Quanzhou Shopping - What to Buy

Quanzhou has many local specialties. Longan, a kind of very precious fruit, is famous for its tenderness and sweetness. Dried Longan-Guiyuan is one of the most nourishing foods. Chinese Tea is also widely grown around the city, especially in Anxi County. There, Tieguanyin (a kind of Wulong Tea) is sold both at home and overseas. Quanzhou also boasts of its long history of traditional handicrafts. The most representative are puppet-heads, porcelain carving, stone carving, and bamboo knitting.

Dehua County of Quanzhou is one of the three 'Capital of Porcelain' in China (the other two are Jingdezhen of Jiangxi and Liling of Hunan). Dehua porcelain is well-know of being as glossy and fine as the ivory. It is said that the Dehua porcelains have been exported to the other countries in the Northern Song Dynasty and experienced its golden time in the Ming Dynasty.

The paper woven painting of Yongchun County is a special traditional handicraft, enjoying the same fame with the Hangzhou Silk Woven Painting, the Suzhou Cut Silk Painting and the Sichuan Bamboo Curtain Painting. It has a long history of more than 1,400 year, almost originated from the Tang Dynasty. The images on the paper are usually in soft colors and a lively three-dimensional effect. Now, this excellent painting is deeply favored by travelers and has been exported to over 40 countries.

The elegant painted bamboo basket is a skillful lacquerware of Yongchun County. Once, it was a popular commodity in South China in the Ming Dynasty, which is also a necessary dowry for the local bride. It is said that over 20 materials and 30 processes are needed when producing a perfect painted basket. And, there are about 100 categories of the baskets according to their different shapes and uses.

The marvelous Hui'an stone carving plays a vital role in the long sculpture civilization of China. The recorded earliest Hui'an stone carving was created in the Jin Dynasty, which about 1,600 years ago. These folk craftworks, by using the skill of round carving, floating carving, line carving and shadow carving, are finely carved into various sizes of vivid images.

The puppet head is one of the representative handicrafts of Quanzhou, which shows elegant and vivid appearance with the delicate painting skill. Those selected figures can be found widely in the folk legends and operas, which are considered to be good collections of China. Currently, there are more than 300 puppet masks having been created by the local artists.

Made from Chinese herbs, this Chinese medicine can be used to treat cold, stomach-ache caused by indigestion, heat exhaustion and vomiting and diarrhea. The history of this medicine can be traced back to the mid Qing Dynasty and exported to other countries about 200 years ago. But, if you would like to buy one, please make sure that this medicine is allowed to entry by your customs.