Quanzhou, a major national trading port beside the Taiwan Strait in southern Fujian province, China, was once praised by visiting 12th-century Venetian merchant Marco Polo as “magnificent and beautiful” and the “Alexandria of the East.” Quanzhou’s Silk Road legacy boasts cosmopolitan heritage, including Buddhist and Hindu temples, Christian churches, and Islamic mosques – and the city is still an important base for around 118,000 immigrants from around the world. UNESCO has recognised its significant maritime commerce and unique mix of religious architecture. But, with so much to see, where should visitors start?
Kaiyuan Temple
Inscribed on the UNESCO list since 2021, Kaiyuan Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in Fujian. Built in the 7th century CE, during the Tang dynasty, and renovated three hundred years later, it occupies a former mulberry orchard. I found this one of the most appealing aspects of my visit: in Fujian’s subtropical climate, the grounds provide lush greenery and bursts of colour to complement the region’s blue skies and the dense-eaved temple roofs.
Impressive twin pagodas stand at the east and west ends of the complex, while central courtyards are shaded by giant, ancient Ficus trees. Nearby, devotees burn incense as an offering. On their knees, they commune with the spiritual realm by bowing towards gilded copper statues of the Five Tathāgatas, the cardinal deities, before placing their burning incense into huge and ornate bronze censers. Invited to complete this ritual, I found it moving and must admit the visit left me feeling somehow immeasurably lighter.
Interactive museums
There are two main museum options for exploring intangible UNESCO-recognised cultural traditions in Quanzhou. Both are equally impressive in the quality of exhibits, though one offers more interactivity.
The China Museum of Fujian-Taiwan Kinship portrays the history of migration in the Fujian region and across the Taiwan Strait, going back 11,700 years. It leans heavily on a narrative of migrant fishers and traders, shared genetics and, primarily, culture. From writing and dialect, to religious worship, to folk arts and crafts, tea cultivation, and even shared resistance against aggression.
Quanzhou’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum has even more interactivity than the Kinship Museum and covers the same culture and crafts. Here, visitors can try their own hand at a range of craftmanship, thanks to live demonstrations including paper carving, weaving, and sculpting, lantern-making, and wire lacquer decoration, and even operatic performance. It’s a family-friendly place. Alongside carefully supervised children, I learned how to use the flat edge of a scalpel to carve a paper image, and was taught how to signal sadness in the regional Min Opera language of gestures. Lantern-making was far more difficult than it looked.
Hairpin flowers at Wulin village
Another way to experience the region’s intangible heritage is to visit the Wulin traditional village, another kid-friendly destination in Jinjiang district with a unique blend of traditional Minnan and overseas Chinese architecture, including Gothic and Romanesque influences. It serves as a “living museum” of 600 years’ heritage, with well-preserved buildings, soy barrels, local food, gifts, and cultural performances, and a large, attractive lake. Here, I allowed myself to take part in the ‘dressing up’ that takes place at many historic Chinese sites, donning a Qipao dress and being fitted with typical Quanzhou hairpin flowers, a tradition carrying deep cultural meaning, symbolizing the hope of a full and prosperous life among Xun Pu women. (Hairpin flowers can also be experienced at the former fishing village of Xunpu in Quanzhou’s Fengze district).
With a range of outfits from different eras and different sizes and genders available, the costume rental and hair experience can be enjoyed by the whole family. It costs 98 RMB (around €12) per person, and for Chinese makeup too, it’s another 70 RMB (around €8.50). Entrance to the village is free.
Quanzhou Puppetry
No visit to Quanzhou is complete without seeing the city’s marionette theatre, where the extraordinary UNESCO-recognised skill of string puppeteers brings a cast of traditional characters to life. Be warned, though, tickets for the theatre are notoriously sought-after, so book ahead.
I was totally absorbed by the brilliantly detailed performances achieved by the marionette artists, who recreated the drunken antics of Zhong Kui, a scholar, rejected because of his looks, driven to drink and fight a never-ending battle against evil, and the hilarious awakening of the Monkey King, who rides a bike and even manages to outwit his puppeteer.
Recommendations from a local
Finally, Travel Tomorrow interviewed Quanzhou’s Deputy Mayor, Mr Yao Fei, in the role for two years, who shared his favourite local activities to enjoy with visiting family and friends.
His recommendations included seeing the Quanzhou Shaolin Monastery, renowned as the birthplace of Southern Shaolin martial arts; indulging in modern Quanzhou’s garment industry, through a visit to Anta’s “Keep Moving” Museum (a sportswear brand that is now one of the world’s largest, boasting FILA and a stake in Arc’teryx); taking a run along the Jin River that flows into Quanzhou Bay; and of course, the Museum of Maritime Transportation, to round out an understanding of Quanzhou’s place at the start of the maritime Silk Road.
