Day 1 All over the country → Putian ★ All day gathering day
All day
1. Today is the gathering day (the seventh day of the first lunar month). Tourists from all over the country will go to the designated hotels in Putian City on their own and report "China-Travel Note+Name" to check in.
2. Afterwards, you'll have free time. We recommend visiting Pukou Palace in Jiangdong Village, Licheng District, for the exclusive "Mei Fei Parade," held on the seventh day of the first lunar month. This includes a grand stilt-walking performance, the local Nine Carp Lantern Dance (a National Intangible Cultural Heritage and a living fossil of Southern Opera), and the spectacular "Chonggong" ceremony at approximately 4:00 PM. The massive "Orange Tower," constructed from oranges and weighing a total of 10,000 kilograms, is a folk craft dating back to the Tang Dynasty and has been passed down for millennia, only found in Jiangdong. It symbolizes "good fortune and prosperity."
Recommended attractions include: Luomutian Historical and Cultural District, known as "Little Shanghai." The Republican-era-style building, Dongfang Ershiwukan, comprises 25 red-brick arched arcades and is the setting for the popular Xiaox bookstore. Stroll to Hanjiang Old Street for a sense of local life: old-fashioned blacksmith shops, bamboo art shops, and the artistic No. 2 Factory Bookstore remain. The backstreet is also home to the soy milk stir-fry restaurant featured on CCTV's "Three Meals, Four Seasons."
3. At night, we recommend visiting the Xinghua Prefecture Historic District near the hotel: the district has six well-preserved ancient streets, including Dalu Street, Xianxiang, Houjie, Yahou Road, Miaoqian Road, and Fangxiang. You can also visit the Ancient Watchtower, known as the "Tiananmen Gate of Fujian," and experience the Putian culture at the "Puyang Baigongfang" intangible cultural heritage street.
Local specialties: Putian braised noodles, stir-fried pork, Xinghua rice noodles, stir-fried soy milk, tofu balls
If you choose to fly: We recommend Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport, and then take the subway or taxi to your hotel in downtown Putian (approximately 50 yuan).
Day 2 Putian → Wenjia Wharf → Meizhou Island
All day
Day 2 (8th day of the first lunar month): Meizhou Island, known as the "Penglai of the South," is the birthplace of Mazu culture and a site of enduring Mazu beliefs. Every year during the first lunar month, the island celebrates the Lantern Festival, a traditional festival. On the eighth day of the first lunar month, believers invite the golden statue of Mazu from the Meizhou Ancestral Temple back to her former residence in Shanglin to visit and bring blessings.
1. In the morning, we will gather at your hotel in downtown Putian and depart for Wenjia Wharf (approximately 1 hour by car). We will then board a ferry to Meizhou Island (approximately 15 minutes by boat). After dropping your luggage at a hotel near Tianfei's Hometown, you can enjoy the island for free!
Around 10:30 a.m., the Mazu statue begins its procession, spreading blessings. A large procession of believers respectfully escorts the statue to the Tianfei Hometown Ruins Park. A full day of celebrations begins on Meizhou Island, with various folk performances taking turns: Yingge Dance, Dragon and Lion Dance, Flower Basket Troupe, Hairpin Drum Troupe, Nine Carp Troupe, Liang Drum Troupe, Stilt Walking Troupe, Zhentian Drum Troupe, and Drum Band. Following closely behind the statue, these performances showcase the grandeur of Mazu's procession with utmost enthusiasm.
2. In the afternoon, you can continue to participate in various night activities such as puppet shows, making red balls, Mazu noodles, guessing lantern riddles, etc. You can also go to the exhibition hall of the former residence scenic area to experience the "Mei women changing clothes", and then walk to the nearby [Rainbow Road] to watch the sea and take pictures. You can also form a team and carpool to the [Ewei Shenshi Garden] at the southern end of Meizhou Island - here there is a rare sea erosion landform [Feiji Cave] formed by more than 130 million years of wind and sea. The water is clear and the sand is super photographic, and you can occasionally encounter a sunset at sea.
3. In the evening, you can freely participate in various activities at the [Ping'an Pagoda Square] in [Tianfei's Hometown], including: Ping'an Pagoda light show, bonfire, electronic music San Taizi, palm-leaf sedan chair, large-scale fireworks show, etc.
Day 3 Meizhou Island → Wenjia Wharf → Pinghai Town → Changle, Fuzhou
All day
Day 3 (9th day of the first lunar month): [Putian Pinghai] Known as the "Hawaii of the East" and "the end of the world in Putian", the City God parade here during the Lantern Festival has a history of more than 600 years. It originated from the fact that Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, sent Jiangxia Hou to Fujian to fight against Japanese pirates and established 16 citadels. People then built a temple to worship the Marquis and respectfully named him Pinghai City God.
1. In the morning, return to the dock by boat from Meizhou Island and drive to Pinghai Town (approximately one hour). Join the grand City God Parade: Leading the way, the City God, accompanied by thousands of "celestial soldiers and generals," civil and military officials, floats, and horsemen, parades around the village. In addition to drum troupes, military bands, waist drum troupes, horsemen, government officials, and honor guards, villagers dressed as historical figures sit atop the "spinning wheels" of the floats. Each spinning wheel has a folk story behind it, and there are 51 of them in total.
The parade will pass by the 1,023-year-old Mazu Temple, the "Shiquan" (Master Spring), which was dug by Emperor Shi Lang during the Qing Dynasty to pray to Mazu when he recaptured Taiwan. The Golden Beach, with its dozens of miles of coastline, was the filming location for the movie "Lost and Love" starring Andy Lau. The fishing harbor here also features a magnificent breakwater.
3. At around 4 pm, at the end of the parade, we will take a bus to Fuzhou Changle (approximately a 2-hour drive) and look forward to tomorrow's grand "Houfu God Parade"
Day 4 Hotel → Houfu → Hotel
All day
Day 4 (the tenth day of the first lunar month): The Changle God Parade (welcoming the gods) is a traditional folk cultural activity held in rural areas of Fuzhou's districts and counties during the first lunar month. People invite the gods from their temples and carry the main deity in an open sedan chair around the village to pray for "good weather and peace in the region." The main deity's subordinates are "treasure bone deities" carried by people: such as Haierdi, Qiye, and Baye. The Houfu God Parade, an intangible cultural heritage with over 400 years of history, exploded in popularity in 2024 thanks to the youthful "Prince Tiantuan" group.
Depart from the hotel in the morning (about 10 kilometers drive), the tour leader will explain: the culture of the parade of gods, the intangible cultural heritage of the pagoda bones, and introduce the system of gods to ensure an easy-to-understand, vivid and interesting experience.
Arrive at the destination at 8:00 (traffic jam may occur near the destination, so get off the bus early and walk to the destination)
8:30-9:00 [First arrival at Houfu] Everyone follows the tour leader to familiarize themselves with the various spots in the village where they can take seats and wait for the parade.
9:00-11:00 [Welcome the Lord] At the starting point of the event, watch how the various divine soldiers use all their strength to display their eighteen martial arts and welcome the Lord with the greatest enthusiasm!
11:00-14:00 When the main gods change clothes, they can share meals with each other and form groups to wait for the various tower bone gods who need to rest at different points.
[God Parade Carnival]: 300-400 pagoda bone gods parade in procession, which takes more than 2 hours from beginning to end;
1. I've seen traffic jams and people jammed before, but this time I'll get to see what a traffic jam god is: the headman (and his wife) clear the way, Heidi (the child's younger brother) and Manu (the groom) whip the horse, and the generals in heaven, the marshals on earth, and the priests in the underworld will all sway with joy.
2. A group of truly divinely handsome princes wandered around, but they didn't act like celebrities at all: The eldest prince, Hua Guang, wouldn't leave the house without QQ Candy; the eldest prince, Zhang, wouldn't leave the house without Huazi; the second prince, Zhang, would go out at the drop of a hat; and although the prince, Zhao, was the face of the group, he was actually a homebody who didn't like to go out...
3. At night, fireworks explode everywhere, creating a dazzling display. The gods and generals are enveloped in a strange, eerie atmosphere, while the disco lights overhead create a vibrant atmosphere. Spin and leap with the gods, reveling in the visible clamor, and riding the crest of the earth-shaking tide...
Around 21:00, those who are tired will be transported back to the hotel. Those who still have energy can continue the activities. The last pick-up will be around 24:00. If you want to continue, you can wait for the final climax of the "Chonggong" (rushing to the palace): all the gods and the main gods will rush back to the main palace at a very fast speed. (You need to take a ride back to the hotel near Changle Airport: 20km, 30 minutes drive)
Day 5 Changle → Seventeen Arches → Drop off at Changle Airport/Fuzhou South/Fuzhou Station
All day
Day 5 (the 11th day of the first lunar month): After experiencing the three grand ceremonies of Mazu's visit to her parents, the City God's tour, and the Houfu God's parade, those who have the energy can continue to watch the sea.
1. In the morning, we arrived at the back garden of Fuzhou people, Changle [Seventeen Arches] and [Conch Tower]. Here, there are blue waters that are not inferior to Pingtan, wide lawns, and you can see ultra-low-flying planes when you look up; reefs, waves, breakwaters, Mazu statues and Himao red brick buildings.
2. Including those who stayed up late the previous night to watch [The Palace] to catch up on sleep, we all checked out at 11:30 and went to Changle City Food Street to eat crab rice and ice rice.
3. The order of afternoon drop-off is: [Changle International Airport] - [Fuzhou South Railway Station] - [Fuzhou Railway Station]. Please purchase a large transportation ticket after 15:30.
