Quanzhou: The Mainland City That's Basically Taiwan.
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Once you immerse yourself and get used to it, you'll understand why it's like that.
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Actually, I feel Quanzhou is more like Tainan, while Xiamen is more similar to Taipei.
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The Minnan (Hokkien) accent in some parts of northern Taiwan sounds a lot like the one in Xiamen.
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Spot on! That's like saying the father resembles the son – it's completely backward. Who ever says the father is like the son?
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Hahahahahahaha (that slightly awkward feeling).
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But most of the things you mentioned—the delicious food, architecture, Western-style villas, cultural and creative products, etc.—are predominantly found within the old city area.
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Do you understand what 'most' means? I can communicate effortlessly in the Quanzhou dialect; it's basically the same as my hometown's dialect.
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As someone from Hefei who's lived in Quanzhou for over a decade, I have to say I still haven't grown to like the local culture, climate, food, or even the dialect.
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But isn't winter there much warmer than in Anhui? And summer isn't as hot as Anhui either. So why the dislike?
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Quanzhou is so boring...
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Fuzhou is even more boring.
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So, where would you recommend going, dear?
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Don't go to Xi Street; it's always incredibly crowded. It's just like those touristy snack streets you find all over the country. Locals rarely go to Xi Street; we prefer exploring the smaller alleyways.
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Let me save up a bit first.
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Quanzhou is essentially the ancestor of Taiwan. Think about it: how many years of history does Quanzhou have compared to Taiwan's relatively recent history?