Chongwu Ancient City, Hui'an

Chongwu Ancient City is a Ming dynasty walled coastal town in Chongwu Town, Hui'an County, Quanzhou, Fujian province, China. It was built in the late fourteenth century as a defensive fort against pirates and is one of the best preserved coastal walled towns in China, with a stone wall of about 2.5 kilometres that visitors can walk along for views over rooftops and the sea. Inside the walls, narrow lanes of granite houses, old temples and small shops survive, and the town is known for the stone carving of Hui'an craftsmen, whose workshops produce statues and reliefs. The women of Hui'an are famous for their distinctive costume, with a colourful headscarf, short top and wide trousers, which visitors may still see on residents. The walls cost about ¥40 to climb. A visit takes two to three hours, longer with a seafood meal in town. Late afternoon is the best time, when the light is warm on the stone and the heat has eased; midday can be hot, and weekends and holidays bring tour groups, though crowds are lighter than in larger cities. Reaching the town takes about one and a half hours in total by bus from Quanzhou to Hui'an and then a local bus to Chongwu. The nearby coast has fish restaurants and beaches, and visitors can combine the town with a visit to the stone-carving area in Hui'an. Wear comfortable shoes for the uneven walls.