What to see in Quanzhou, China | Quanzhou travel guides

Religious structures

religious structures

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.

religious structures

Qingjing Mosque

Tumen Street

3 yuan

The only surviving mosque of the many that used to exist. It is over 1,000 years old, and was rebuilt in 2009 so the dome is now restored after a 200-year absence. Well worth a visit.

religious structures

Taoist temple

free

just east of the mosque

Large and impressive. Note the huge over 2 stories tall ritual furnace for burning joss paper.

religious structures

Confucian Temple

A couple of blocks west of the Taoist Temple, just off Tumen Street

This is the main Confucian temple in town.

religious structures

Chongfu Temple

Chongfu Road

Northeast of the city center, near where Dong Road turns into Donghu Road

A beautiful if small active Buddhist Temple.

religious structures

Old Saint

On the peak of Qingyuanshan just outside town

An enormous statue of Lao Tse, the founder of Taoism, which attracts people from all over China.

museums

Puppet Museum

From the mosque, walk West (away from the Taoist temple) along Tumen Street, take the first right, go a short distance and take the first right again (if you reach a park on your right, you have gone too far), the museum is a short way along on your left (if you reach the French restaurant, you have gone too far)

* Quanzhou is famous for puppets and the museum is excellent. They sometimes do shows, which are excellent, but not on a regular schedule. You need to be lucky to catch one, or to have a group of 20 or so people and make arrangements.

other sights

Monument to Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong)

An enormous equestrian statue that appears to be guarding the town, up on a hill on the east side of the city. He was a local boy whose family were seafarers, merchants trading with Japan, and pirates. On land, he became a general, resisting the then-new Qing Manchu dynasty. His base on Xiamen's Gulang Yu is one of the tourist sites there. He is best known for driving the Dutch out of Taiwan in the 1660s, the first major wave of Chinese immigration to Taiwan was his soldiers settling down and bringing their families. He is one of the few people seen as a hero by the current governments on both sides of the straits, beating the foreign devils makes you a good guy in everyone's books.