Quanzhou - Senshu

A prefecture-level city in central Fujian Province, China. It has jurisdiction over four city districts and five counties, and acts as the custodian of three county-level cities, of which Kinmen County is under the control of Taiwan (as of 2016). It is located on the north bank of the downstream Jinjiang River. It has a population of 7,162,000 (2014). It is called Licheng (Carp City) because its shape resembles a carp, and Shitongcheng (Erythrina City) because of the large number of Erythrina plants in the city. It was developed as a key point for overseas transportation from the Tang Dynasty, and was known from Arabia to Europe under the name Zaitong from the end of the Song Dynasty to the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, and Marco Polo also stopped there. In addition to the Han Chinese, the inhabitants include minority groups such as the Hui and Sheo peoples, as well as tens of thousands of returning Chinese and overseas Chinese families.

The city area is lower from north to south, and the southeast is an alluvial plain formed by the Jinjiang River filling Quanzhou Bay. The climate is subtropical and warm and humid, with an average annual temperature of 20.6°C. The city produces a large amount of fruits such as longans and grapes. As well as being a key point for maritime traffic, it has long flourished as a distribution center for goods in the Jinjiang River basin, and even today, industries such as canned goods, sugar milling, and other food processing, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, machinery, textiles, and electronics are thriving, using local produce as raw materials. The Fuzhou-Xiamen High-Speed ​​Railway and the Zhangquan Xiao Line (Zhangping-Quanzhou) run through the city, and the Xingquan Line (Xingguo-Quanzhou), which ends in the city, is currently under construction.

Within the city, there are many scenic spots and historical sites that speak of the ancient capital of Quanzhou. A wide variety of crafts are also produced. The ancient Kaiyuan Temple houses the Overseas Transportation History Museum, which displays the east and west pagodas as well as the hull of an ancient ship. There is also Qingjing Temple (an Islamic mosque) and Islamic tombs, which contain relics from exchanges with Arabia, the largest Confucius Temple in Fujian Province, the prestigious school, the Tianhou Temple, Baiyuanchuan Pond (Workers' Cultural Palace Park), and Qingyuan Mountain and Jiuri Mountain in the northern suburbs. The Luoyang Bridge, which spans Luoyang in the eastern suburbs, is one of the four famous bridges in ancient Quanzhou. Nearby, there is a temple dedicated to Cai Xiang, who built the Luoyang Bridge in the Song Dynasty.

[Chieko Aoki, Michihiro Kono, and editorial staff, March 21, 2017]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、福建(ふっけん)省中部にある地級市。4市轄区、5県を管轄し、3県級市を管轄代行するが、そのうち金門(きんもん)県は台湾の支配下にある（2016年時点）。晋江(しんこう)下流の北岸に位置する。人口716万2000（2014）。町の形がコイに似ているところから鯉城(りじょう)、町に刺桐(とげきり)（エリスリナ）が多いことから刺桐城(しとうじょう)とよばれている。唐代から海外交通の要地として開け、宋(そう)末から元初にかけては、ザイトンの名でアラビアからヨーロッパまで知られ、マルコ・ポーロも立ち寄っている。住民は漢民族のほかに回族、ショオ族（畬(よ)族）などの少数民族と数万人の帰国華僑(かきょう)、華僑家族がいる。

　市域は北から南に向かって低くなり、南東部は泉州湾を晋江が埋めた沖積平野である。気候は亜熱帯性で温暖湿潤、年平均気温は20.6℃。リュウガン、ブドウなどの果物の生産量が多い。海上交通の要所であるとともに古くから晋江流域の物資の集散地として栄え、現在も付近の産物を原料として、缶詰、製糖、製粉などの食品加工、製薬などをはじめ、化学、機械、紡織、電子などの工業が盛んである。福厦(ふくか)高速鉄道（福州(ふくしゅう)―厦門(アモイ)）、漳泉肖線（漳平(しょうへい)―泉州）などが通じ、同市を終点とする興泉線（興国(こうこく)―泉州）が建設中である。

　市内には古都泉州を語る名勝、旧跡が多い。また多種多様な工芸品が生産されている。古刹(こさつ)開元寺には東西両塔ならびに古代の船体を展示する海外交通史博物館がある。またアラビアとの交流の遺物が残る清浄寺（イスラム寺院）とイスラム聖墓、福建省最大の孔廟(こうびょう)と府学、天后宮、百源川池（工人文化宮公園）などのほか、北郊に清源山、九日山などがある。なお東郊の洛陽(らくよう)に架かる洛陽橋は古代泉州の四大名橋である。付近に宋代に洛陽橋をつくった蔡襄(さいじょう)を祀(まつ)る廟がある。

［青木千枝子・河野通博・編集部　2017年3月21日］

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