Sights in Fújiàn
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Heavenly King Hall
Entering the temple through Heavenly King Hall you are met by the tub-bellied Milefo (Laughing Buddha), flanked by four heavenly kings. The classical Chinese inscription reads: 'When entering, regard Buddha and afterwards pay your respects to the four kings of heaven'.
Behind Milefo is Wei Tuo, protector of Buddhist monasteries, who safeguards Buddhist doctrine and relics. He holds a stick that points to the ground, indicating that the temple is rich and can provide visiting monks with board and lodging (if the stick is held horizontally it means the temple is poor and is a polite way of saying 'find somewhere else to stay').
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Húlǐ Shān Fortress
Across Daxue Lu, south of the university, is this gigantic German gun artillery built in 1893. You can rent binoculars to peer over the water to the Taiwanese-occupied island of Jīnmén (金门), formerly known as Quemoy, claimed by both mainland China and Taiwan. Boats (Y106 to Y126) do circuits of Jīnmén from the passenger ferry terminaloff Lujiang Lu.
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Nánpǔtuó Temple
On the southern side of Xiàmén, this Buddhist temple was originally built over a millennium ago but has been repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. Its latest incarnation dates to the early 20th century, and today it's an active and busy temple with chanting monks and worshippers lighting incense.
The temple is fronted by a lovely lotus-flower-filled lake. In front of the courtyard is the twin-eaved Big Treasure Hall (Dàxióng Bǎodiàn), presided over by a trinity of Buddhas representing his past, present and future forms. Behind rises the eight-sided Hall of Great Compassion (Dàbēi Diàn), in which stands a golden 1000-armed statue of Guanyin, facing the four directions.
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Xiàmén University
Next to Nánpǔtuó Temple and established with overseas Chinese funds, the university has well- maintained grounds featuring an attractive lake. It's a good place for a pleasant, shady stroll. The campus entrance is next to the stop for bus 1.
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Great Compassion Hall
The Great Compassion Hall contains four statues of Guanyin (the Goddess of Mercy). Worshippers cast divining sticks at the feet of the statues to seek heavenly guidance.
The temple has an excellent vegetarian restaurant in a shaded courtyard where you can dine in the company of resident monks.
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Overseas Chinese Museum
A fascinating and ambitious celebration of China's communities abroad, with models, street scenes, photos and props. Close to the university.
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Great Heroic Treasure Hall
In front of the courtyard is the Great Heroic Treasure Hall, a two-storey building containing three Buddhas that represent Buddha in his past, present and future lives.
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Xiàméi
This village dates to the Northern Song dynasty, and boasts some spectacular Qing-dynasty architecture from its heyday as a wealthy tea-trading centre. To reach Xiàméi, hop on a minibus (Y4) from Wǔyí Shān city for the 12km journey. Minibuses also run to Xiàméi (Y3) from the Wǔyí Shān Scenic Area.
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Wǔyí Shān Scenic Area
Enter the area via Wǔyí Gōng, about 200m south of the Wǔyí Mountain Villa, near the confluence of the Chóngyáng Stream and the Nine Twists River. Trails within the scenic area connect all the major sites. A couple of good walks are the 530m Great King Peak (大王峰; Dàwáng Fēng), accessed through the main entrance, and the 410m Heavenly Tour Peak (天游峰; Tiānyóu Fēng), where an entrance is reached by road up the Nine Twists River. It's a moderate two-hour walk to Great King Peak among bamboo groves and steep-cut rock walls. The trail can be slippery and wet, so bring suitable shoes.
The walk to Heavenly Tour Peak is more scenic, with better views of the…
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West Lake Park
In the northwest of Fúzhōu, this park with a large artificial lake is a popular hang-out for locals on the weekends. The park is modelled on Hángzhōu's West Lake. This is a fab little spot for chilling out, or you can hire a paddleboat (Y20 to Y50 per hour) if you're feeling energetic.
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Qīngjìng Mosque
This stone edifice is one of China's only surviving mosques from the Song dynasty, built by Arabs in 1009 and restored in 1309. Only a few sections (mainly walls) of the original building survive, largely in ruins.
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Maritime Museum
On the northeast side of town, this museum explains Quánzhōu's trading history and the development of Chinese shipbuilding. There are wonderfully detailed models of Chinese ships, from junks to pleasure boats.
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Kāiyuán Temple
In the northwest of the city is one of the oldest temples in Quánzhōu, dating back to AD 686. Surrounded by trees, the temple is serene and famed for its pair of rust-coloured five-storey stone pagodas, stained with age and carved with figures, which date from the 13th century. Behind the eastern pagoda is a museum containing the enormous hull of a Song-dynasty seagoing junk, which was excavated near Quánzhōu in 1974. The temple's Great Treasure Hall (Dàxióng Bǎodiàn) and the hall behind are decorated with marvellous overhead beams and brackets. The main courtyard is flanked by a row of wizened banyan trees; one is 800 years old! Take bus 2 (Y2) from Wenling…
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Jǐnxiùzhuāng Puppet Museum
Has displays of puppet heads, intricate 30-string marionettes and comical hand puppets. There are over 3000 puppet heads, though at times the service is rather wooden.
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Jade Hill Scenic Area
This rocky hill park in the centre of Fúzhōu rises above a snow-white statue of Mao Zedong (毛主席像; Máo Zhǔxí Xiàng) playing 'traffic cop'. Check out the seven-storey White Pagoda (白塔; Bái Tǎ), built in AD 904. At the foot of Jade Hill are the wretched remains of Fúzhōu's Ming dynasty city wall (明代古城墙遗迹; Míngdài Gǔchéngqiáng Yíjì); originally boasting seven gates, the wall was pulled down for road widening.
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Guandi Temple
This smoky and fabulously carved temple is southeast of the mosque. It's dedicated to Guan Yu, a Three Kingdoms hero and the God of War, and inside the temple are statues of the god and panels along the walls that detail his life.
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Fújiàn Provincial Museum
Despite its tacky exterior, this museum in the park has good exhibits, including a fascinating 3445-year-old 'boat coffin' unearthed from a cliff in Wǔyí Shān and a rundown of Fujian's history. The surrounding buildings are chameleonic in nature and you might expect to find art exhibitions of various sorts at any given time. Bus 100 from the main bus station goes to the museum.
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Bǎoqí Zhāodàisuǒ
It looks scuzzy on the outside, but rooms are small, cheap and clean. There's no English spoken here and no English sign, but it's next to the flyover. Yes, it's the dodgy-looking entrance with a staircase leading upstairs.
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