AN INSIDE LOOK AT QUANZHOU, CHINA'S FABLED 'CITY OF LIGHT'

The Rich Cultural Traditions Of The Hub Of China's Belt And Road Initiative

LONG ISLAND, N.Y., April 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fascination with Chinese history and culture has led William N. Brown PhD, a professor of business at Xiamen University, to write a fascinating account of Quanzhou, where the 21st century Maritime Silk Road Pilot Zone is helping to lead China's expansion of international economic and cultural exchanges.

In SPLENDORS OF QUANZHOU, PAST AND PRESENT (published by Springer and New Channel International Education Group), Brown recounts Quanzhou's history and culture, from its emergence as the start of the ancient maritime silk road.

Brown spent over six weeks driving to every corner of the city and exploring its history, culture, geography, and cuisine, becoming entranced by Quanzhou's astonishing rich history and heritage. He learned that Marco Polo had sailed home from Quanzhou, and that Quanzhou was Columbus' goal in China.

The Boston Tea Party's dumping overboard of Fujian's prized tea on three ships that had sailed from Xiamen helped stoke the U.S. War of Independence. Quanzhou's Dehua white porcelain was so prized that some European monarchs bankrupted their nations funding research to ferret out the secrets of its production. As for silk, the famed Arab explorer Ibn Battuta said China's best silk was not from Hangzhou, as even many Chinese believe, but from Quanzhou, which the 40,000 Muslim residents called Zaytun, the origin of the English word "satin".

Quanzhou today is a world apart from the sleepy city Brown first visited in 1989. In 2021, Quanzhou's GDP reached 1,130.417 billion yuan. In 2019, the gross value of foreign trade between Quanzhou and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road partners reached 105.355 billion yuan, a year-on-year growth of 24.6%. Perhaps more than any other Chinese city, Quanzhou has balanced phenomenal growth with the preservation and enhancement of its unparalleled historical, cultural, and natural heritage.

All new architecture, whether apartment buildings, banks, or shopping malls, adhere to codes that insure the historical and cultural aesthetics of each district. The result is a uniquely modern, comfortable city that embraces the future while preserving a colorful past.

For those interested in getting a first-hand look at Chinese culture, SPLENDORS OF QUANZHOU, PAST AND PRESENT provides a fascinating and detailed glimpse into the inner workings of one of China's showcase cities.

SOURCE New Channel International Education Group

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