Quanzhou in the Fujian province of China has a rich history and has always played an important part in Chinese culture. Originally this city earned a great deal of its fame as the eastern start of the ‘silk road’, it also lies opposite Taiwan. This made the port extremely busy and it had a huge mix of people and cultures, this is reflected today in the important Islamic, Taoist and Buddhist holy sites and ruins that are spread in and around the city.

The city has a number of attractions and so it is easy to fill a few days in Quanzhou, but here are my top three recommendations:

QingYuan Shan – Qingyuan mountain. This is a fantastic day out, the mountains are extremely calming and a complete foil to the busy city. There are lots of paths and whilst some can become a little dangerous they are generally all manageable by anyone who is reasonably surefooted. The mountain is part of a park in the northern suburb of the city and there is a charge for entrance. There are loads of carvings, temples and pagodas scattered around the area so there is plenty to see beside the natural beauty of the mountain it is also good way to get some exercise as well, comfortable shoes are highly recommended.

Statue of Lao Zi– Lao Zi (lots of different spellings of the surname) is considered one of the founders of Taoism and is remembered in this famous statue. It is over 5 meters tall, 8 meters wide and over 1000 years old. This statue is famous so there are always crowds here, therefore, be prepared for a bit of a push or go early. The statue is at the base of the mountain and the charge for entry to the mountain does not include this statue.

Kai Yuan Si – The Kaiyuan temple is an amazing site, consisting of two main stone pagodas and a central temple. The East and west pagodas are incredible, originally they were made of wood and stone before being remade completely of stone, they are covered in carvings, one has 40 Buddhist tales inscribed on the walls. The temple is located in West Street and entry is about 10 yuan.

There are lots of other interesting things to see and do, so a few days in Quanzhou is definitely worthwhile and whilst it may not have the long list of attractions of Shanghai or Beijing it is still a worthwhile place to visit.