three days in Fujian Quanzhou

three days in Fujian Quanzhou

Three days in Fujian Quanzhou City in Oct. 2007

Quanzhou is 2 hours by bus from Xiamen. Fare is 38 Yuan on a direct tourist coach.

On arrival at the long distance bus station, I was hassled by touts. In front of the station there is a store selling freshly roasted chestnuts. Very good tasting. Luckily, I was also able to taste the last of the sweet and luscious persimmons of the season.

The people of Quanzhou are smaller built and darker, but you will find them very friendly.

Be careful. Plenty of bikers and also in motorized versions even on the sidewalks. Yet I am surprised that no collision observed during my stay there.

Food is normally plenty of hot chili and peppers. And now noodles are the popular staple. Rice is hard to find on fast food eateries except for zhongzhis. Zhongzhis is lotus leaf wrapping in tetrahedral shape containing glutinous rice with pork and mushroom etc. Cost 3 Yuan to 5 Yuan and just 2 can be considered a meal. McDonald is expensive here. A McChicken cost 8 Yuan. So is soda like Coke. But purified water can be bought for about 1 Yuan per liter.

I stayed at the magnificent Quanzhou Hotel; it is a 5 star hotel. Good service and very good location. It is within 40 minutes walking distance to many city center tourist attractions. Head South, and within 5 minutes it is Tumen Rd. After 10 minutes from the hotel you will find the Confucius shrine. Entrance fee 3 Yuan. Another 10 minutes the Mosque Entrance fee 3 Yuan. And another 15 minutes further down, a very popular Buddhist temple.

Head North along Zhongshan Rd. 15 minutes from the hotel you will encounter a clock monument in the street intersection. Turn left, it is West St. walk for 25 minutes, you will encounter the centuries old Kaiyuan Temple with two 7 story pagodas. Entrance free I paid for is 20 Yuan. It is 10 Yuan more than what I expected to pay. Just next to this is a preserved archeological wooden sailing ship for overseas voyage. Entrance fee 3 Yuan.

Quanzhou is a nice place to know more about history.