A file photo of the old town area in Quanzhou. [Photo provided to Chinaculture.org]

Starting in 2014, the biennial festival is hosted by the Chinese Culture and Tourism Ministry and Fujian provincial government, and organized by the Fujian provincial culture and tourism department and Quanzhou municipal government.

Quanzhou was the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road - the ancient trade route formed centuries ago that linked the port city with the West, shipping Chinese treasures including silk products, porcelain and tea leaves to other parts of the world. Today, it is a pilot area for the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road - the sea route in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative that would connect China with Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe through enhanced economic and cultural cooperation.