Quanzhou charms

Get away from the crowds in Xiamen and seek out the quieter pleasures in Quanzhou, a city with a rich maritime history that was once a melting pot of the world's religions. Sun Li tours Fujian province's lesser-known tourist attraction.

Many travelers visiting East China's Fujian province head straight for Xiamen, a seaside city widely regarded as the area's biggest tourist draw. But nearby Quanzhou, packed with culture and history, is just as worthy of your time.

Famous as the start of the Maritime Silk Road and the largest port in Asia during the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties, Quanzhou was once visited by legendary travelers, such as Marco Polo and Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta, who compared Quanzhou to the Egyptian port of Alexandria.