What is “Fujian Lifestyle”? It could mean sipping a cup of jasmine tea in Fuzhou’s historic Three Lanes and Seven Alleys in the morning, wearing a traditional floral headdress in Quanzhou’s old town in the afternoon, or handcrafting tea in the Wuyi Mountains at dusk. This is everyday life in Fujian.
An Invitation to the World
In August 2026, Fujian Province released its 15th Five-Year Plan for Cultural and Tourism Development, setting the goal of significantly raising the profile and reputation of the “Refreshing Fujian” brand by 2030. The plan also calls for an average annual growth rate of 6%–7% in both total tourist arrivals and tourist spending across the province. It proposes a new development framework for culture and tourism built around “two leading zones, three supporting belts, and five interconnected tourism clusters”, covering major World Heritage sites such as the Wuyi Mountains, Fujian Tulou, Kulangsu, and the ancient town of Quanzhou. The plan also calls for developing “Fujian Lifestyle: Mountain-and-Sea Retreats” as a public tourism brand, with Fujian’s landscapes, folk traditions, tea culture, local cuisine, and arts at its core, to create new cultural and tourism experiences.
From “Seeing the Sights” to “Living the Life”
The “Fujian Lifestyle” is not a concept created out of thin air, but a real transformation taking place across the province.
In Fuzhou’s Shangxiahang Historic District, the fragrance of jasmine tea drifts through the century-old brick buildings of this ancient trading quarter. Yan Jinhua, an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, shows visitors how tea is traditionally scented: fresh jasmine flowers and green tea leaves are blended layer by layer and scented repeatedly, creating the distinctive aroma of “fragrance without visible flowers”. Today, the district is home to nearly 50 businesses showcasing intangible cultural heritage and more than 200 related projects. In 2025, it welcomed approximately 12.88 million visitors, a 28% year-on-year increase.
In Fuzhou’s Mawei District, a century-old shipbuilding machinery workshop has been transformed into an immersive theater where the space unfolds as the story progresses. At the theater, The Glory Belongs to Foochow Arsenal brings history to life through live performance, allowing audiences to move through historical scenes. Since its debut, it has been performed more than 1,171 times and received over 220,000 visitors. As the project leader puts it, “Protecting industrial heritage does not mean freezing it in time as a specimen. It means giving old workshops space for new experiences, so that young people want to step inside, listen, and remember.”
In Quanzhou, the World Heritage city known as the “Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China”, the tradition of wearing floral headdresses has emerged as a distinctive cultural symbol across social media. Hui’an women’s traditional attire and Xunpu floral headdresses are attracting growing attention among young people on international social media platforms, while also encouraging young people who have returned home to start cultural and creative businesses. In the old town of Zhangzhou, the immersive performance Homing Minnan combines Southern Fujian (Minnan) culture with modern lighting, sound, and multimedia technology. As the story unfolds across a series of changing scenes, audiences follow the journey of Southern Fujian people who “sailed to Southeast Asia, ventured into the wider world, and returned home”.
The Numbers behind Fujian’s Tourism Boom
These vibrant experiences are translating into tangible growth. In the first half of 2026, the number of inbound tourists to Fujian rose by 23.6% year on year, while their tourism spending increased by 22.9%. From 2021 to 2025, the province’s annual tourist arrivals climbed from 407 million to 718 million. Fujian is home to 5 World Heritage sites, and 10 of its projects have been inscribed on UNESCO’s lists and register of intangible cultural heritage. The province has also established a network of 389 intangible cultural heritage workshops, creating jobs for more than 20,000 people.
In September 2026, China Central Television’s Focus Report featured Fujian’s cultural and tourism initiatives as part of its “Vibrant China” research series. According to the program, Fujian, drawing on local cultural traditions including Fuzhou Culture, Southern Fujian Culture, Master Zhu Xi Culture, and the Maritime Silk Road, has developed 100 distinctive tourism experiences across 10 categories. These include homestays in traditional houses, local culinary delights, and contemporary Chinese trends rooted in intangible cultural heritage. Building on attractions and cultural symbols such as Sanfang Qixiang and Quanzhou’s Xunpu floral headdresses, the province is preserving and revitalizing its historic streets and lanes, Tulou sites, and urban waterways. The result is a more diverse range of experiences, with each county and city developing its own distinctive character and signature offerings.
An Unhurried Journey through Fujian’s Mountains and Seas
This autumn, Fujian will host more than 2,600 cultural and tourism events, roll out over 300 initiatives benefiting residents and visitors, and introduce 5 distinctive autumn tourism experiences. From the science exhibition hall at the Wuyishan National Park to the Donghai No. 1 Coastal Scenic Route in Xiapu, the journey itself is part of the experience, with beautiful scenery at every turn. Fujian invites visitors from home and abroad to slow down, take their time, and discover this land where mountains meet the sea.
The charm of tourism in Fujian lies in its ability to make visitors forget they are guests. Before they know it, they find themselves immersed in the “Fujian Lifestyle”, becoming part of the place they are visiting. When culture becomes part of everyday life, travel is no longer simply about seeing the sights; it becomes a chance to experience a different way of life.
Welcome to Fujian. Come, take your time, and experience its landscapes, culture, and way of life for yourself.