Fujian

Fujian is in East China across the Taiwan Straits from Taiwan. Fujian and Taiwan residents share the same dialect. Most of Fujian is mountainous and the weather subtropical. Fujian's largest cities are along the coast, many Arab merchants came via this route during the Ming Dynasty. Our capital city, Fuzhou, was founded over 2000 years age and was opened to foreign trade in 1842.

A British Community Church is now used as a warehouse. The Surging Spring Temple was founded in A.D. 783 and has a white jade Buddha. In Spirit Source Cave there are several hundred inscriptions on the cliff. Our most famous temples are the White Pagoda and Black Pagoda. The Memorial Hall of Lin Zexu, a Qing official who burned 20,000 chests of opium near Guangzhou in 1839, has a statue of the national hero. Fuzhou is also noted for its hot springs.

Xiamen on the SE coast of Fujian is two and a half km from Jinmen, an island held by the Nationalist's. Xiamen was the home base of Zheng Chenggong, a national hero who rid Taiwan of the Dutch in 1662. Its botanical gardens have many tropical and subtropical plants. The 1000-year-old South Putuo Temple has a stunning, 3-faced, multi-armed statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy. Behind the temple is Five Old Men Peaks, from where one can get a good view of the Taiwan Straits. At the foot of the peaks is the Overseas Chinese Museum, outlining the contributions of natives who emigrated overseas. Gulangyu (Drum Wave) Island is now a car- and bicycle-free resort area. The guesthouses are converted from old mansions built for foreigners. The Zheng Chenggong Memorial Hall is also located on the island. On Jimei Island, 2.83 square km, eighty percent of the people have relatives abroad.

Quanzhou is 300 km north of Xiamen. The tomb of Zheng Chenggong is about 25 km NW of the city. Quanzhou was a large port city and exported silks and porcelain in Yuan dynasty. At one time, 10,000 foreigners from Persia, Syria, and Southeast Asia lived in the city, most being Moslem bringing their beautiful architecture and the largest collection of Nestorian Christian and Manichaean relics. The Kaiyuan Temple dates from the Tang dynasty. Decorated with unusual clay flying figures, Indian figures, Chinese dragons and tigers and a 1000-armed, 1000-eyed Guanyin. On the temple grounds are 2 large pagodas, over 40 meters high. Near the temple is the Overseas Communication Museum, which outlines Chinese maritime and local Arab history. Old God Rock is stone statue of Laotze, founder of Taoism. Our Grand Mosque was built by local Moslems in 1009. It was copied from a mosque in Damascus. Here are also the Islamic Tombs.