Quanzhou

"Very rich persons use a measure instead of scales in business transactions of gold or silver. The markets are noisy and bustling, and are filled with a great store of gold and silver damasks, brocades, and similar wares. The artisans have the true artistic spirit." - Zhao Rugua

Quanzhou (泉州) is a city in Fujian Province in the People's Republic of China, with an area of 11,245 square kilometers (4,342 square miles) and, as of the 2010 Census, a population of 8,128,530. Quanzhou was the 12th largest Chinese extended metropolitan area in 2010. 

Historical Description

"Quanzhou was the largest port in China during the Song and Yuan dynasties. Sitting across a strait from the island of Taiwan, it was a major transit point for the maritime Silk Road. Centuries of commerce gave the city quite the multicultural flair, housing populations of Arab and Persian merchants. The Venetian traveler Marco Polo visited Quanzhou, embarking from there on a voyage to Persia escorting a Mongol princess to her new husband.

The port was also sometimes used for military purposes, for example serving as the point of departure for Kublai Khan's ill-fated invasion of the kingdom of Majapahit in Indonesia. Quanzhou declined in importance during the Ming Dynasty, whose foreign policy gradually turned from outward-looking to isolationist. External trade was greatly reduced, and when European merchants began arriving in China, they went instead to Guangzhou."

History

Quanzhou was established in 718 during the Tang Dynasty (618–907). In those days, Guangzhou was China's greatest seaport, but this status would be surpassed later by Quanzhou. During the Song Dynasty (960–1279) and Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368), Quanzhou was one of the world's largest seaports, hosting a large community

of foreign-born inhabitants from across the Eurasian world. Today, a number of relics related to that era are preserved and exhibited in the Quanzhou Overseas Relations Museum. A particularly important exhibit is the so-called Quanzhou ship, a seagoing junk that sunk some time after 1272, and was recovered in 1973–74. Due to its reputation, Quanzhou has been called the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road. Zhao Rugua, a Quanzhou customs inspector during the Song dynasty, wrote the Zhu fan zhi (諸蕃志, also Chu-fan-chi), which was about foreign places and items involved in trade with China. The word satin derives from the Arabic name of the city. Zayton is also the word for olive and the symbol of peace in the Arabic and Persian languages.[dubious – discuss] Quanzhou may have been given this title by the Muslims in honor of fact that it was a cultural melting pot at the time due to the trade culture. In the Yuan and Song, merchants of Tamil background in Quanzhou constructed temples to Hindu deities. In the 1200s, Quanzhou Indians built stone engravings of Vishnu and Siva. The alafa was mentioned in a 1326 message by Quanzhou bishop Andrew of Perugia.

DomiNations

Quanzhou can be traveled to using a level 4 Anchorage using 3 citizens and requiring 1 day. Once a successful voyage is achieved, you will obtain 1 Yuan Dynasty Army and 1 Loot Blessing.

Yuan Dynasty Army

The Yuan Dynasty Army is a single use deployment of 6 Royal Chu Ko Nu and 2 Steppe Horse Raiders. Royal Chu Ko Nu Ranged Infantry are superb at taking out defending Heavy Infantry with their doubled attack speed compared to the Crossbow-man. Steppe Horse Raiders are fair alike to their counter part Cavalry Raider with their 594 health and 276 damage against resource buildings. Yuan Dynasty Armies are great for farming sieges or to benefit the attack with extra infantry to distribute across the board.

External Sources

• Wikipedia