Quanzhou

Don't miss a small "stele forest" behind the museum.

Museum dedicated to educating the public on the deep cultural and historical ties between Fujian and Taiwan.

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.

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.

Visitors are required to make a booking before visiting the museum. Bookings can be made on the museum’s WeChat account (ID: fjqzkjg).

A bridge that is considered one of the four ancient bridges of China. Its namesake goes back several centuries, although the railings look remarkably well preserved. But look at the pillars and that may be more indicative of its age.

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!

An old residential complex built by Cai Qichang and his son between 1862 and 1911. It consists of 16 complete houses arranged in parallel and covering an area of 15300 m².

Climbing this mountain is a nice way to get away from the city, and some of its heat and noise. The Lao Tse statue is near the main entrance. Mountain climbing in Qingyuanshan is a different experience from hiking in other places, the paths up the mountain (large hill, really) are clearly marked, and paved in most places, with steps up the steeper parts. There are lots of places to buy drinks or snacks along the way, and temples, pavilions, and even some carnival-style games are there to distract you from your trek, if you like. Nonetheless, it's a beautiful, strenuous climb, with dense tree canopies above and cicadas all around, with openings along the way with clear vistas of the city below. There is a lake and a dam near the top. Wear good shoes and clothes you can sweat in. If you come in the evening, be sure to bring a torch. The walking paths are not well lit at night.

The Chinese New Year begins on the first day of the first lunar month; Lantern Festival on the 15th of that month brings the celebration to a close. Lantern Festival is celebrated all over China, but it is a fairly minor event in some places and a rather big deal in others. In Quanzhou, it is huge! Nearly every merchant downtown puts up at least a few lanterns, and they compete to have the best ones. The area around the Confucian Temple is one center of activity, with hundreds of lanterns and thousands of people out to view them. Another major center is down by the river where there is an enormous fireworks show late in the evening.