Chongwu Ancient City

Chongwu Ancient City is a walled coastal town in Hui'an County, Quanzhou, on the Fujian shoreline of the Taiwan Strait. It was constructed in 1387 during the early Ming dynasty as part of the coastal defence system against wokou raiders, and its granite wall is about 2.5 kilometres long, roughly 7 metres high, with four gates and more than 1,300 crenellations. The wall stands on a headland, and the sea side gives views across the strait. Unlike many walled cities, Chongwu remains a residential town, with narrow stone lanes, temples, ancestral halls and old houses. Hui'an is famed for its stone masons, and carving workshops line the streets, with decorative stone figures and lions produced for temples across southeast China. Local women traditionally wear distinctive short tops and wide trousers, known as Hui'an women's dress, and this clothing is a visible part of the town's culture. The town includes the Chongwu Ancient City Museum and the Guandi Temple, plus the sea-facing Tongtian Rock. Repairs to the walls have been carried out over the decades, with restoration of damaged sections and the gates, while the interior remains a lived-in community. Visitors usually walk along the wall top, pass through the gates and wander the lanes to see stone carving studios and seafood stalls. Interpretation is mostly by signs in Chinese, with limited English. The town is a popular half-day outing from Quanzhou and a small place for local seafood.