Things to do in Liancheng

No. 2 of Best Things to Do in Chaoshan Region

Ancient City of Chaozhou

7.7

4.5/5

876 reviews

The Ancient City Wall of Chaozhou mainly refers to the Xiangqiao District of Chaozhou City. Many historical buildings here have been integrated into modern city life. To experience the unique charm of this ancient city, you can go to Paifang Street and taste traditional food, go to Kaiyuan Temple, Xufu Mafu, and Huang Jilue Ancestral Hall to admire ancient architecture and amazing wood carvings, or take a stroll along the Han River and look at the ancient city walls, the city gate, and the famous Guangji Bridge. If you want to enjoy a nice cup of Chaozhou Gongfu tea, enjoy it by West Lake, where you can take a boat tour.

China · Chaozhou

No. 4 of Family-friendly Attractions in Fujian

Meizhou Island

4.5/5

2.3k reviews

Meizhou Island is located in the south of Putian. It is a long, narrow island stretching north to south and is also the birthplace of Mazu culture. The Mazu Ancestral Temple sits on the island and has been a blessed place for coastal believers since ancient times, earning it the reputation of the "Mecca of the East." The island features peculiar boulder geological views and broad, fine, soft beaches, where natural scenery and cultural heritage blend together. The Mazu Ancestral Temple is the core attraction on the island and the ancestral temple of Mazu temples throughout the world. The ancestral temple complex is built along the mountain and mainly includes the Tianhou Palace, Chaotian Pavilion, Bell and Drum Tower, and other buildings. Every day, many devotees come here to offer incense and pray, so the incense offerings are abundant. In the Mazu Culture Park adjacent to the ancestral temple, a stone statue of Mazu about 14 m tall stands at the summit, serving as a landmark of the island. The park also contains stone carvings and a temple complex built along the mountain. Viewed from the sea, the buildings are layered one upon another, quite resembling the "Potala Palace on the sea." Ewei Divine Stone Park is located at the southern end of the island. Here you can walk along the seaside ridges to climb high and gaze at the sea, or wander among the various grotesque rock formations. Most of the park consists of mountain paths and stone steps, so it is recommended to bring water and take sun protection measures while visiting. The island also has several beaches, including Niutouwei Beach in the north, Lianchiao Beach in the middle, and Ewei Mountain Beach in the south. Among them, the better known is Golden Beach at the southwest tip, which has a gentle slope and fine, soft sand. When you come here at dawn or dusk, the sea surface shimmers with golden light in the sunlight. The island is not large, so you can also rent a bicycle for cycling around the island and slowly take in the local customs and sea views.

China · Putian

No. 5 of Family-friendly Attractions in Fujian

South Shaolin Temple

4.7/5

679 reviews

First built during the Longshuo era and abandoned in the Tianyou era. According to Cai Yongjian's "Xishan magazine" from the Qing Dynasty, which cited the Tang Dynasty's "Minzhong records," before the first year of Longshuo in the Tang Dynasty (661 AD), "Zhikong entered Minzhong and built the Shaolin Temple at the foot of Qingyuan Mountain, consisting of thirteen courtyards." "The Shaolin Temple had thirteen sections, surrounded by walls three zhang high, with vast fields and lush forests." "Beside the celestial altar stood the Shaolin Temple, where Zen master Zhikong met with Governor Wang at the celestial altar." Zhikong (styled Daoguang) was one of the thirteen staff-wielding monks from the Songshan Shaolin Temple renowned for saving the Tang emperor. His arrival in Min marked the beginning of martial monks in Fujian, and he trained twelve disciples—some capable of capturing tigers or lifting massive cauldrons, others skilled in wielding heavy crossbows, mastering chain hammers, or moving with extraordinary speed... The "Minzhong records" also states: In the first year of the Tang Tianyou era (907), "the Shaolin Temple rebelled against Wang Shenzhi's allegiance to the Liang Dynasty and was destroyed." Shi Mengshuo of the Southern Song Dynasty wrote in his "Donglu poetry collection": "The Shaolin Temple was built in Qingyuan, with ten grand gates and towering walls; a hundred acres of fields across three ridges, where a thousand monks practiced martial arts to rebel against the Wang regime." The "Wang regime" refers to the Min King Wang Shenzhi. Wang Shenzhi's destruction of the South Shaolin Temple in Quanzhou marks its first destruction. Prospered during the Taiping Xingguo era and declined during the Zhiyuan era The "Xishan magazine" records that in the sixth year of the Taiping Xingguo era of the Northern Song Dynasty (981 AD), an imperial decree was issued to rebuild the South Shaolin Temple in Quanzhou. This marked the second revival of the South Shaolin Temple in Quanzhou. Liu Changyan of the Northern Song Dynasty wrote in his poem: "The legacy of Qingyuan was built during the Xingguo era, the Shaolin spirit pervades throughout southern Quanzhou." "Xingguo" refers to the reign era of Emperor Taizong of Song, Taiping Xingguo (976–983). A copy of the Zhang family genealogy preserved in Donghu village, Dongqiao town, Hui'an county, states: "Shizhi, styled Fayi, renowned for stone carving, his craftsmanship was unparalleled, such as the stone lions in front of the Shaolin Temple in Quanzhou..." Zhang Shizhi was the younger brother of Zhang Shixun, a figure from the Song Dynasty, indicating his involvement in carving the stone lions at the entrance of the Shaolin Temple in Quanzhou during the Song Dynasty. Northern Song Dynasty records document that the South Shaolin Temple originally comprised a mountain gate, Mahavira Hall, dharma hall, Bodhidharma ancestral hall, thirteen halls, arhat hall, xuannü hall, scripture repository, heavenly king hall, Guanyin hall, Ksitigarbha hall and other supporting facilities, covering 400 mu of land. During the 2002 reconstruction of the heavenly king hall, over 40 stone temple components were excavated underground, including 1 pagoda base, 1 pagoda cover, 7 finials resembling those of Yinggeng Pagoda at Chengtian Temple, 4 stone caps, 4 column bases, 6 stone pillars, and notably 20 intact mortise stones measuring 1 m in diameter - all testifying to the temple's grand architectural scale. Numerous roof tiles and covers were also unearthed. Experts speculate these components likely belonged to the Quanzhou South Shaolin Temple's structures during the Tang and Song dynasties. During the peak periods of the Tang and Song dynasties, the temple housed thousands of martial monks. The "Xishan magazine · general records" also records: "In the first year of the Song Jingyan era (Yuan Dynasty's Zhiyuan 13th year, 1276), a thousand monks from the Qingyuan Shaolin Temple rebelled against Pu Shougeng's surrender to the Yuan Dynasty. The abbot of the Shaolin Temple, Yuan Miao... commonly known as Zhao Mengliang... (Yuan troops) pursued them to the Shaolin Temple... The vanguard, Qi Wotunsi, known for his cruelty, ordered an assault on the Shaolin Temple, provoking the fury of the thousand monks. Amidst the clash of swords, each monk fought like ten, leaving Yuan soldiers' corpses strewn across the east of Qingyuan city, with bones littering the fields. When Suodu arrived, he ordered arrows to be shot, killing most of the thousand monks, with only a hundred surviving... The survivors fled to Dehua (Daiyun Temple)." This marks the second destruction of the South Shaolin Temple in Quanzhou. In the mid-Ming dynasty, Li Sen (born in 1398), a wealthy philanthropist from Anxi, funded the purchase of large tracts of wasteland on Dongyue Mountain to establish charitable burial grounds for the free interment of remains by Quanzhou residents. These burial sites appear to have been the same wastelands where the Shaolin Temple was destroyed after its thousand monks resisted the Yuan dynasty in the late Southern Song period. Prospered during the Hongwu era and declined during the Qianlong era The "Xishan magazine" records: In the tenth year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1377 AD), Faben of the Xuanmiao Temple (a Shaolin monk who fled to Dehua after the resistance of a thousand monks against the Yuan Dynasty in the late Song period, aged 135) persuaded the local official Huang Zhongli to "petition the court for imperial approval to rebuild the Shaolin Temple." The monks then spread martial arts throughout southern Quanzhou. This marked the third revival of the South Shaolin Temple in Quanzhou. The Annals of Jinjiang County, Volume 69, from the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty records: "The South Shaolin Temple is located by the East Lake outside Renfeng... It was rebuilt in the 10th year of the Xuande era (1435) during the Ming Dynasty, but later fell into disrepair. Monks restored one-tenth of its original site and also enshrined County Magistrate Peng Guoguang, as Peng had helped monks reclaim temple lands." In the book "Records of Shaolin warrior monks" by master Deqian of the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song (published by Beijing Sports University Press, 1988), it is stated: "According to the 'Internal Chronicles of Shaolin Temple,' monk Yuanran possessed extraordinary martial arts skills and was commended by Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty (reigned 1522-1566). His eminent disciple, master Yuekong, was ordered to lead over 30 warrior monks who had proven their skills to Quanzhou, Fujian, to suppress Japanese pirates and establish merits. There, they built the South Shaolin Temple, where he became the abbot." This confirms that the "Internal Chronicles of Shaolin Temple" from the northern Shaolin Temple clearly records the existence of a South Shaolin Temple in Quanzhou during the Ming Dynasty, while the claim of it being newly built is a misconception. To this day, southern Fujian still circulates stories of northern Shaolin warrior monks suppressing Japanese pirates. During the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong toured southern China and feared that the warrior monks of the South Shaolin Temple might collude with the remnants of Zheng Chenggong (see "Quanzhou biographical records: Zheng Chenggong"). "In the fall of the 28th year of Qianlong's reign (1763), an imperial decree ordered the burning of the Shaolin Temple... From then on, no one dared to rebuild it." Some temple monks took refuge at Yipian Temple in Nan'an. This marks the third destruction of the South Shaolin Temple in Quanzhou. After the burning of Shaolin Temple, the monk Zhishan sought refuge among the people, continuing to recruit Shaolin disciples to oppose the Qing dynasty and restore the Ming. Zhishan, Hong Xiguan, and their disciples spread to Guangdong, further developing Southern Shaolin boxing, which produced the Southern Shaolin boxing champion Wong Fei-hung. Later, Wong Fei-hung's disciples brought the art to Hong Kong and spread it as far as the United States.

China · Quanzhou

No. 6 of Family-friendly Attractions in Fujian

Hulishan Fortress

4.7/5

16.2k reviews

Xiamen Hulishan Fortress Scenic Spot was built in Qing Dynasty, Guangxu Reign, 20th Year. The fort is located at the outskirts in Xiamen's southeastern end. The geographical location is very important. Hulishan Fortress is a product of the Westernization Movement of China. It is the "world's oldest 19th-century coast gun that is still preserved at its original site" and was listed in the 2000 World's Guinness Book of Records. At 10:00 and 16:00 daily, there are performances by the guards at the Hulishan Fortress.

No. 7 of Family-friendly Attractions in Fujian

Xiamen Science & Technology Museum

4.9/5

21.4k reviews

The Xiamen Science & Technology Museum is hailed as the "Disneyland of science", featuring five themed venues with over 400 interactive exhibits, attracting over a million visitors annually. The exploratory marine exhibition zone offers an immersive journey through the wonders of the ocean floor. Discover the mysteries of human and animal life on a fascinating biological adventure. The dazzling light and shadow playground provides dreamy interactive experiences. Witness robots showcasing their unique skills and marvel at the endless transformations of electromagnetic phenomena, not to mention the spectacular robot dance competition... Every interaction delivers hardcore science, allowing you to fully immerse in the magic and fun of technology.

Xiamen Culture and Art Center

Xiamen Culture and Art Center features facilities such as a library, museum, art gallery, science and technology museum, plaza, cinema, performing arts center, and conference center. It is a large-scale public cultural facility complex that integrates culture, tourism, and leisure.

Xiamen University (Siming Campus)

4.6/5

14.1k reviews

Xiamen University was founded in 1921 by Mr. Tan Kah Kee, a renowned patriotic overseas Chinese leader, marking the first university established by overseas Chinese in modern Chinese educational history. For a century, the university has upheld its founder's vision, cultivating a distinguished ethos of "patriotism, revolution, self-improvement, and science." With its distinctive educational approach, it has nurtured generations of outstanding talents, making significant contributions to national prosperity, public welfare, and the global dissemination of Chinese culture. The Siming campus is the main campus of Xiamen University, located in Siming District, Xiamen, at the southern tip of Xiamen Island. Nestled between mountains and sea, it is renowned as the "garden university by the sea." The campus features numerous landmark buildings and comprehensive teaching and living facilities, with the Jiageng Building Complex (also known as the Songen Building Complex) standing as its iconic cross-century architectural masterpiece. Completed in 2001 to commemorate the university's 80th anniversary, this complex consists of five buildings: Songen Tower (the main building), Baoxin Liying Building, Chengfeng Building, Zuying Building, and Zhongmingxuan Building. Designed with a symmetrical "one-main-four-auxiliary" layout, the 21-story Songen Tower serves primarily as the administrative center, while the other four six-story buildings are dedicated to public teaching and research. The architectural style inherits and evolves the distinctive "Jiageng Style," featuring red-tiled sloping roofs that harmonize with the campus's historic structures. This fusion of Chinese and Western elements creates a modern complex with contemporary character, forming the landmark core that dominates the campus landscape.

Jiuquxi Bamboo Rafting

7.5

4.5/5

1.4k reviews

The rafting is usually done on bamboo raft with wooden chairs for passengers to sit. Jiuquxi is the most popular tourist attraction in Wuyi Mountain. The river is located in the east of Wuyishan City and can be easily accessed by tour bus. There are other type of rafting available also, but they are not as common. The water of the river is usually very calm and perfect for taking in the scenes. Just remember purchase tickets from proper companies or agencies and to ride the rafts operated by reputable companies. With shallow draft and large buoyancy, visitors can enjoy a stable and comfortable ride with a wide field of vision.

China · Wuyishan

No. 5 of Night Attractions in Fujian

Dongshan Island

7.5

4.6/5

1.2k reviews

Dongshan island is located in the south of Zhangzhou, Fujian. It is a trendy island with beautiful scenery and simple folk customs. The scene in the movie "The Left Ear" where the little girl cries by the sea was filmed at Nanmen bay on the island. Due to the popularity of the movie, Nanmen bay has become one of the top attractions for tourism on Dongshan island. In addition, other attractions here each have their own unique features. The iconic wind-eroded rock is a must-visit photo spot on Dongshan Island. It is said that this rock sways with just a breeze, appearing as if it might fall at any moment, which is truly fascinating. Not far from the wind-eroded rock lies the widows' village, which is actually a museum. When the army retreated from Dongshan Island, they took away the young men, leaving the women in the village as "widows." The museum showcases the entire event, with historical photos and reliefs that vividly recreate the history of that time. When visiting Dongshan Island, you can stay for a day or two to savor fresh local seafood, experience the joy of fishing firsthand, then bask in the sun on the fine sandy beaches. Enjoy playing in the water and riding the waves with the sea breeze, making the most of your coastal getaway.

China · Dongshan County