Quanzhou and Economic Trends

Quanzhou is a prefecture-level port city located in the southeast of Fujian province. The city was the starting point of the historic Maritime Silk Road and one of China's most crucial ports. It covers an area of 11,218 square kilometers with a population of 9 million and has jurisdiction over 4 districts, 3 county-level cities, 4 counties, and 2 special economic districts.

Its importance for medieval maritime commerce, unique mix of religious buildings, and extensive archaeological remains contributed to Quanzhou's old town to be inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2021.

Quanzhou is a major foreign trade center and transportation hub in the province and is actively working to build a diversified economy by promoting distinctive industries such as resin processing, shoes and garments, building materials, stone carving, and oolong tea in China and worldwide. Its core industries are textiles, shoes and clothing, petrochemicals, and mechanical equipment.

In 2021, the city's GDP reached 1.3 trillion yuan, an increase of 8.1% compared to the previous year, while the GDP per capita amounted to 120,000 RMB. Quanzhou’s total import and export value reached 261 billion RMB in 2021, with the exports amounting to 203 billion RMB and the total value of imports to 58 billion RMB.

The Chinese City Tier System consists of a system of tiers used by analysts to classify Chinese cities and rank them in a hierarchy. Cities in different tiers reflect differences in consumer behaviour, income level, population size, consumer sophistication, infrastructure, talent pool, and business opportunity.