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Putian is the homeland of Mazu, the sea goddess revered by fishing communities along the Chinese coast and far beyond, and pilgrims arrive all year to visit the shrines linked to her life. The city lies on the Fujian coast between Fuzhou and Quanzhou, where the Mulan River crosses a fertile plain to reach Xinghua Bay.
Historically known as Xinghua, the area has its own Puxian dialect, opera and cooking, and its plain was made farmable by the Mulanbi weir, completed in the Song dynasty and still regulating the river today. The old city keeps a cluster of historic buildings, from the Taoist Yuanmiao Temple with its early Song hall to the city god temple and the gate tower of the former prefecture.
Most visitors pair the city with Meizhou Island, a short ferry ride offshore, where the ancestral Mazu temple, sandy beaches and sculpted granite rocks easily fill a day. Guanghua Temple and its carved stone pagoda, plus a steaming bowl of Putian lor mee, round out the trip. Fast trains link Putian with Fuzhou and Xiamen.
On a hillside on Meizhou Island, this is seen as the ancestral temple of Mazu worship, founded in the late tenth century after the death of the local woman later deified as the sea goddess. Halls and stairways lead up to a giant granite statue of Mazu facing the sea. Crowds peak at her birthday.
A short ferry ride from Wenjia on the mainland, this island of fishing villages and coves offers more than its famous temple. Long sandy beaches line its shores, and wind and waves have shaped the granite boulders of the Shenshi rock park into strange forms. Village restaurants serve fresh fish.
On the mainland shore facing Meizhou Island, the fishing port of Xianlianggang is honoured as the home of Mazu's family, and some traditions place her birth here. Its carved ancestral hall and shrines are smaller and quieter than the island temple, with a local feel. Pair it with the ferry.
Completed in 1083 after earlier attempts were swept away by floods, this stone weir on the Mulan River holds back sea tides and sends fresh water across the Putian plain. It is listed as a World Heritage Irrigation Structure. Walk the weir and see the small memorial temple beside it.
Founded in the sixth century on the slopes of Phoenix Mountain at the edge of the city, Guanghua Temple is one of the oldest and most important Buddhist monasteries in Fujian, still home to a busy community of monks and a Buddhist academy. Come early to hear morning chanting, and dress modestly.
In the grounds of Guanghua Temple, this octagonal five-storey pagoda was built of granite in the Southern Song dynasty and is protected as a national heritage site. Each level is carved with Buddhas, guardian figures and eaves that imitate timber construction. Morning light suits the reliefs.
Tucked into the old city, this Buddhist temple is entered through a tall stone gateway carved with the words Meilin Foguo. Inside, decorated halls with upturned roofs and red lanterns surround quiet courtyards where incense drifts from bronze burners. It makes an easy stop on an old-town walk.
At the foot of Jiulian Mountain north of the city, this monastery was rebuilt in the 1990s on a site that local tradition and archaeological finds link to the legendary Southern Shaolin Temple of martial arts fame. Grand halls rise above broad stone stairways. Other Fujian sites claim it too.
In the old centre, this Taoist temple is known above all for its Sanqing Hall, whose timber frame dates to the Northern Song dynasty in the early eleventh century, making it one of the oldest wooden halls in southern China. Look up at the brackets and beams to see early building methods.
Xinghua was Putian's historic prefecture name, and this was the temple of its city god, the deity believed to protect the walled city and judge the souls of its residents. Carved stonework, painted beams and incense-filled halls show traditional Fujian temple craft.
Raised on a massive base in the heart of the old city, this gate and drum tower once marked the seat of the Xinghua prefectural government. With upturned eaves above a vaulted passage, it is one of Putian's most recognisable landmarks, and it glows after dark as the surrounding streets come alive.
Putian's signature comfort food is lor mee, noodles simmered in a rich, slightly thickened broth with clams, shrimp, pork, mushrooms and leafy greens, often finished with fried shallots. Every family and noodle shop has its own version, so look for small local eateries busy with workers at midday.
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Log in to add photosPhoto: N509FZ, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Photo: Zhangzhugang, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Fanglongzong, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: 江上清风1961, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: 江上清风1961, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: 江上清风1961, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: N509FZ, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: N509FZ, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: N509FZ, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Fanglongzong, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Photo: Zhangzhugang, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Zhangzhugang, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Zhangzhugang, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Zhangzhugang, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Zhangzhugang, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Photo: Zhangzhugang, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Zhangzhugang, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Zhangzhugang, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Zhangzhugang, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: N509FZ, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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