CChronica Maps

Quanzhou: History, Former Names & Timeline

A world port under the Song and Yuan, called Zaitun by the Arabs; Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta both called it the greatest port of the East.

Map showing Quanzhou in 1300Quanzhou
Border map for 1300. See the world in 1300.

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Former names of Quanzhou

FromNameNote
AD 718QuanzhouZaitun to Arab merchants

Timeline of Quanzhou

YearEvent
1087The Song set up a maritime trade office at Quanzhou
1292Marco Polo sails from Quanzhou on his journey home
1346Ibn Battuta visits Quanzhou
1357The Ispah rebellion begins and the port starts to decline
2021Quanzhou is inscribed as a World Heritage Site as an emporium of Song–Yuan China

Who ruled Quanzhou

Derived from the border maps; each row runs until the next recorded border change.

PeriodState
500 BC–401 BCUnclaimed / no data
400 BC–324 BCAustro-Asiatic rice cultures
323 BC–201 BCYue
200 BC–2 BCMin-Yue
1 BC–299Han
300–499Jin
500–599Jin Empire
600–699Sui Empire
700–999Tang Empire
1000–1299Song Empire
1300–1399Great Khanate
1400–1499Ming Empire
1500–1649Ming Chinese Empire
1650–1782Manchu Empire
1783–1814Qing Empire
1815–1919Manchu Empire
1920–1937Chinese Warlords
1938–1944Chinese warlords
1945–todayChina

Famous people of Quanzhou

LivedPerson
1254 – 1324Marco PoloMerchant and traveller
1304 – 1369Ibn BattutaTraveller

Nearby cities

Further reading

Questions about Quanzhou

Which states have ruled Quanzhou?

On the historical border maps from 500 BC to today, Quanzhou lies within 17 different states: Austro-Asiatic rice cultures, Yue, Min-Yue, Han, Jin, Jin Empire, Sui Empire, Tang Empire, Song Empire, Great Khanate and others.

What are the key dates in the history of Quanzhou?

1087: The Song set up a maritime trade office at Quanzhou. 1292: Marco Polo sails from Quanzhou on his journey home. 1346: Ibn Battuta visits Quanzhou. 1357: The Ispah rebellion begins and the port starts to decline. 2021: Quanzhou is inscribed as a World Heritage Site as an emporium of Song–Yuan China.

Which famous people are connected with Quanzhou?

Marco Polo (merchant and traveller, 1254 – 1324); Ibn Battuta (traveller, 1304 – 1369).

Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.