Taoist sites, and the iconic Laozi Rock sculpture.
A specialized museum showcasing the deep historical and cultural connections between Fujian and Taiwan through artifacts and exhibitions.
A historical temple and birthplace of Southern Shaolin martial arts, offering live kung fu performances and a rich cultural experience.
A tranquil Buddhist temple with elegant architecture, serene surroundings, and scenic spots like the Moon Platform Reflection.
One of the largest and oldest Mazu temples in Southeast China, a sacred site for worshiping the sea goddess Mazu.
A well-preserved overseas Chinese village showcasing Minnan and maritime culture, with stunning red-brick mansions.
A beautiful seaside temple connected to the mainland by a stone bridge, offering breathtaking sunset views over the ocean.
A scenic mountain with panoramic ocean views, home to a grand Guanyin statue, ideal for sightseeing and spiritual retreats.
A stunning coastal destination with soft sandy beaches and crystal-clear waters, perfect for swimming, surfing, and sunbathing.
A picturesque urban park featuring tranquil lakes, lush greenery, and traditional pavilions, complementing nearby scenic spots like Qingyuan Mountain.
A lively night market filled with local delicacies, unique souvenirs, and a vibrant atmosphere, perfect for experiencing Quanzhou’s nightlife.
Quanzhou is a culinary treasure of Fujian, blending ancient traditions with maritime influences.
The city’s cuisine features rice as a staple, with sweet potatoes introduced in the Ming Dynasty becoming a key food.
Locals enjoy noodles, rice vermicelli, and savory mixed rice.
Quanzhou is famous for its mountain delicacies and seafood.
Dehua offers unique specialties like black chicken, black sheep, and black rabbit, known for their rich nutritional value.
A simple black chicken soup, prepared with ginger and garlic, delivers a nourishing taste.
Wild red mushrooms, combined with dried lily flowers and rice noodles, create a silky, nutrient-rich dish.
The famous dendrobium frog soup, using “the king of frogs,” is packed with high protein, vitamins, and minerals, making it both flavorful and nutritious.
A rich and flavorful hot pot with a shacha sauce base, featuring seafood, beef, lamb, vegetables, and mushrooms for a unique savory taste.
Slow-cooked duck with sesame oil, aged ginger, and rice wine, creating a fragrant, slightly spicy dish perfect for warming the body in colder months.
A translucent, gelatinous delicacy made from boiled sea worms, offering a chewy texture and a fresh, oceanic flavor when paired with soy sauce and garlic.
Sticky rice stuffed with pork belly, mushrooms, shrimp, and chestnuts, wrapped in leaves and slow-cooked for a rich, fragrant, and satisfying taste.
Thin rice noodles cooked in a flavorful broth with bone stock, dried shrimp, and optional toppings like intestines, eggs, and vinegar-marinated pork.
A refreshing, sweet dessert soup with iced syrup, seasonal fruits, jelly, and chewy rice-based ingredients, perfect for cooling down in hot weather.
Crispy on the outside and soft inside, made from mashed taro mixed with glutinous rice flour, filled with sweet bean paste, and fried to golden perfection.
Marinated lean pork coated in sweet potato starch and deep-fried to golden crispness, offering a perfect balance of savory, tangy, and crispy textures.
A golden, crispy pancake made with fresh oysters, sweet potato starch, eggs, and aromatics, served with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce.
A thick, chewy rice cake with a slightly crispy bottom, made from glutinous rice flour and sugar, featuring a light sweetness and a fragrant aroma.
A traditional handmade crispy snack infused with garlic flavor, made from high-quality flour and sugar, offering a crunchy texture and lingering fragrance.
A savory noodle dish featuring wheat noodles in a rich, peanut-infused shacha broth, complemented by fish balls, tofu, shrimp, and duck blood.
Quanzhou is one of China’s first 24 historical and cultural cities and the first “East Asian Cultural Capital.”
It has 505 intangible cultural heritage items, including five world-class and 36 national-level traditions.
The city is the only one in China listed under all three UNESCO intangible cultural heritage categories.
Notable traditions include Nanyin, Liyuan Opera, Gaojia Opera, puppetry, and Hui’an stone carving.
The water-tight bulkhead shipbuilding technique and Tieguanyin tea-making are also recognized.
Quanzhou’s rich cultural heritage reflects its deep history and continues to be preserved and celebrated.
A ritual praying for maritime safety by burning a symbolic ship, held every three to four years. Recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2020.
A semi-fermented tea-making process featuring unique steps like sun-drying and rolling, creating a tea with orchid aroma and long-lasting sweetness.
A centuries-old craft using camphor wood, featuring lifelike designs of figures, flowers, and landscapes, often used in architecture and furniture.
A traditional handicraft using bamboo and rattan to create household items and artworks, known for its intricate designs and high practical value.
Distinctive clothing featuring a short blouse, wide trousers, floral headscarf, and bamboo hat, reflecting the diligence and resilience of Hui’an women.
An ancient puppet performance dating back to the Tang Dynasty, known for intricate movements and delicate craftsmanship controlled by strings.
One of China’s oldest opera forms, featuring refined singing, stylized movements, and preserved Southern Song Dynasty melodies and scripts.
A folk opera known for exaggerated movements, humorous performances, and iconic clown roles, originating from theatrical parades of Water Margin.
A fine ceramic-making craft using premium clay, producing delicate white porcelain sculptures, especially renowned for Guanyin and Maitreya figures.
A unique architectural style with red bricks, white stone, curved rooftops, and intricate carvings, blending artistry with cultural heritage.
A centuries-old lantern festival where rows of lanterns are strung together to symbolize ship-pulling ropes, praying for prosperity and safety.
A vibrant festival featuring lantern displays, riddle games, dragon dances, and traditional performances, celebrating Quanzhou’s rich folk culture.
A ritualistic theatrical performance with religious origins, combining martial arts, acrobatics, and powerful vocals to depict mythical stories.
A dynamic folk martial arts performance blending lion dance movements with martial techniques, showcasing agility, strength, and symbolic bravery.
An intricate paper-cutting art using fine knife techniques to craft floral, animal, and scenic designs, often used for decoration and rituals.
A delicate folk craft weaving fine paper strips into artworks, later hand-painted, featuring elegant colors and diverse themes like landscapes and flowers.
Quanzhou is famous for being an important starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road, rich in historical and cultural heritage. The city boasts many exquisite ancient buildings, such as Kaiyuan Temple and the Tianhou Temple, showcasing remarkable architectural skills and unique styles. Quanzhou is also known for its intangible cultural heritage, including the Quanzhou Puppet Show and Liyuan Opera, both of which hold high artistic value. Additionally, its local cuisine, including dishes like ginger duck and noodle soup, is very popular among visitors. The city is also famous for traditional handicrafts like Dehua porcelain and Quanzhou wood carvings, which are celebrated both domestically and internationally.
The primary language spoken in Quanzhou is Min Nan (Southern Min), a dialect of Chinese known for its unique phonetics, vocabulary, and grammar, preserving many elements of ancient Chinese. However, with the widespread use of education and communication, Mandarin is also commonly spoken in Quanzhou, especially in schools, government offices, and business venues, where people are proficient in using it for communication.
Marco Polo referred to Quanzhou as “Zaiton” in his Travels of Marco Polo. In his account, he described the city’s prosperity and importance, noting that the port of Quanzhou had many osmanthus trees, which led him to call the city “Zaiton,” a name that later became a famous international nickname for Quanzhou.
Quanzhou is known for its diverse religious beliefs, with Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Christianity, and Catholicism being the primary religions. The city is home to many historic religious buildings, such as Kaiyuan Temple and Cheng Tian Temple, which are Buddhist sites, and Yuan Miao Temple, a Taoist temple. Quanzhou also has the Qingjing Mosque for Islam. These various religions coexist harmoniously in Quanzhou, creating a unique religious and cultural landscape that reflects the city’s openness and inclusiveness.
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