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Quanzhou is located on the southeast coast of Fujian province, facing Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait. Covering an area of 11,000 sq km, modern Quanzhou is a region of 6 million, with 500,000 people clustered into the seaside city area. The area of most historic interest is the 7 sq km of the Old City which links this modern port to its past.
The port of Quanzhou was established in the 9th century and enjoyed its most successful times during the Song and Yuan dynasties (960-1368). Quanzhou was said to be one of the greatest ports in the world, 2nd only to Alexandria in Egypt. Silks, ceramics and porcelain were shipped out of Quanzhou and the city was an extremely cosmopolitan seaport. Arabian and Persian merchants settled here and Quanzhou boasts the oldest mosque in China at Qingjing Mosque.
The port’s fortunes declined from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) onwards and by the 19th century the nearby treaty ports of Fuzhou and Xiamen dominated Fujian’s sea trade. Many natives of Quanzhou left the city and today it is claimed that 2 million people worldwide can trace their families back to this small city. |
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