Live Your Best Lives
Look at Xi'an underground and look at Quanzhou above ground. When many people come to Fujian, the first thing they think of is Xiamen, but they ignore another low-key city with a profound cultural heritage - Quanzhou.
Quanzhou, the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road and the "City of Light" described by Marco Polo, boasts not only thousand-year-old streets and arcades, but also a beautiful coastline and unique folk customs. It's also home to two of Fujian's three great fishing women: the patrol women and the Hui'an women.
So when you come to Quanzhou, which places are worth visiting?
The first thing that people who know Quanzhou should hear of is Quanzhou West Street. It is the most outstanding ancient street in Quanzhou’s old city. It is filled with the most authentic atmosphere of urban life and is also a relatively prosperous street in Quanzhou city.
This street, thriving as early as the Song Dynasty, has witnessed the profound changes of this ancient city and epitomizes the essence of East Asia's cultural capital. Walking along West Street, which exudes the authentic atmosphere of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Republic of China, and even the present, you'll experience a miniature of the pristine old Quanzhou, as if you've traveled back a thousand years.
Quanzhou's Zhongshan Road is lined with colonnaded arcades. If someone asked me what I love about Quanzhou, these buildings, which condense the essence of Nanyang-style architecture, would be the first to come to mind. Walking on this street, you can feel the unique Nanyang style.
This is also the only and most well-preserved commercial street in my country with row-style arcade buildings. The first floors of these buildings are mostly shops, and their characteristic is that they leave several meters of corridors in front of the shops, allowing people to stroll through the entire commercial street without worrying about the sun or showers.
Many people may not know that the oldest existing Islamic mosque in China is located in Quanzhou. It is the Qingjing Mosque, the only mosque in the country built with granite and diabase in a typical Arab Central Asian style.
The gatehouse at the entrance of the Qingjing Mosque is very unique, and the dome is decorated with Islamic Quran. Ordinary tour groups do not come here, so there are relatively few tourists here, but it is worth a visit. Spend 3 yuan to enter and it feels like you have arrived in another world.
Guandi Temple is right next to Qingjing Mosque, and its popularity is so intense that a fire truck is parked at the entrance on New Year's Eve. Regardless of the time of year, weekends, or holidays, you'll find the temple entrance and interior filled with devout believers lighting cigarettes or prostrating themselves. The place is always shrouded in smoke, and a stroll through it feels like entering a fairyland.
Quanzhou has many merchants, many of whom worship Guan Gong, the God of Wealth. Although the Guandi Temple is small, hundreds of thousands of people visit it every year, many of whom are Taiwanese and overseas Chinese.
In some ways, Kaiyuan Temple can be regarded as a landmark place in Quanzhou, just like Putuo Temple in Zhoushan and Nanputuo Temple in Xiamen. Most people who come here also want to see the Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou.
Quanzhou boasts a rich religious culture; wandering its streets and alleys reveals a temple at every turn. The city's seamless integration of Taoism, Buddhism, and Islam creates a unique atmosphere.
If you think Quanzhou is all about history and red-brick houses, you're wrong. The most important thing you can't miss in Quanzhou is its food, which is even more authentically Taiwanese than Taiwanese. Here are a few restaurants I've tried that I found excellent and have received good reviews from online.
Houcheng Noodle Soup
Noodle soup (Mianxianhu) is a traditional Quanzhou snack and a representative of the traditional flavors of southern Fujian. A bowl of authentic noodle soup is a must-try when visiting Quanzhou. A warm bowl of this morning treat is a favorite among Quanzhou locals. This small shop, nestled in an alley, was also a filming location for "A Bite of China 2."
Tips:
Location: No. 19, Baiyuan Road, Licheng District
Price: ¥13 per person
Hou A-po's Meat Zongzi
Grandma Hou's zongzi is one of the authentic Minnan snacks recommended by "A Bite of China." When a friend first recommended it to me, I was dismissive and didn't have much interest in this nationwide treat. After all, the most famous zongzi are still from Jiaxing! However, after trying it out of a desire to give it a try and check in, I was completely and utterly captivated by the flavor!
Different from the rice dumplings in other places, the taste of the rice dumplings here is very unique, I can't even describe it. I ate the "Signature Scallop Rice Dumpling", which is rich in ingredients, including: mushrooms, scallops, oysters, pork belly and braised eggs, and then drizzled with a secret peanut sweet and spicy sauce. Believe me, as long as you take a bite, you will fall in love with it immediately!
While I have been complaining about not having eaten delicious flat meat in Xiamen, the meat dumpling soup here really surprised me!
In Quanzhou, the correct way to eat rice dumplings is as follows: first, spread the rice dumplings out and eat them together with the juice in the bowl, or add shacha sauce, red chili sauce and other condiments to make them more flavorful.
Tips:
Location: 45 East Street
Price: ¥8 per person
Hao Cheng Cai Steakhouse
Introducing steak in Quanzhou must seem strange to you, just like I did at first. In fact, beef is very famous in Quanzhou and even in Fujian, and in Quanzhou, beef soup is a must-try.
This is a modified steak and meat soup based on the eating habits of Quanzhou people, mixed with the flavor of Bak Kut Teh from the Nanyang region. The soup is smooth and delicious, and paired with a bowl of the store's salty rice, it is enough to satisfy you for the day.
Tips:
Location: No. 221 Tumen Street
Price: ¥22 per person
Qiaotou Vinegar Pork
Qiaotou Vinegar Pork is a small stall at the Yingjin Bridge. It opens at 3pm every day and sells all its snacks freshly fried that day. Vinegar pork, fried taro balls, and seaweed balls are all very popular local snacks.
The fried vinegar pork is crispy but not greasy. It has a light sour taste when you chew it, and the taste is very unique.
Tips:
Location: Yingjin Bridge, next to Humei Holiday Hotel
Price: ¥ per person
Yafu Runbing Wrapper King
Runbing (Runbing) is a local delicacy of Quanzhou and represents the flavor of old Quanzhou. Yafu Runbing Piwang, with a history of over 100 years, is one of the most time-honored shops in the area.
The method of making spring roll wrappers is actually to fill a thin skin with bean sprouts, spirulina, crushed peanuts, carrots and other ingredients. It exudes a fresh and fragrant aroma and tastes slightly sweet, making it suitable as a snack or afternoon tea.
Tips:
Location: No. 165 West Street, near Kaiyuan Temple
Price: ¥12 per person
In addition to the urban area of Quanzhou, there are actually many places worth visiting and some unknown niche attractions around it!
Located in Fengze District, Quanzhou City, Xiepu Village is about a 30-minute drive from Quanzhou and 1.5 hours from Xiamen. This small fishing village in the Donghai community is home to descendants of ancient Arabs. The women here wear beautiful hairpins made of flowers, lilac earrings, long-sleeved shirts, and wide-legged trousers, creating a unique atmosphere. These women are known as the Xiepu Women, and are considered one of Fujian's three major fishing women, along with the Hui'an Women and the Meizhou Women.
There are also unique folk houses here called "oyster shell houses", which are houses made of oyster shells. Although the times have been changing and developing, they still devoutly pass on the life patterns passed down from generation to generation by their ancestors.
Take a taxi to the Xiepu Village market. When you reach a stone tablet inscribed with "Patrol Officer," you've arrived at the market. Walking down the street, you'll see many authentic Xiepu women, dressed in traditional costumes and with their hair tied up in buns, prying oysters. Some sit in groups of three or four, chatting at their doorsteps, while others walk through the alleys carrying loads of goods, all wearing colorful floral ornaments. Walk into the alley next to a shop renting traditional costumes and you'll find the old village. Further along the village, you'll reach the famous oyster wall. The village has many small shops offering costume rentals; you can change into one and experience the charm of the Xiepu women.
Not far from the village, opposite is the Xiepu Wharf, where some small fishing boats are docked, and many crab women are walking up from the beach with their loads of crabs on their shoulders. It is recommended to spend half a day there, and you can go back to the city for dinner.
Chongwu is known as the Beidaihe of the South, and Hui'an's Half Moon Bay has been rated as one of the eight most beautiful coastlines. It is located on the Taiwan Strait and is also known as the "Lotus Island".
Recommended attractions worth visiting in Chongwu Ancient City
Xisha Bay Beach
Xisha Bay Beach is known as the "Xisha Silver Snake". The sand here is fine and soft, the coastline is long and narrow, and there are many lounge chairs for leisure on the beach. You can sit here quietly for an afternoon, feel the sea breeze, and wait for the sunset to dye the sky with brilliant colors, and forget everything.
Tips:
Attraction tickets: Free
Location: Next to Xishawan Resort Hotel, about a 2-minute walk away
Recommendation index ★★★★★
Hui'an Women's Folk Village
Da'an Village in Hui'an is a famous gathering place for Hui women and one of the birthplaces of Hui women culture. Like the Xiaquan women, the local Hui'an women wear traditional clothing, a style commonly known as "feudal head, democratic belly, thrifty shirt, and wasteful pants."
The Hui Women Folk Village is a planned scenic area, housing the Hui Women Museum, showcasing ancient Hui'an women's clothing, household items, and cultural heritage. Located mid-mountain, the observation deck offers a breathtaking view of the village's patchwork of houses, their red, yellow, and white roofs stacked one on top of the other, against the backdrop of the beach and bay, creating a scene reminiscent of a European town.
There is also a Hui'an women's clothing experience here. Wear Hui women's clothing and walk on the beach, reefs or wooden plank roads. You can pose for photos as much as you want.
Tips:
Tickets for attractions: 30
Location: Located in Daqi Town, Chongwu is a 15-minute drive away.
Recommendation index ★★★★★
Ancient residential buildings and monuments in the ancient city
Half of Chongwu Ancient City is a planned scenic area, and the other half is ancient residences, which are separated by the ancient city wall. There are famous stone carvings in the scenic area. Of course, I don’t recommend you to buy a ticket to enter the scenic area. What I recommend more is the ancient residences that house many ancient buildings built in the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties.
The old streets within the ancient city are all stone streets, lined with simple residential buildings. These stone houses, red brick houses, and wooden structures are all unadorned. These buildings from different eras reveal the traces of time, yet their luster remains.
Tips:
Attraction tickets: Free
Location: Inside Chongwu Ancient City
Recommendation index ★★★★
At the easternmost part of Quanzhou, there is a little-known town called Xiaoqi. It is the first place where the wind from the Pacific Ocean blows. It is low-key and niche, but extremely beautiful.
Xiaoqi in Hui'an is surrounded by the sea on three sides and has only one entrance and exit. Its geographical location is relatively closed, so transportation is not very convenient. In addition, it has not yet been developed, so it is an unpopular holy place.
Windmill Island
Recommendation index: ★★★★★
Windmill Island is actually a windmill peninsula. Many windmills are erected on a long and narrow peninsula, surrounded by the sea on three sides. The sea breeze is very strong. In the local area, you will see many people wrapping their heads with scarves, which is mainly to block the wind.
The scenery along the way to Windmill Island is very beautiful. You can stop the car at any time to take a photo that will be shared all over your circle of friends. The blue sea is extremely pure, and the sea breeze is caressing you. It seems that time has stopped here.
Dongshan Island has a "Bolivia," and this is Quanzhou's "Santorini"! The sea laps against the rocks. Standing on the top of the mountain, you can feel the windmills spinning and the sea embracing you.
Tips:
There are no shops nearby, only one or two small shops. It is far from Windmill Island, so everyone should prepare water and dry food in advance.
The wind is very strong, so it is best to bring a headscarf or hat.
The picture comes from the Internet
Xiaoqi Art Museum
Recommendation index: ★★★★★
Xiaoqi Art Museum is a place full of artistic atmosphere. I believe it will be loved by many literary young people and photography enthusiasts. The architecture here is very unique. The 100-meter long corridor leads to the seaside. Walking towards the sea step by step is full of ritual sense.
Here, isolated from the world, you will no longer be entangled in trivial matters and can completely calm down and enjoy the exhibition here.
You could spend an entire afternoon here, strolling and photographing. The museum, primarily in black and white, boasts a symmetrical structure, a simple and unpretentious aesthetic. The screens are covered with artworks by artists, many of which depict Quanzhou, Xiaoqi, women and the sea, and the peninsula's most beautiful scenes.
Tips:
Opening hours of the museum: 3pm to 10pm
The 100-meter corridor and courtyard outside can also be entered in the morning
The picture comes from the Internet
Fu Guo Cafe
Recommendation index: ★★★
This is a cafe converted from a boiler. It is next to the art gallery. It has an industrial style design and is very unique. If you are tired of walking, you can have a cup of coffee here and slowly feel the charm of this place.
Tips:
Opening hours: 8 am to 4 pm
The picture comes from the Internet
Xiaoqi Town
Recommendation index: ★★★
If Daqi Town offers a glimpse into the pristine lives of Hui'an women, Xiaoqi Town is even more pristine, where everything remains as it was. You can buy a headscarf here and experience what it's like to be a Hui'an woman.
The picture comes from the Internet
Xiaoqi Port
Recommendation index: ★★★★
Because Xiaoqi is surrounded by the sea on three sides, you can reach the beach or the port by just finding a road and walking straight. It is also a sketching paradise for many art lovers. Follow the signs to the sketching pavilion and you will see great scenery.
Along the way you can see fishermen mending their nets, abandoned boats or boats being built.
When you come to Xiaogang, you will see a lot of boats. It has the style of the oldest fishing village. If you are lucky, you can even see a fishing boat returning with a full load.
The picture comes from the Internet
Compared to Xiamen, Fujian locals prefer Quanzhou. Not only is the cost of living lower, but there are also fewer tourists, offering authentic, traditional Southern Fujian cuisine. Walking through Quanzhou's streets, you'll forget where you are and the passage of time, finding surprises everywhere you go.
