World Cultural Heritage – Quanzhou

Quanzhou, known as a “city of world cultural heritages,” holds a prestigious position as one of the first national historical and cultural cities. It is also recognized as the world’s first multicultural exhibition center, the first cultural city of East Asia, and one of the four major export ports in the Tang Dynasty. With heritage of “Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China” incorporated in the World Heritage List, Quanzhou now features 945 cultural relic protection sites of all levels (including 44 state-level ones), 6 world-class intangible cultural heritage sites, and 36 state-level intangible cultural heritage sites. It is the only city in China that covers all the three categories of intangible cultural heritages recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Furthermore, Quanzhou serves as the core of the National Cultural and Ecological Reserve of Minnan while Nanyin is considered a living fossil of China’s music.