//
An enormous equestrian statue that appears to be guarding the town, up on a hill on the east side of the city. He was a local boy whose family were seafarers, merchants trading with Japan, and pirates. On land, he became a general, resisting the then-new Qing (Manchu) dynasty. His base on Xiamen's Gulangyu is one of the tourist sites there. Lots of other Koxinga-related sites and monuments can be found in Nan’an and also in the nearby Kinmen Island, which is controlled by the Republic of China (Taiwan). Koxinga is best known for driving the Dutch out of Taiwan in the 1660s, the first major wave of Chinese immigration to Taiwan was his soldiers settling down and bringing their families. He is one of the few people seen as a hero by the current governments on both sides of the straits; beating the foreign devils makes you a good guy in everyone's books!
© OpenStreetMap contributors
泉州外海交通史博物馆
Excellent museum. Quanzhou was, up to the 15th century, one of China's greatest trading cities and a major base for her powerful fleets. Besides a collection of ship models and nautical artifacts, the museum has a large collection of stone inscription and reliefs - from ancient tombstones and temples - demonstrating Quanzhou's historical connections with India, the Middle East, and Europe, and attesting to the presence of Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and even Manichaeism in the area. Don't miss a collection of stone tombstones and stelae in the back yard. The museum's Ancient Ships Pavilion is on the grounds of Kaiyuan Temple. UNESCO has a document about the museum.
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.
真武庙, Fashi Zhenwu Temple 法石真武庙
Taoist temple dedicated to Zhenwu (the ‘True Warrior’), a major Taoist deity. The temple was first built over a thousand years ago during the Northern Song Dynasty and extensively renovated in later dynasties.
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.
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.
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.