Quanzhou

Quanzhou was once one of the world's great ports — the starting point of the maritime Silk Road — and its history as a trading crossroads still shows in a remarkable mix of cultures. The city's UNESCO-listed core includes the Buddhist Kaiyuan Temple, one of China's oldest mosques at Qingjing, and a wealth of stone bridges, temples and guildhalls built by Arab, Persian and Southeast Asian merchants.

Quiet and authentic where nearby Xiamen is busy, Quanzhou rewards curious travellers with its old streets, oyster-shell houses and superb street food. It's an easy day trip or overnight stop from Xiamen and a refreshingly uncrowded taste of coastal Fujian.

Getting there: Quanzhou Jinjiang (JJN) airport has domestic flights, but most visitors arrive by high-speed rail — just 20–30 minutes from Xiamen or an hour from Fuzhou. The old town is a short ride from the station.

Getting around: The compact historic centre is best explored on foot, with buses and taxis/Didi for the sites further out. Renting a bicycle is a pleasant way to reach the surrounding villages.

Quanzhou is a street-food city: oyster omelette, beef noodle soup, zongzi (sticky-rice dumplings), fish balls and peanut-soup desserts. The Minnan coastal flavours are seafood-led and lighter than the inland cuisines, and the night markets are the best place to try everything.

Oct–Dec (mild and dry)

Pair Quanzhou with Xiamen for a varied Fujian trip. Avoid August–September, the typhoon season. Most of the UNESCO sites are within the walkable old town, so give yourself a full day rather than rushing it as a half-day trip.