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Photo: User:Vmenkov, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The largest and most famous Buddhist temple complex in the area. The well-landscaped grounds house two famous tall pagodas, several temple buildings, an ancient stone turtle, and a variety of religious art. The Xi Jie (West Lane) outside of the temple is a busy shopping street, with all kind of shops selling souvenirs, joss paper and other Buddhist items, snacks, and books. The Ancient Ships pavilion of the Maritime Museum (whose main building is elsewhere in town; see a separate listing below) is located on the grounds of the temple, in one of its ancillary buildings.
Kaiyuan Temple is a Buddhist temple located in West Street, Quanzhou, China, and is considered as the largest Buddhist temple in Fujian province with an area of 78,000 square metres (840,000 ft2). The central figures of veneration in the temple are the Five Tathāgathas from Chinese Esoteric Buddhism who are enshrined in the temple's Daxiongbao Hall. In 2021, the temple was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List along with other sites near Quanzhou because of its importance during the medieval global maritime trade based in Quanzhou and its testimony to the global exchange of ideas and cultures. The temple is also one of few in China to contain Hindu monuments, left there by traders from Southern India. It is of Buddhist Dense-Eaves architecture and is most famous for the largest stone pagodas in the world, the twin pagodas of Zhenguo and Renshou, which were completed using stone during the Song dynasty.
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清净寺
The only surviving mosque of the many that used to exist. It is over 1,000 years old, and was rebuilt in 2009 so the dome is now restored after a 200-year absence. Well worth a visit.
Tonghuai Temple of Guan Yu and Yue Fei (通淮关岳庙)
A large and impressive Taoist temple. Guan Yu and Yue Fei were generals, and this is a warrior temple, one of many dedicated to them in various parts of China. Note the huge (over 2 stories tall, with a big chimney) ritual furnace for burning joss paper. The furnace becomes very busy around the holidays such Yuanxiao, when people line up to burn their offerings.
天后宫
Dedicated to Tian Hou ("Heavenly Empress"), also known as Mazu, a sea Goddess worshipped by many sailors and fishermen. Note the ancient bixi turtles with an illegible stele on the temple's grounds, and a pond with fish and turtles in one of the courtyards in the back of the facility. The most important Mazu temple on Earth is on Meizhou Island, in the next city north on the Fujian coast, Putian.
泉州华侨历史博物馆
Each floor of the museum has a different focus. The first floor introduces the historical circumstances under which people emigrated from Quanzhou. The second floor has exhibits showing how Quanzhou migrants adapted to life abroad, particularly in Singapore, Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia. The top floor shows some of the contributions that Overseas Chinese people have made to Quanzhou’s social and economic development.
中国闽台缘博物馆
Museum dedicated to educating the public on the deep cultural and historical ties between Fujian and Taiwan.
泉州博物馆
Don't miss a small "stele forest" behind the museum.