"When I see the relics in Quanzhou, I feel I have connections with Macro Polo. I imagine the scenes when he had visited and these are the same places I visit today. It is a wonderful experience," said Heros.

Culture exploration is not the only undertaking for foreigners flocking to modern Quanzhou. As much in those days as today, the city beckons to entrepreneurs and businesses worldwide with a vibrant private sector, which is spearheaded by the manufacturing of apparel and footwear, ceramic products, and stoneware.

Sugi International, founded by Italian entrepreneur Massimo Sinigaglia in 1990, set up a research and development center in Quanzhou in 1999, which boasts a competitive manufacturing capacity and a complete industrial chain of garment and footwear.

"About 10 of the 100 employees in our development center are from Italy, Spain and Britain," said Su Jiecheng, who is in charge of the Quanzhou center, which is responsible for turning design sketches into sample products for buyers to choose from.

The Hong Kong-headquartered company is a high street footwear supplier, designing and manufacturing footwear for retailers including a wide range of global brands such as Zara, Caterpillar and Replay.

Su said that the arrangement benefits both the Italian company and local footwear industry, as European fashion and taste open up a whole new world for home-grown shoemakers in Quanzhou, which in turn has helped grab plenty of orders from global businesses.

In 2020, the coastal city's GDP topped 1 trillion yuan (about $156.7 billion), ranking among the top 20 cities nationwide in terms of GDP. Export volume in the same period grew 3.4 percent to about 150.4 billion yuan despite the pandemic.

"The maritime trade tradition, which cherishes openness, inclusiveness and common prosperity, has been passed on over generations and is prevalent even today. That is why the ancient city still prospers and holds attraction for people from all over the world," said Li Guohong, a scholar in local folk culture.