Quanzhou
Discover Quanzhou
Quanzhou (泉州; Choân-chiu in Minnan, Quánzhōu in Mandarin) is a coastal city in Fujian Province north of Xiamen and south of Fuzhou. Older romanisations, no longer in use, include Ch'üan-chou, Chuanchow and Chinchew. Marco Polo sailed home from here around 1292; he called the city by its Arabic and Persian name, Zaiton, and described it as the world's busiest port and stunningly rich. A few decades later, Ibn Battuta both arrived in and departed from China via Quanzhou. Since then the city has come down in the world somewhat, but is still a major port and still quite prosperous.
Taste of Quanzhou...
There are several vegetarian restaurants near Chengtien Temple on Nanjun Road Zhuangyuan Street (Bar Street) is to the east of Zhongshan Road north of the center of town. The street is parallel and slightly south of East Street. It has many bars. Quanzhou is not a tourist-oriented city and there are relatively few hotels. By 2015, a fair number of Quanzhou hosts have registered with airbnb.com. There is a hotel attached to the main bus station; turn right as you come out of the station and look for the London/Moscow/Beijing/... row of clocks in the reception area. There are several more hotels along the (fairly long, but walkable) street that leads west from there toward the center of town. On Wenling Road or Chongfu Road are several cheap business hotels, for ¥50-100. Thete are several high-end hotels along Baiyuan Road and nearby streets; they look like palaces and are easy to spot.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsQuanzhou, or rather Jinjiang across the river, has an airport with flights to various mainland cities, as well as some international flights to Hong Kong and other Asian cities. Nearby Xiamen has a more important airport with good domestic connections and quite a few international flights, including several long-haul ones. Fuzhou's airport is also reasonably close. There is a bus station in the square outside of the train station, with several local bus routes connecting the station with the city, and suburban routes coming from places such as Chongwu. Older maps and guidebooks may show the old Quanzhou Railway Station in the northeastern outskirts of the city, off Chenghua South Rd (Hwy G324). This station is closed. There are frequent buses from Xiamen (¥27-35, 1½ hours) and Fuzhou (¥46-65, 2½ hours). There are also direct overnight buses from more distant places such as Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Zhuhai, in the ¥300 range....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Taxis start at ¥8 and you can go almost anywhere in town for under ¥20. Be warned about local traffic! Traffic anywhere in China often horrifies visitors (see Driving in China), but Quanzhou is worse than most places. On some travel blogs, even Chinese complain about Quanzhou traffic. The town has an assortment of religious buildings, some quite old. It has been called a museum of world religions. There are Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian temples, as anywhere in China, plus Christian churches and one mosque. There are also Hindu and Zoroastrian temples. Neighboring Jinjiang has the world's only surviving Manichean temple. There is large area of antique and curio shops on the north side of the mosque. They sell mainly to locals. Quality, variety and price are all better than most tourist areas. You do have to bargain fiercely, though. White pottery from the village of Dehua outside Quanzhou has been an export item for centuries, known in Europe as "Blanc de Chine".
Where to Stay
Quanzhou is not a tourist-oriented city and there are relatively few hotels. By 2015, a fair number of Quanzhou hosts have registered with airbnb.com. There is a hotel attached to the main bus station; turn right as you come out of the station and look for the London/Moscow/Beijing/... row of clocks in the reception area. There are several more hotels along the (fairly long, but walkable) street that leads west from there toward the center of town. On Wenling Road or Chongfu Road are several cheap business hotels, for ¥50-100. Thete are several high-end hotels along Baiyuan Road and nearby streets; they look like palaces and are easy to spot.
Money & Budget
There is large area of antique and curio shops on the north side of the mosque. They sell mainly to locals. Quality, variety and price are all better than most tourist areas. You do have to bargain fiercely, though. White pottery from the village of Dehua outside Quanzhou has been an export item for centuries, known in Europe as "Blanc de Chine". Other ceramics are also made in the area. There are kilns going back a millennium or more. Anxi outside Quanzhou produces one of China's most famous teas, Tieguanyin Oolong. Guan Yin is a Buddhist Bodhisattva sometimes described as the Goddess of Mercy; "tie" means iron. China's three main types of tea are unfermented green tea, partly fermented oolong and heavily fermented Pu'er tea.
Language & Talk
The local language is Minnan, which is also spoken in neighbouring Xiamen, as well as across the sea in Taiwan, where it is known as Taiwanese. The dialect in Quanzhou differs slightly from the dialect in Xiamen and Taiwan, but nevertheless, they are similar enough for mutual comprehension. Most locals are bilingual in Mandarin and Minnan, so learning Minnan is not necessary to communicate, though attempts to do so will most certainly impress the locals. As with elsewhere in China, English is not widely spoken, though staff at more luxurious hotels will usually have at least a basic command of English. Quanzhou, or rather Jinjiang across the river, has an airport with flights to various mainland cities, as well as some international flights to Hong Kong and other Asian cities.