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Revitalization of Cultural Heritage in Quanzhou

The historic city of Quanzhou, located in the southeastern province of Fujian, China, has recently attracted international attention. This resurgence can be largely credited to its recognition as a World Heritage site, and efforts led by UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, under the directive of Lazare Eloundou Assomo, have played a critical role in this transformation.

Quanzhou, once recognized as the “Emporium of the World” during the Song and Yuan dynasties, is rich in cultural heritage resources that are now being leveraged to boost its tourism sector. Recent data reflects this trend, showing an impressive increase in international tourist visits and revenue. Specifically, in the first half of 2025, Quanzhou welcomed approximately 403,900 international visitors, marking a staggering 95.5% year-on-year growth. Tourist revenue from these visitors soared to 2.995 billion yuan (about 421 million USD), representing an 83.3% increase compared to the same period the previous year.

What is driving these positive statistics? A significant contributor is the city's unique tourist routes developed around its UNESCO World Heritage sites. Notable sites such as the Kaiyuan Temple, a millennium-old structure, and the exotic architecture of the Qingjing Mosque provide cultural allure to international tourists. Furthermore, Quanzhou’s promotional campaign, “Maritime Silk Road Quanzhou,” has propelled it into the spotlight, being listed among the top 100 Asian tourist destinations by the leading online travel service provider Ctrip.com.

In addition, Quanzhou is actively pursuing international cooperation in the preservation of World Heritage. The city has engaged in exchanges and partnerships concerning heritage protection and cultural tourism development, particularly with cities along the ancient Maritime Silk Road. As part of its forward-looking agenda, Quanzhou intends to enhance its collaboration with UNESCO further, promoting its heritage conservation experiences globally through United Nations platforms.

Quanzhou aims to integrate advanced international concepts and methodologies into its cultural tourism development strategies. This is expected to lead to a higher quality of growth in its cultural tourism industry. Additionally, the city is poised to capitalize on its World Heritage intellectual property to initiate cross-border cultural commerce, which will allow its intangible cultural heritage products and creative cultural goods to penetrate the global market.

During his visit to Quanzhou, Assomo described the city as a