Quanzhou is a small town, located entirely on the northeast bank of the Jin River, and the majority of its sights can be reached on foot; a bicycle, however, is ideal, if you can rent one from your hotel. The two major north-south streets are Zhongshan Lu (to the west) and Wenling Lu (to the east). The town centre falls mainly between these two, with the oldest part of town to the west, and up along the northern section of Zhongshan Lu where you'll find attractive arcaded streets, lined with trees and packed with shops and cyclists.

Quanzhou's older streets are quite pleasant, lined with restored, colonial-era shops. Zhongshan Lu is typical, and right at its southern end you'll find Tianhou Gong (¥4), a large temple with typically florid eaves, dedicated to one of southeastern China's most popular deities, the Heavenly Empress. The city's most impressive historical remains, however, are at Kai Yuan Si , in the northwest of town on Xi Jie (¥4; catch bus #2 from the long-distance bus station), a huge, restful temple dotted with magnificent trees. Founded in 686 AD, Kai Yuan was built, legend has it, after the owner of a small mulberry grove on this site was visited in a dream by a Buddhist monk who asked him to erect a place of worship on his land. "Only if my mulberry trees bear lotus flowers," replied the owner dismissively - whereupon the lotus flowers duly appeared. In memory of this, an ancient mulberry in the temple courtyard bears the sign "Mulberry Lotus Tree". The two five-storey stone pagodas were added in the thirteenth century, apart from which the whole complex was rebuilt during the Ming dynasty after being destroyed by fire.

The temple is highly regarded architecturally, not least for its details which include a hundred stone columns supporting the roof of the main hall , most of which are carved with delicate musicians holding instruments or sacrificial objects. Surviving everything from earthquakes to the Red Guards, the unimaginably solid pagodas are also carved on each of their eight sides, with two images of the Buddha; inside, one of them has forty Buddhist stories inscribed on its walls. The temple grounds hold a special exhibition hall , whose exhibits number among them a twelfth-or thirteenth-century wooden sailing vessel - a reminder of Quanzhou's magnificent trading past and, in its design, a fine example of just how far advanced Chinese shipbuilders were compared to their counterparts in Europe. The vessel was found in 1974 (a series of photos detail the stages of the excavation), still with the herbs and spices it had been carrying preserved in its hold. Also in the museum are a number of Arab tombstones, those of merchants and sailors who were based here during Quanzhou's golden years.

Further evidence of the Arab presence is the granite-built Qingjing Mosque (daily 8am-5pm; ¥2) halfway between Zhongshan Lu and Wenling Lu on Xinmen Jie - whose other modern buildings display nicely sympathetic "Islamicized" flourishes. Getting on for a thousand years old, Qingjing ranks as one of the oldest mosques in China, and is highly unusual for being Middle Eastern in design. Recently restored, it sports a gate tower said to be an exact copy of a Damascus original, though once-visible traces of thirteenth-century Arabic calligraphy and designs have now vanished. An exhibition hall in the back has quite a detailed and interesting account of the Arab presence in Quanzhou, with an English translation.

On the fringes of town, the most famous sight is the huge Qingyuan Shan scenic area, 3km to the north, which is scattered with small peaks, pavilions and temples. The hill gives good views over Quanzhou, though most people come out here for the huge stone Laojun Yan , a Song-dynasty sculpture of Laozi which is said to aid longevity if you climb on to its back and rub noses. You can walk up to Qingyuan Shan in about an hour by following Zhongshan Lu due north; otherwise take a motor-rickshaw or taxi for about ¥20. The hill is too steep to cycle up.

Easier to reach, east of the town centre on Donghu Jie (follow Wenling Lu to the northern end, then turn right), is Ling Shan with its sacred graves, another relic of Islam. Either take bus #7 or you can bike here in about twenty minutes (avoid walking, it's not a pleasant route along the main road). You may need to ask passers-by for some help, but the entrance to the hill can be seen to the south of the road - when you glimpse a stone archway, take the alley leading towards it. Once inside, you cross a canal where local women wash clothes, then enter a peaceful semi-forested area. The graves at the back, which have been recently restored, supposedly include those of two of Mohammed's disciples, sent to China in the seventh century to do missionary work. Another feature of the site is the Fengdong Shi (Rock that Moves in the Wind), a huge boulder so balanced that it wobbles when you push it.