5 Days in Quanzhou

The Tang temple (founded 686) keeps twin stone pagodas of 48.24 m and 44.06 m, rebuilt in stone by 1228 and 1250; then a slow walk of West Street toward the Bell Tower.

1. Kaiyuan Temple
2. quanzhou west street

The Arab-style mosque dates to 1009 — visit outside prayer times with shoulders covered; the Mazu temple by the old docks was founded in 1196. Afternoon at Xunpu, where oyster-shell walls and the women's flower-crown custom (national heritage since 2008) face the river mouth.

1. quanzhou qingjing mosque
2. quanzhou tianhou palace
3. quanzhou xunpu village

The cross-sea stone bridge took six years of work and was finished in 1059; oyster colonies still bind its roughly 834 m of spans. The museum's 24 m Song-junk replica closes the port story — it closes Mondays.

1. Luoyang Bridge
2. Quanzhou Maritime Museum

Begun in 1138 and finished in 1152, the stone bridge ran about 2.2 km — locals still call it the Five-Li Bridge. Wudianshi's red-brick courtyards grew out of five Tang-era shops; evening seafood in Jinjiang.

1. quanzhou anping bridge
2. quanzhou wudianshi

The Song-dynasty Laozi statue on the hillside stands 5.63 m tall and 8.01 m wide — China's largest ancient stone Laozi. Finish with qilou arcades and a soup supper on Zhongshan Road before the HSR.

1. quanzhou qingyuan mountain
2. quanzhou zhongshan road