Quanzhou

Day Trips

Begin your journey by arriving at Quanzhou and settling into a centrally located hotel where you can enjoy a light local breakfast of oyster omelet and rice porridge. After checking in, take a short stroll to Kaiyuan Temple, admiring its twin pagodas and centuries-old stone carvings. Immerse yourself in the tranquil temple grounds and listen to the soft chants echoing through ancient halls.

Enjoy a leisurely lunch of braised beef noodles at a nearby teahouse before returning to Kaiyuan Temple to explore its hidden courtyards and lush garden. Visit the Guanyin Pavilion and marvel at the intricate wooden beams and painted murals. Finish your temple tour by joining a meditation session offered by the resident monks.

Walk along East Street, sampling Quanzhou’s famous peanut soup and savory fried dumplings at local food stalls. Wander through the night market, browsing handicrafts, lanterns, and traditional Chinese medicines. End the evening with a cup of jasmine tea at a quaint teahouse while listening to a local narrator share Silk Road legends.

Start with a hearty seafood breakfast at a waterfront café overlooking the harbor before heading to the Quanzhou Maritime Museum. Explore the exhibits on ancient shipbuilding techniques and maritime trade routes that connected China to Southeast Asia and beyond. Admire the life-size model of a Song Dynasty trading vessel and interactive maps showing the Silk Road’s maritime network.

Have lunch at a nearby restaurant specializing in Fujian rice noodles and fresh seafood. Spend the afternoon delving deeper into the museum’s collection of maritime relics, including navigational instruments and trade goods from foreign lands. Participate in a hands-on workshop on traditional knot-tying and rope-making used by sailors centuries ago.

Enjoy a sunset cruise along the Jin River, taking in views of historic quay walls and waterfront gardens. Sample evening tapas like marinated clams and grilled squid on deck. Return to shore for a riverside stroll under lantern light, soaking in the gentle breeze and evening chatter of locals.

Begin your day with a local street snack of sesame seed cakes before visiting Qingjing Mosque, one of the oldest Islamic temples in China. Admire the mosque’s blend of Arabic and Fujian architectural styles, from its whitewashed walls to intricately carved wooden screens. Meet with a guide to learn about the mosque’s role in Quanzhou’s multicultural history.

Enjoy a Halal lunch featuring lamb skewers and flatbread at a nearby Muslim eatery. Head to West Lake Park for a serene boat ride among lotus blooms and willow trees, watching as locals practice tai chi by the water’s edge. Visit the park’s traditional pavilions and stroll along the scenic pathways lined with azaleas and bamboo groves.

Dine at a lakeside restaurant offering Fujianese hot pot with fresh vegetables and seafood. After dinner, attend an outdoor cultural performance in the park featuring puppetry, music, and dance. Cap off the night with a moonlit walk around the illuminated lake, reflecting lanterns dancing on the water.

Drive to the historic Luoyang Bridge, one of the world’s earliest stone beam bridges, and enjoy breakfast from a local vendor selling rice cakes and soy milk by the riverside. Walk across the bridge, observing ancient inscriptions and the ingenious clam-based foundation used to strengthen its piers. Photograph the tranquil river scene framed by stone railings and distant green hills.

Sample Fujian-style dim sum at a riverside tea house before ascending Qingyuan Mountain via cable car. Explore the mountain’s winding trails, spotting ancient grottoes and Buddhist temples nestled among pine forests. Pause at viewing platforms to admire panoramic views of Quanzhou and the surrounding countryside.

Descend for dinner at a mountain restaurant serving stir-fried mountain vegetables and wild mushroom soup. Join a local herbalist for an introduction to medicinal plants that grow on the mountain slopes. Return to the city lights, reflecting on the day’s blend of engineering marvels and natural beauty.

Enjoy a traditional Fujian breakfast of steamed buns and green tea before visiting the Quanzhou Confucian Temple, the oldest of its kind in Southeast China. Wander through the grand courtyards, passing stone tablets inscribed with Confucian classics and ancient calligraphy. Observe scholars practicing rituals at the Dacheng Hall and learn about the temple’s role in education and governance.

Head to the nearby Eastern Street historic district and savor a noodle soup lunch in a century-old eatery. Explore narrow alleys lined with red-brick shophouses, stall-front shops offering spices, tea leaves, and calligraphy brushes. Stop in at a preserved traditional residence museum to see period furnishings and decorative woodwork.

Experience a living-history dinner in a restored colonial courtyard house, sampling Fujian dumplings and sweet potato fries. Attend a folk storytelling session in the courtyard, where storytellers use traditional props and music to recount local legends. Finish the night with handcrafted mochi treats and conversations around a lantern-lit communal table.

Travel to a nearby coastal village known for its centuries-old boatbuilding traditions and begin the day with fresh shrimp dumplings and seaweed soup. Visit local workshops to watch craftsmen carve wooden hulls and assemble mast fittings by hand. Try your hand at sanding a small wooden boat model under the guidance of a master boatbuilder.

Enjoy a seafood feast of steamed fish and clams at a family-run seaside inn before heading to Ying Garden, a lush royal-style garden commissioned by a wealthy merchant in the Ming Dynasty. Stroll through winding rockeries, lotus ponds, and pavilions decorated with calligraphy and landscape paintings. Participate in a traditional garden tea ceremony among bamboo groves and flowering shrubs.

Return to Quanzhou for dinner at an elegant garden-themed restaurant offering claypot rice and braised pork belly. Attend an evening lantern festival performance featuring dragon dances and folk music in a courtyard beside the city moat. Conclude with a quiet walk along illuminated garden paths and gentle fountain displays.

Depart early for Shenhu village, famed for its ancient stone houses and granite quays, and enjoy a breakfast of rice rolls and local pickles. Wander narrow lanes lined with tidal wells and shopfront temples dedicated to the Goddess Mazu. Photograph centuries-old inscriptions carved into quayside rocks by passing migrant sailors.

Savor a beachfront lunch of grilled prawns and clams before heading to the nearby Nan’an coastal hills for panoramic ocean views. Hike along cliff-top paths lined with wildflowers and wind-sculpted pines. Pause at lookout points to spot fishing boats bobbing on the horizon and waves crashing against basalt formations.

Return to Quanzhou and sample evening specialties like peanut candy and shrimp fritters at a riverside night food market. Explore a nearby fishing port’s boardwalk, where friendly vendors sell smoked squid and dried fish snacks. End with a sea breeze–cooled stroll, listening to fishermen mend nets under lantern light.

Fuel up with sweet rice dumplings and soy milk before setting off to the Kaiyuan West Grottoes carved into a limestone cliff face. Marvel at dozens of Buddha statues in various poses, some weathered by time and others richly painted. Climb narrow steps carved into the rock to reach secluded niches adorned with ancient inscriptions.

Enjoy a picnic lunch in a forested glen near the grotto entrance, surrounded by bamboo and ferns. Continue to the Mosheyan Buddhist Cave Temple, one of the best-preserved rock-cut sanctuaries in Fujian. Engage with a resident monk to learn about the iconography of Avalokitesvara statues and the chants once recited in these chambers.

Return to town for dinner at a historic eatery specializing in braised pork rice and oyster pancakes. Attend a multimedia show detailing the discovery and restoration of the grottoes, complete with 3D projections on stone tablet replicas. Relax afterward at a teahouse serving osmanthus-scented tea and discuss the day’s spiritual impressions.

Begin your day with Jianbing crepes and hot soy milk before visiting a porcelain workshop where centuries-old techniques are kept alive. Watch artisans shape clay on potter’s wheels and apply hand-painted designs inspired by coastal motifs. Try painting a small ceramic cup under the guidance of a master craftsman.

Have lunch at a traditional courtyard restaurant serving Hakka-style stir-fries and tea eggs. Explore a calligraphy and seal-carving studio, observing how skilled artists chisel personalized seals from stone blocks. Participate in a short workshop carving your own name seal and practicing brush strokes on rice paper.

Dine on a variety of dim sum and local sweets at a bustling food street. Attend a performance of puppet theater, where intricately carved wooden puppets enact local legends accompanied by live musicians. Conclude the evening by browsing artisan stalls selling embroidered silk, bamboo fans, and handwoven baskets under soft lantern glow.

Enjoy a final breakfast of savory rice flour rolls and dumplings before packing and checking out of your hotel. Return to Kaiyuan Temple for a final silent walk through its tranquil gardens, absorbing the lessons of history and faith etched into its stones. Capture one last photo of the twin pagodas against the morning sky.

Savor a farewell lunch featuring your favorite Fujian dishes—perhaps oyster omelet, braised pork rice, or fish ball soup. Make a quick stop at a local tea shop to pick up premium Tieguanyin and oolong tea as souvenirs. Stroll through a nearby market to gather any last-minute gifts like peanut candies or traditional snacks.

Depart for Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport or train station, allowing time to reflect on your ten-day immersion in maritime history, multicultural heritage, and coastal landscapes. Enjoy a final cup of jasmine tea at the airport lounge, reminiscing on temples, grottoes, and village streets. Bid farewell to Quanzhou with a promise to return and continue the journey along the Maritime Silk Road.