Quanzhou

Quanzhou is a famous cultural city with a long history, located on the southeast coast of Fujian Province. As the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road, Quanzhou was once one of the world’s most important trading ports and has countless cultural relics and historical heritage.

The Prosperous Religious Culture of Quanzhou

People of different faiths have built numerous temples and religious sites in Quanzhou as their spiritual sanctuary. The main hall of the Kaiyuan Temple and the twin pagodas (Zhenguo Pagoda and Renshou Pagoda) are the symbols of Quanzhou, standing for thousands of years. The Qingjing Mosque is the earliest surviving Islamic building in China. Besides, there are more heritage sites in the city, such as Tianhou Temple, the Confucius Temple, Ciji Palace, South Shaolin Temple and so on.

Quanzhou Kaiyuan Temple And Twin Pagodas

Southeastern Architectural Marvel

Kaiyuan Temple covers an area of 78,000 square meters, and the twin pagodas in the east and west of the temple are the symbols of Quanzhou. The Mahavira Hall was built in the Tang Dynasty in high rank and huge scale, with a total of one hundred stone pillars and exquisite carvings of celestial beings.

The Greatest Port in the East

Marco Polo, the famous traveler, once described Quanzhou as “The Greatest Port in the East”, showing the important position of Quanzhou in the world at that time. In 1974, a Song dynasty ship was discovered in Quanzhou Bay, which provided precious material for studying the history of Quanzhou’s overseas transportation.