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Voykit pocket guide · China
Longquan
Half a day for the celadon and sword workshops, then move on: Longquan is a detour, not a base.
Longquan is a small city in southwest Zhejiang known for two crafts that have survived a thousand years: celadon porcelain and sword-making. The town itself is compact and quiet. Most travellers come on a day trip from Lishui or as a stop between Wenzhou and the mountains of Lishui prefecture. The crafts are the reason to come; the food and nightlife are secondary.
- Country
- China
- Best months
- Apr–May, Sep–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot and humid), Chinese New Year (shops closed)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥200–350 excl. bed · Mid ¥350–600 excl. bed · High ¥600+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Bowl of noodles | ¥10–20 |
| KFC set meal | ¥30–45 |
| Local celadon teacup (small) | ¥50–200 |
| Taxi within city centre | ¥10–20 |
| Bus Lishui–Longquan, one way | ¥50 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- WNZ · Wenzhou Longwan International Airport
- About 2.5 h by bus or taxi to Longquan
- HGH · Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport
- About 4 h by high-speed train + bus via Lishui
Typical fares
- Bus Lishui → Longquan
- about ¥50, about 1.5 h (check)
- Taxi city centre → Mount Longquan
- about ¥60 one way (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Longquan is walkable in the centre. Taxis and ride-hailing (Didi) are available; buses run infrequent routes to the outskirts.
See and do
Known for
- Longquan celadon (龙泉青瓷)
- Sword-making since several hundred BCE
- Song-dynasty kiln sites
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lishui | Bus from Longquan bus station, about 1.5 h | About 1.5 h |
| Wenzhou | Bus from Longquan, about 2.5 h | About 2.5 h |
| Mount Longquan (Longquan Shan) | Taxi or local bus, about 40 min | About 1 h |
Sleep
- City centre (near the main square)
- Walking distance to most shops and restaurants.
- Near the bus station
- Convenient for onward travel; fewer dining options.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xiè xiè |
| How much is this? | 这个多少钱？zhè ge duō shao qián |
| I'd like to buy this celadon piece | 我想买这个青瓷wǒ xiǎng mǎi zhè ge qīng cí |
| Where is the bus station? | 汽车站在哪里？qì chē zhàn zài nǎ lǐ |
Etiquette, safety and scams
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
- Most celadon and sword workshops close for Chinese New Year; check ahead.
- English is not widely spoken; have your destination written in Chinese.
- Buses from Lishui to Longquan run until about 18:00; plan your connection.
Longquan is a safe small city. The main risks are traffic on the main roads and pickpocketing in busy markets – standard precautions apply.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Longquan yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Longquan celadon (龙泉青瓷)
- Sword-making since several hundred BCE
- Song-dynasty kiln sites
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Longquan, revision 3720152 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=3720152
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/longquan). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.