An Embarrassment of Riches: Putian

In the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), anti-Manchu forces and martial artists amassed at the South Shaolin, where they practiced Kungfu and prepared to stage a campaign to drive out the Manchus and restore the Ming Dynasty of the Han people. In the end they were betrayed, and the Qing army destroyed the temple and killed the monks and rebels. In August 1992 the Fujian provincial government approved the reconstruction of the temple on the site of its ruins. The plaque, “South Shaolin Temple,” was written by Zhao Puchu, late chairman of the Buddhist Association of China.

City of Arts and Crafts

Arts and crafts are not just one of Putian’s pillar industries; it has seen the fastest growth of any arts and crafts sector in the country. In recent years the local government has propelled development in this sector from family workshops into modern, thriving, industrialized operations.

Putian’s arts and crafts are diversified and of high quality. They include eight categories and more than 2,000 varieties, for which the city has been honored by the China National Light Industry Council and China National Arts and Crafts Society. Putian is also known as the “City of Wood Carvings,” the “City of Classic Furniture,” the “Hometown of Silver Ornaments,” the “Capital of Ancient Artistic Furniture,” and the “Industrial Base of Gem and Jade.”

Currently arts and crafts are leading the city’s industrial development and helping it set new records in economic growth rates.