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Luoyang Bridge crossing the tidal estuary near Quanzhou

UNESCO World Heritage

A world port told through 22 places

Temples and mosques are only part of the story. Bridges, docks, kilns, institutions and navigation landmarks show how the entire port worked.

See all 22 sites Design a route
Official name
Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song–Yuan China
Inscribed
2021
Period represented
10th–14th centuries
Component sites
22 across city, hinterland and coast

Overview

The value lies in the connections.

UNESCO recognises Quanzhou as an integrated maritime emporium: a city where institutions, production, transport, markets and a diverse social world operated together.

The mountains supplied goods and raw materials. Roads and bridges moved them. The river and coast connected docks with sea routes. Temples, mosques, tombs and inscriptions reveal the communities, beliefs and risks that accompanied trade.

Main hall at Kaiyuan Temple, one component of the Quanzhou World Heritage property

Read the system

Five forces behind the port

A useful visit connects at least two of these forces instead of collecting monuments without context.

  1. Institutions

    Trade administration, city gates and civic offices organised a major commercial centre.

  2. Production

    Ceramic kilns and iron production linked the coast to a large inland economy.

  3. Transport

    Bridges, docks, rivers and coastal landmarks moved goods and guided ships.

  4. Belief and community

    Buddhist, Daoist, Islamic, Manichaean and maritime traditions grew within the port.

  5. Urban life

    Markets, schools, streets and neighbourhoods made global trade part of a Chinese city.

The complete property

The 22 component sites

Open a site for its role in the port system and the kind of route it suits.

Design your route

Filter by time, place and the story you want

The conditions can work separately or together. A broad first route is often stronger than a long list of distant sites.

6 routes

Best first route

World-Port Downtown

Kaiyuan Temple · West Street · Qingjing Mosque · Deji Gate · Tianhou Temple

Half day to one day · Mostly walking

Living belief

Religions of a Maritime City

Kaiyuan Temple · Qingjing Mosque · Tianhou Temple · Zhenwu Temple

One day · Walking plus short taxi transfers

Infrastructure

Bridges, Docks and Water

Luoyang Bridge · Estuary Docks · Zhenwu Temple

One day · Car or taxi useful

Coastal geography

Navigation Landmarks

Shihu Dock · Liusheng Pagoda · Wanshou Pagoda

One day · Dedicated coastal route

Made for trade

Porcelain and Production

Cizao Kilns · Dehua Kilns · production museums and workshops

Two days · Advance transport planning

Beyond downtown

Faith Across the Region

Islamic Tombs · Statue of Lao Tze · Cao'an Temple · Jiuri Mountain

Two days · Best with a driver or guide