Skyline of historical neighborhood in Quanzhou. [Photo by Chen Yingjie for chinadaily.com.cn]

Quanzhou is located on the southeastern coast of Fujian province and faces the Taiwan Strait. It was among the first group of famous historical and cultural cities designated by the State Council. Quanzhou was also an important harbor and starting point of the Maritime Silk Road. It is one of the main ancestral homes of many overseas Chinese and Taiwan compatriots.

Quanzhou has a land area of 11,015 square kilometers and a sea area of 11,360 sq km. The prefecture-level port city in Fujian province saw its resident population reach 8.83 million in 2023. It has four districts and administers three county-level cities and five counties as well as the Quanzhou Taiwanese Investment Zone and the Quanzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone.

Quanzhou was a maritime hub of East and Southeast Asia trade networks between the 10th and 14th centuries. In 2021, the city became China's 56th UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Quanzhou is recognized as one of the first 24 historic and cultural cities released by the State Council and the first Culture City of East Asia. Quanzhou currently boasts 505 intangible cultural heritage (ICH) items at various levels, including five world ICH items, making it the only city in China simultaneously listed in all three categories of UNESCO's ICH. It also holds 36 national-level ICHs, ranking among China's top three prefecture-level cities.

The city has a subtropical marine monsoon climate, a coastline of 541 kilometers and 58.7 percent of its area is covered by forests. It boasts rich mineral resources such as iron, manganese, gold, coal and quartz. The port of Quanzhou has facilities in four bays on the Taiwan Strait.

Quanzhou has implemented a number of supportive policies that grant Taiwan residents and companies the same treatment in terms of living, working and studying as those on the mainland. More and more Taiwan-funded enterprises have set up offices in the Quanzhou Taiwanese Investment Zone.

In 2023, Quanzhou's GDP reached 1.22 trillion yuan ($168.03 billion), an increase of 4.8 percent compared to 2022, according to official data. The added value of the city's primary, secondary, and tertiary industries totaled 26.17 billion yuan, 646.91 billion yuan, and 544.16 billion yuan in 2023, respectively, increasing 3.9 percent, 4.1 percent, and 5.7 percent.