Located on the southeast coast of Fujian Province, Quanzhou was once one of the biggest ports in the world. About 700 years ago, when Italian explorer Marco Polo departed from ancient China, it was from Quanzhou that he began his journey home along the Maritime Silk Road.
Quanzhou, then known as Zayton overseas, attracted a large number of merchants from across the world and their goods were piled up on its docks, in its warehouses and across its markets. Polo was surprised by its prosperity and hailed it as “a great and noble city.”
In 2021, Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China (960-1368), which features 22 historical sites and monuments in the city, was included on the
