Chongwu City, Ancient coastal fortress in Quanzhou, China

Chongwu is an ancient coastal fortress in Quanzhou built with granite walls, watchtowers, and defensive structures from the Ming Dynasty period. The site stretches along the shoreline and combines military structures with an art park featuring stone sculptures.

Chongwu was built from 1387 to 1394 on the orders of Zhou Dexing, Marquis of Jiangxia, as a guard battalion (qianhu suo) fort against Japanese pirates. In 1558 raiders took the city after a six-day siege, and in 1560 it fell for 42 days. Qi Jiguang stationed troops here in 1567, and Zheng Chenggong used it as an anti-Qing base in 1651. The walls were rebuilt in 1983–1987.

The Stone Arts Expo Park displays around 500 sculptures by local artisans, reflecting how granite carving remains a living craft tradition passed down through families in this region.

The site is accessible daily, and you can reach it easily using public transportation from central Quanzhou. Walking the length of the walls and grounds takes time, so wear comfortable shoes and plan for a full morning or afternoon visit.

The walls seen today were rebuilt between 1983 and 1987, when the national cultural relics bureau funded a three-stage restoration of 700,000 yuan; 2,517 metres of wall and 5,374 metres of horse tracks were reconstructed to the original layout. A 1987 symposium marked the fortress's 600th anniversary.