Xiamen, Tulou & Quanzhou: Fujian\'s Maritime Silk Road
A car-free island of colonial villas, the Hakka people\'s extraordinary earthen roundhouses, and Quanzhou — the port Marco Polo called \'the Alexandria of the East.\'
Route Overview
Fujian province faces Taiwan across the strait and has always been China\'s maritime frontier. This route connects three of its UNESCO sites: Gulangyu Island, a car-free island of colonial villas, gardens, and piano museums; the Fujian Tulou — enormous circular earthen buildings that housed entire Hakka clans for centuries; and Quanzhou, the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road, added to the UNESCO list in 2021 as \'Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China.\'
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Xiamen
Fly into Xiamen Gaoqi Airport (XMN). Xiamen (厦门, 'Amoy' in the old colonial name) is a pleasant coastal city that was one of the first treaty ports opened to foreign trade in 1842. Afternoon: Zhongshan Road (中山路) — a pedestrian shopping street with colonial arcade architecture. Visit Nanputuo Temple (南普陀寺, free) — a Tang dynasty Buddhist temple at the foot of Wulao Mountain. Evening: seafood dinner on Huandao Road.
Day 2: Gulangyu Island
Take the 10-minute ferry from Xiamen to Gulangyu Island (鼓浪屿, ¥35 round trip). Gulangyu is a car-free island of colonial villas, tropical gardens, and narrow lanes. It was a foreign concession from 1903-1945, and the architecture reflects this: British consulates, Japanese hospitals, Spanish cathedrals. Visit Shuzhuang Garden (菽庄花园, ¥30) — a seaside garden with a piano museum housing 100 antique pianos. Climb Sunlight Rock (日光岩, ¥50) for the island panorama. Evening: ferry back to Xiamen.
Day 3: Xiamen → Nanjing Tulou
Take a 3-hour bus from Xiamen to Nanjing Tulou cluster (¥45). The Nanjing Tulou are the most scenic group. Visit Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster (田螺坑, ¥100 combined ticket) — five tulou arranged in a pattern locals call 'four dishes and a soup' (four round buildings around one square). Then Yuchang Lou (裕昌楼) — a 700-year-old tulou whose pillars lean at 15° (it is called the 'Leaning Tower of Pisa of Fujian'). Finish at Taxia Village (塔下村) — a Hakka village along a stream with a unique stone flagpole forest honouring successful scholars. Stay overnight in a tulou guesthouse.
Day 4: Tulou → Xiamen → Quanzhou
Morning: visit Hekeng Tulou Cluster (河坑, quieter, less touristy) or Yunshuiyao Ancient Village (云水谣, a riverside village with a thousand-year-old banyan tree used in the film 'The Knot'). Afternoon: bus back to Xiamen (3 hrs), then 30-minute high-speed train to Quanzhou (¥25). Check into hotel. Evening: walk Quanzhou's old town — the Tumen Street area with its mosque, temple, and church within walking distance of each other.
Day 5: Quanzhou
Quanzhou was the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road and, during the Song-Yuan period (10th-14th centuries), one of the world's largest ports. Start at Kaiyuan Temple (开元寺, free) — a Tang dynasty Buddhist temple with twin stone pagodas that have survived since the 13th century. Behind the main hall, two stone pillars are carved with Hindu deities — a legacy of Tamil traders who lived here 700 years ago. Visit the Qingjing Mosque (清净寺, ¥3) — China's oldest surviving mosque, built in 1009 AD. Lunch: Quanzhou oyster omelette (海蛎煎) and 'vermicelli paste' (面线糊) — rice noodles in a thick seafood broth. Afternoon: Maritime Museum (free) and the ancient Maritime Silk Road ship excavated from Quanzhou Bay. Evening: train back to Xiamen (30 min, ¥25).
Day 6: Xiamen → Fly Out
If your flight is in the evening: visit the Xiamen Botanical Garden (¥40) or cycle the Huandao Road coastal path (rental bikes ¥20/hr). Buy oolong tea (Fujian is the home of Tieguanyin and Dahongpao) and dried seafood as souvenirs.
Planning This Route
Getting There
Fly into Xiamen (XMN). Xiamen-Quanzhou: high-speed train (30 min, ¥25). Xiamen-Tulou: bus (3 hrs, ¥45). Ferry to Gulangyu: 10 min, ¥35 round trip.
Where to Stay
Xiamen: Zhongshan Road area or near Xiamen University ($40-100/night). Tulou: stay overnight in a tulou guesthouse (¥150-300/night). Quanzhou: near the old town ($30-70/night).
When to Go
March-May and October-December. Xiamen is subtropical — mild winters (10-15°C) and hot, humid summers (30-35°C). Typhoon season is July-September (Gulangyu ferries may stop). Spring and autumn are ideal.
What to Eat
Xiamen: oyster omelette (海蛎煎), satay noodles (沙茶面), peanut soup (花生汤). Quanzhou: vermicelli paste (面线糊), oyster omelette (different from Xiamen's version), zongzi (粽子, sticky rice dumplings). Tulou area: Hakka salt-baked chicken, stuffed tofu, yam noodles.
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