West Street
Quanzhou's earliest developed district, born with the founding of the city in the Tang Kaiyuan era; for 1,300 years it has remained the lively central axis of the old town
Visitor info
- Opening hours
- Open all day
- Ticket
- Free
Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.
Quanzhou's earliest developed district, born with the founding of the city in the Tang Kaiyuan era; for 1,300 years it has remained the lively central axis of the old town. The Clock Tower, a European-style landmark built in 1934, stands framed with the red-brick old houses to form Quanzhou's city portrait. In Pei Alley and the Xiaoxicheng creative district, old residences have been converted into bookstores and cafes; time-honored shops serving mianxian hu (silky noodle-paste soup), runbing (soft spring rolls) and four-fruit soup line the street — the city's character of "half worldly bustle, half divine grace" shows most vividly here, and sunrise at the Clock Tower and the West Street night market are the classics of the two times of day.
Getting there: within walking distance of the Clock Tower
Photos
More in Quanzhou
- Kaiyuan Temple
Quanzhou's largest Buddhist temple, first built in the second year of the Tang Chuigong reign (686); legend holds that the temple was founded when its owner gave up his garden after a mulberry tree bloomed with white lotus flowers — hence the "Purple Clouds Covering the Ground" legend
- Qingjing Mosque
One of China's oldest surviving mosques, founded in 1009 (the second year of the Dazhong Xiangfu reign, Northern Song) by Muslim merchant guilds from Arabia; its Arabic name was "Ashab Mosque". The granite-built gateway and the surviving pillars of the Fengtian altar still echo the style of the Great Mosque of Damascus in Syria.
- Tianhou Palace
One of the starting points from which the Mazu faith spread to the world: built in 1196 (the second year of the Qingyuan reign, Southern Song), it is one of the oldest Mazu temples still standing.
- Confucian Temple (Fuwenmiao)
Quanzhou's prefectural Confucian temple, first built in the Tang dynasty and rebuilt in the Southern Song; its Dacheng Hall is one of the largest surviving Confucian temple halls in Jiangnan (south of the Yangtze), with a double-eaved hip roof and Song-style dougong brackets well preserved.
- Tonghuai Guanyue Temple (Temple of Guan Yu and Yue Fei)
The busiest Guandi (Lord Guan) temple in southern Fujian by incense traffic; its Ming-dynasty complex consists of a front hall, the Sanyi Hall and a rear hall, with worshippers pouring in all day.
- Chengtian Temple & Chongfu Temple
Chengtian Temple, one of the three great monasteries of southern Fujian, was founded in the Five Dynasties period; its "Ten Scenes of Chengtian", such as "Moon Terrace Reflection" and "Evening Clouds over Yingshan", are scattered through the courtyards. The eminent modern monk Master Hongyi passed away here, and the temple houses a memorial hall dedicated to him.