Quanzhou

Quanzhou lies northeast of Xiamen, facing Taiwan across the sea. It is one of the first famous historic and cultural cities listed by the State Council. Also known as "Hai Bin Zou Lu" (meaning coastal civilized city), Quanzhou is one if the three central cities in Fujian Province. The whole city covers an area of 11,015 square kilometers (or 2,721,865.77 acre), with a population of 7.74 million (Jinmen County not included). It is 154 kilometers (or 95.6911636 miles) from Fuzhou City,  or about a 2 hours drive. The district number of Quanzhou is 0595, and the postal code is 362000.

Quanzhou is rich in history and culture, with a lot of places of historical interests and world-known cultural relics. In Quanzhou, there are 12 state protected historic sites, and 27 provincial heritage conservation units. Quanzhou is also known as "the Biggest Port in the Orient" and the starting point on the "Silk Road of the Sea".

Since ancient times, different religions have been in harmony with each other, and eastern and western culture have gathered together. Particularly, Buddhism, Taoism and Manichaeism have had their influence here. Many of the religious relics are of great historic and artistic value, adding a unique cultural landscape to Quanzhou.