Putian

Chengxiang District (city centre)

Political and cultural core near Shouxi Park and Putian Museum; most mid-range hotels and easy bus links.

Licheng District

Commercial core with malls and upscale residential blocks; good for shopping and restaurants.

Meizhou Island (Xiuyu District)

Sleep on the island only if you want the temple at opening or the Mazu festival; limited rooms, book ahead.

Etiquette

• Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
• Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
• Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
• Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
• Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
• Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
• Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
• Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4

Scams and watch-outs

• Meizhou Island needs a paid island ticket plus a separate ferry ticket; both are extra to the free temple entry.
• Typhoons can cancel ferries and rail in Jul–Sep; keep a buffer day.
• English is limited outside hotels; have your destination written in Chinese.
• Shoe and souvenir markets sell copies; check what you are buying.