QUANZHOU, 15 September (Quanzhou Online) — By multimedia reporter Song Yao. Quanzhou has recently unveiled ten curated food-and-travel routes that string together the lanes of the old city, its World Heritage sites and the distinctive flavours of each locality, inviting residents and visitors to 'follow the food through Quanzhou' and savour the millennial street vitality of 'Song‑Yuan China · Quanzhou, City of the Maritime Silk Routes'.

Visitors buying runbing (fresh Fujian spring rolls) on West Street. (File photo)

　　The ten routes cover the whole city, each with its own theme. The urban route centres on 'old-city street vitality', linking landmark sites such as Kaiyuan Temple, West Street, Zhongshan Road, the Confucian Temple, Qingjing Mosque, Tianhou Temple and Xunpu Village. Along the way visitors can sample time-honoured local treats including ginger duck, runbing, manjiangao (honeycomb pancakes), yuanxiaoyuan (sweet rice balls) and shihuagao (seaweed jelly), and enjoy the 'Zayton Banquet' and 'Floral Headdress Banquet' at local hotels. The Luojiang route focuses on 'Indonesian flavours of overseas Chinese', taking visitors to the Indonesian Street in Shuangyang and the Returned Overseas Chinese Cultural Exhibition Hall to experience the distinctive food culture of this overseas Chinese hometown.

　　The mountain-and-sea flavours are equally enticing. The Quangang route features Tuling braised pork trotter, Quangang fuguo (fried oyster fritters) and the 'Fortune and Longevity Banquet'. The Shishi route, themed 'Lion Ties on the Silk Road', brings together snacks such as oyster omelette, beef shank soup and peanut soup from Bagua Street and Yongning Old Street, and presents the 'Song‑Yuan Maritime Silk Road Banquet'. The Jinjiang route links Wulin Traditional Village and Anping Bridge, showcasing Nanyang (Southeast Asian) flavours alongside Minnan delicacies such as tusundong (sea‑worm jelly) and kunti (compressed pork roll). The Nan'an route takes visitors to the 'Hometown of Koxinga' to try Honglai chicken feet, Jintao dried tofu and the 'Koxinga Family Banquet'. The Hui'an route, anchored by Chongwu Ancient City and the Hui'an Women's Folk Customs Park, serves coastal specialities including fish rolls and fish slips, and visitors can try making ICH fish rolls themselves.

　　The Anxi route connects tea-town industrial sightseeing factories with renowned food towns including Hutou and Guanqiao, featuring the 'Chancellor's Family Banquet'. The Yongchun route, with aged vinegar as its medium, offers luotan (local one‑pot stew), vinegar‑braised pork trotter and the 'Kuixing Banquet'. The Dehua route combines Jiuxian Mountain, hot springs and a medicinal-cuisine food street to present the 'Porcelain City Banquet'.

　　Ten routes, ten flavours. In recent years, food has become a new calling card for Quanzhou's cultural tourism. This guide offers residents and visitors a fresh way to experience the city in depth: bring your appetite, and get to know this World Heritage city.