Quanzhou History & Culture

The history of the Quanzhou region dates back to the Zhou and Qin dynasties. In the third year of the Yong'an reign of the Wu Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms period (260 AD), Dong'an County was established. During the Tianjian period of the Liang Dynasty (502-519 AD), Nan'an County was established as the county seat. In the second year of the Jingyun reign of the Tang Dynasty (711 AD), it was renamed Quanzhou. In 1927, it was directly administered by Fujian Province, comprising seven counties. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, an administrative inspection district was established. In 1986, the Jinjiang District was abolished and Quanzhou prefecture-level city was established. Quanzhou, with its thriving fishery and port economy, was a key node on the ancient Maritime Silk Road. Since the reform and opening up, Quanzhou has embarked on a path of economic development characterized by its overseas Chinese roots, creating the "Quanzhou Model." It has become one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic regions in Fujian Province and even in China, and one of China's 18 exemplary regions for reform and opening up. Quanzhou was one of the first 24 historical and cultural cities announced by the State Council and the first "Cultural Capital of East Asia." Quanzhou is a national-level Southern Fujian Cultural Ecological Protection Area, the birthplace of global Southern Fujian culture, and a rich source of its cultural heritage. Quanzhou City is the birthplace of Southern Shaolin martial arts, and is also a famous overseas Chinese hometown and the main ancestral home of Taiwan's Han compatriots.