One-Day Xiamen to Quanzhou Tour: Kaiyuan Temple + West Street + Bell Tower + Quanzhou Confucian Temple + Qingjing Mosque + Guandi Temple
This morning, you will depart from Xiamen for Quanzhou (about 91 kilometers, a 2-hour drive). Quanzhou is a historic millennium-old ancient city and commercial city, a world-famous World Heritage city, and the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road. From the Five Dynasties to the Song and Yuan periods, it was named "Citong City" because of the widespread planting of tung trees, and it was a landmark commercial port well known to merchants worldwide. Marco Polo called it "one of the largest ports in the world," on par with Egypt's Alexandria. Its prosperity of "ten thousand merchants from all nations amid the rising seas" is still celebrated today. In addition, Quanzhou preserves relics of Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Manichaeism, and more. The inscription "Quannan Buddhist Kingdom" written by Zhu Xi is still visible, and it is known as the "Museum of World Religions."
Today's one-day Quanzhou tour mainly visits: Kaiyuan Temple, Quanzhou Bay Ancient Ship Museum (at your own expense), West Street, the Bell Tower, Zhongshan Street, Quanzhou Prefecture Confucian Temple, Tumen Street, Qingjing Mosque, Guanyue Temple (Guandi Temple), Luoyang Bridge (optional), and Xunpu Village (optional).
After arriving in Quanzhou, first visit the thousand-year-old ancient temple—Kaiyuan Temple. Kaiyuan Temple was first built in the second year of Chuigong in the Tang Dynasty (686 AD). It is the largest Buddhist temple in Fujian Province and one of the most representative ancient Buddhist temples along China's southeast coast, long enjoying reputations such as "the first temple of the Quannan Buddhist Kingdom" and "the first ancient temple in Minnan." In 2021, as a heritage site of "Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China," it was inscribed on the World Heritage List. You can follow the temple's central axis and visit in sequence the Ziyun Screen (a freestanding spirit wall), the Mountain Gate Hall (also called the Hall of Heavenly Kings, where the famous couplet by Zhu Xi written by Master Hongyi, "This place was anciently called a Buddhist kingdom; the whole street is full of sages," is located), the Worship Pavilion (the best place to view the twin pagodas, where you can photograph the East and West Pagodas in panorama), the Mahavira Hall (a pinnacle of architectural craftsmanship, using the original "reduced-column method," where diverse cultures blend perfectly, and where China's oldest existing mulberry tree is located), the Ganlu Ordination Altar (one of only three surviving ordination altars in China), and the Sutra Library (housing precious Buddhist texts such as pattra-leaf scriptures from the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties).
In addition, the Zhenguo Pagoda (East Pagoda) and Renshou Pagoda (West Pagoda) on the east and west sides of the Worship Pavilion square are key attractions. They are Quanzhou's city symbols and landmark buildings, as well as the tallest and most representative surviving Song Dynasty stone pagodas in China, hailed as the "King of Stone Pagodas." The East Pagoda is about 48.27 meters tall, symbolizing the Eastern Saha World, while the West Pagoda is about 45.06 meters tall, representing the Western Pure Land. The carvings on the pagodas are exquisitely detailed, worthy of being called the pinnacle of Song Dynasty stone carving art, and are well worth careful appreciation.
If you are interested, you can also visit the Quanzhou Bay Ancient Ship Exhibition Hall (at your own expense, closed on Mondays), the core thematic exhibition hall of the Quanzhou Overseas Transportation History Museum, to gain a deeper understanding of ancient China's maritime civilization and the glorious history of the Maritime Silk Road. In addition, on the 26th day of each lunar month, Kaiyuan Temple holds a grand "Qin Fo Day," which is very lively.
Then, stroll from Kaiyuan Temple to West Street and appreciate the urban charm of Quanzhou, "half city bustle, half city immortals." West Street is 1,700 meters long and is the core block of Quanzhou's ancient city, as well as a living historical fossil bearing witness to a thousand years of Maritime Silk Road culture. There is a saying that "West Street came first, then Quanzhou City." Strolling along it feels like being on a street from a thousand years ago, seeing again the prosperity of the Song-Yuan "largest port in the East." Along the way, traditional Minnan architecture and authentic Minnan cuisine are highlights not to be missed. You can also photograph the Kaiyuan Temple twin pagodas from different angles, or chat with locals, listen to the famous Minnan song "Love to Win to Succeed," and learn more about Minnan culture. If it happens to be spring, you can also see the fiery red city flower of Quanzhou—the tung flower.
Quanzhou is a famous food city in China. You can have lunch on West Street and taste diverse flavorful dishes such as misua koa, sea worm jelly, runbing rolls, fried vinegar pork, four-fruit soup, satay noodles, fist mother, mochi, and ginger duck.
After lunch, stroll to the Bell Tower for sightseeing. The Bell Tower was built in 1934 and is about 13.8 meters tall. It is a landmark building of Quanzhou, perfectly blending Eastern and Western architectural aesthetics. Here, you can appreciate the charm of Tang-Song legacy and Republican-era style at the same time. Especially at night, the Bell Tower's night view is very beautiful and well worth seeing.
Then, you will stroll along Zhongshan Street to the Quanzhou Prefecture Confucian Temple (closed on Mondays). The Quanzhou Prefecture Confucian Temple is the largest and best-preserved Confucian temple complex in southeast China, a living museum of architectural art from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, and an important component of World Cultural Heritage. Historically, it was Quanzhou's highest institution of learning and cultivated a large number of talents: 2,454 imperial examination jinshi, 8 civil and military top scholars, and more than 20 prime ministers.
Recommended visiting route for the Prefecture Confucian Temple: Pan Palace Gate Tower (Quanzhou's first reinforced concrete antique-style building; the plaque "Pan Palace" was written by Wu Lu, Fujian's last top scholar) → Dacheng Gate (a five-bay, three-door layout; the central door opens only during sacrifices) → Pan Pond and Pan Bridge (the Pan Pond also serves water storage and flood control functions; the 72 stone slabs on the Pan Bridge correspond to Confucius's seventy-two disciples, and it is now a popular place for students to pray for blessings) → Dacheng Hall (a rare Song Dynasty double-eave hip-and-gable structure in China, the highest specification in ancient Chinese architecture, the same system as the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City).
Afterward, walk from Zhongshan Street to Tumen Street (about 400 meters) to visit the World Heritage site Qingjing Mosque (Masjidal-Ashab). Qingjing Mosque was first built in the Northern Song Dynasty (1009 AD). It is China's oldest surviving Islamic mosque. As the core religious site of the Arab merchant settlement in China during the Song and Yuan periods, it witnessed the prosperity of the Maritime Silk Road from the 10th to 14th centuries. Its architecture adopts the Syrian Damascus style, and it is a rare mosque in China built of granite and diabase. The surviving structures include the gate tower (with Arabic Quranic inscriptions embedded in the south wall), the Fengtian Altar ruins (the original Muslim worship site), and the Mingshan Hall (a Chinese-style brick-and-wood worship hall), among others. (PS: 1. When entering the mosque, please wear long pants or a long skirt. 2. Some buildings are strictly off-limits without permission.)
Finally, walk 200 meters from Qingjing Mosque to Guanyue Temple (commonly known as Guandi Temple). This is the largest and most heavily incensed martial temple surviving in Fujian Province, dedicated to both Guan Yu and Yue Fei. Every year, large numbers of worshippers come to burn incense and pray for blessings. Its three halls (Wucheng Hall, Chongxian Hall, and Sanyi Temple) are arranged side by side, reflecting a sacrificial system that integrates Confucianism and Daoism. The ridge decorations of cut-porcelain dragon carvings and flowers, birds, and beasts demonstrate exquisite Minnan decorative craftsmanship and are well worth seeing.
If time permits, you may choose to visit the following attractions according to your interests.
Optional attractions around Quanzhou
1. Xunpu Village, about 10 kilometers away, about a 0.5-hour drive
Xunpu Village is a millennium-old fishing village on the shores of Quanzhou Bay, famous for its unique "flower hairpin" folk custom and oyster-shell house architecture, and hailed as a "living fossil of the Maritime Silk Road." Here, you can wear the local brightly colored daju shirt and experience the flower hairpin bun of "wearing flowers as hairpins, living beautifully," feeling the beautiful meaning of "wear flowers in this life, be beautiful in the next." You can also stroll and visit century-old oyster-shell houses, take beautiful photos against the shell walls, or taste delicious oyster omelets, fried vinegar pork, and other fishing-village snacks along the way. If interested, you can also go to the Fisherman's Wharf to enjoy breathtaking sunset views.
2. Luoyang Bridge, about 17 kilometers away, about a 1-hour drive
Luoyang Bridge (World Heritage), also known as Wan'an Bridge, is one of China's four great ancient bridges and China's oldest surviving sea-crossing beam-style stone bridge, long known as "the first bridge under heaven." A Quanzhou folk saying goes, "Standing like the East and West Pagodas, lying like Luoyang Bridge." Here, you can slowly admire the thousand-year-old banyan at the bridgehead, the 45 boat-shaped piers and 104 stone lion decorations on the bridge deck, the "Wan Gu An Lan" stone inscription at the mid-pavilion, and the tidal-flat mangroves on both sides, appreciating the enchanting charm of "ancient bridge and red trees rising together with the tide" and photographing stunning cultural landscapes. At low tide, you can also see dense oyster shells on the piers, witnessing the bioengineering technique of "planting oysters to strengthen the foundation."
After the tour, this wonderful and unforgettable one-day Quanzhou, Fujian tour will come to an end. Our driver will take you to the airport/train station for your next destination.
🍽️ Lunch included
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