Zhangzhou
Zhangzhou (漳州; Zhāngzhōu) is a city in the west of Fujian Province in China.
Get in
By bus
There are frequent buses from Xiamen (about 1 hour), as well as some direct service from most cities and counties in southern Fujian.
By train
The railway arrangements in Zhangzhou have undergone significant changes recently. Since mid-2012, there are two passenger stations in the Zhangzhou metropolitan area: Zhangzhou Railway Station and Zhangzhou East Railway Station.
The spacious new 1 Zhangzhou Railway Station (which was known as Zhangzhou South during the planning stage) sits on the new high-speed railway (the Xiamen-Shenzhen line) about 10 km south of downtown Zhangzhou. Many of the high-speed trains travelling along the coast from Xiamen, Fuzhou and points north to Shenzhen stop here. There is also high-speed service inland to Longyan; many of the conventional trains from Xiamen to destinations in the interior of China use that line too.
The older 2 Zhangzhou East Railway Station is remarkably inconveniently located (miles away from the city, with few signs posted along the road, and fairly limited bus service; even some of the locals have only a vague idea as to where it is). Before the opening of the new Zhangzhou Railway Station all trains between Xiamen and the interior of China had to pass through Zhangzhou East station. Now many of them have been rerouted to the new rail line south of the city and the new Zhangzhou Railway Station, but a few (slower) trains still run through Zhangzhou East.
Finally, there is the Zhangzhou North Station, just north of downtown Zhangzhou. Don't go there: even though older maps still call it "Zhangzhou Station" (this is how it was called until 2011), it has no passenger service anymore.
By plane
The closest passenger airport is in Xiamen.
Get around
The city has extensive local bus service, with several routes extending to outlying suburbs (some of which are really cities in their own right, such as Longhai).
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Go next
Take a bus to Nanjing County or Yongding County, and see Fujian Tulou, large fortified earth buildings which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Or go the opposite way, to Xiamen which is the hub of the region and has the scenic island Gulangyu.
The Liu'ao Peninsula, in Zhangpu County, has the ruins of an ancient fortress, good beaches, and interesting rock formations.
Xihu She Ethnic Township, in Zhangpu County, has two 17th-century fortresses: Zhaojiabao and Yi'anbao.