Abstract: The cultural heritage of the Maritime Silk Road represents the wisdom and achievements of friendly exchanges between ancient China and Arab. As the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road and a key hub for international trade, Quanzhou in Fujian Province has provided the foundational conditions for commercial exchange and cultural dialogue between the two countries. By exploring the evolution of cultural exchange along the Maritime Silk Road between China and Arab, a clearer understanding of the historical context and achievements of their civilisational interactions can be geined. This analysis can help identify the forms in which Chinese and Arab cultures have converged, interacted, and become localised in the Quanzhou region, offering historical insights and inspiration for deeper trade and cultural cooperation between China and Arab countries along the “21st-Century Maritime Silk Road”.

Key words: Quanzhou in Fujian, Maritime Silk Road, Chinese-Arab culture, interaction, localization