County-level city · Fujian

Shishi 石狮市

Shishi (石狮市) is a small county-level city of Quanzhou (泉州) on the south-eastern Fujian coast, facing the Taiwan Strait to the east. The city government counts it among the county-level cities with the smallest land area in China.

Location of Fujian, the surrounding province-level areaView province guide

Get to know Shishi

Elevated view of dense downtown rooftops and high-rises in Shishi
Rooftop view over downtown Shishi · 石狮市区俯瞰 Source-recorded photograph date: 2016-12-27 13:34:23. · CCP2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo adjustments

Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.

Administrative area
County-level city · 县级市
Part of
Quanzhou
Chinese name
石狮市
Local areas
County-level city guide

Area & population

Area in the source
160.80 km²
Population · 2020
685,930

Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.

Setting and landscape

Jinjiang (晋江市) wraps around Shishi on the west and south-west, Shenhu Bay (深沪湾) lies to the south, and Quanzhou Bay (泉州湾) separates it from Fengze District (丰泽区) and Hui'an County (惠安县) to the north. The land is mostly terraces and coastal plain, higher in the south and centre; the highest point is Baogai Mountain (宝盖山), at 209.6 metres. The city government describes a dry place with long summers, short winters, strong typhoon influence and ten streams, most of them intermittent and running separately into the sea. The sea surrounds the city on three sides, and Xiangzhi (祥芝) harbour is listed by the city government as one of China's five major fishing ports.

History

The name means "stone lion": people around the Fengli temple (凤里庵) used to meet by a carved stone lion in front of it. From 718 the area belonged to Jinjiang County. In December 1987 the State Council approved a new city made from the Jinjiang towns of Shishi, Hanjiang (蚶江) and Yongning (永宁) and Xiangzhi township (祥芝乡), and the city government opened on 30 September 1988. Its second-hand clothes stalls (故衣摊) numbered more than 310 by February 1982, forming a sizeable clothing market.

What to see

Two pagodas mark the old sea route into Quanzhou Bay. Gusao Pagoda (姑嫂塔), on the top of Baogai Mountain, served as a navigation mark for ships, and the Liusheng Pagoda (六胜塔) at Shihu (石湖) in Hanjiang was another lighthouse for Quanzhou port. With the Linluan ferry (林銮渡) they form a group of national protected sites. Huxiu Temple (虎岫寺) on Baogai Mountain dates from the Zhenguan era (627–649).

Yongning (永宁), on a peninsula in the south-east, was walled as the Yongning Guard (永宁卫) in 1387 to defend the coast against Japanese pirates. The Yongning old garrison town is now a 3A scenic area, and Yongning Old Street (永宁老街) was named a historic and cultural street of China. The town's old southern Fujian houses and overseas Chinese homes from the Ming, Qing and Republican periods have earned it the name "natural museum of southern Fujian architecture".

Highlights

  • Gusao Pagoda 姑嫂塔: Hilltop pagoda on Baogai Mountain that served as a navigation mark for ships entering Quanzhou Bay; a national protected site.
  • Liusheng Pagoda 六胜塔: Pagoda at Shihu in Hanjiang that acted as a lighthouse for Quanzhou port.
  • Yongning old garrison town 永宁古卫城: Walled as the Yongning Guard in 1387 against Japanese pirates; now a 3A scenic area.
Sources for this guide

建制沿革_石狮市人民政府 · Shishi Municipal People's Government

永宁镇概况_永宁镇_乡镇街道概况_石狮市人民政府 · Shishi Municipal People's Government

石狮概况_石狮市人民政府 · Shishi Municipal People's Government

Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.

Explore Shishi

Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.

Places to explore around Shishi

AI illustration of a general old town lanes scene; not a photograph or an exact view of this place.AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非该地点实拍）

Yongning Ancient Garrison Town永宁古卫城

Yongning's former garrison town occupies a peninsula on the northern side of Shenhu Bay in Shishi, where coastal defence and overseas trade shaped the streets.

Read the place guide →Full view of the stone Liusheng Pagoda with visitors at its baseLiusheng Pagoda, a five-tiered stone tower in Shishi · 石狮六胜塔，五层石塔 Source-recorded photograph date: 20150724 1542.

Liusheng Pagoda六胜塔

Octagonal five-storey stone pagoda on Quanzhou Bay in Shishi, first built in 1111 as a landmark for ships; part of the Quanzhou World Heritage site.

Read the place guide →A tall stone pagoda atop a rocky hill with visitors on the path belowThe Wanshou Pagoda, also known as Gusao Pagoda, on its hilltop in Shishi, Fujian · 福建石狮姑嫂塔（万寿塔） Source-recorded photograph date: 2023-06-14.

Gusao Pagoda姑嫂塔

Wanshou Tower, commonly called Gusao Tower, is a Southern Song stone landmark on Shishi's Baogai Mountain that once guided ships toward Quanzhou.

Read the place guide →

Plan your visit

Build your route

Yongning Ancient Garrison Town and Liusheng Pagoda are both listed here. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.

Continue with Quanzhou →

More in Quanzhou

Licheng District鲤城区 →Fengze District丰泽区 →Luojiang District洛江区 →Quangang District泉港区 →Hui'an County惠安县 →Anxi County安溪县 →Yongchun County永春县 →Dehua County德化县 →
Sources & geographic information

Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.

Photo: Liusheng Pagoda · 董辰兴 · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.

Photo: Gusao Pagoda · Perinbaba · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.