Located on the south east coast of China opposite Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait is the island port city of Xiamen, (pronounced Charmen) one of the five original special economic zones of China. It is connected to mainland China by a number of bridges and an underwater tunnel is due for completion by 2010. Due to the number of egrets found on the island it is often called Egret Island.
In the 16th century it was the first Chinese port used by Portuguese, Dutch and England traders and in 1842 it became a treaty port where foreigners could live and trade. In those days it was known as Amoy. Nowadays Xiamen is the 4th largest port in China in terms of cargo movements – the cargo facilities are on the western side – and the 10th largest in the world.
In the past decade or so the island has undergone incredible development and the population has swelled to over 2 ½ million, still a small city by Chinese standards. It is a pleasant city, well laid out, in many ways reminiscent of Singapore. One great ‘law’ is the banning of motor cycles so traffic, although heavy, moves swiftly and easily and noise is less.
Xiamen enjoys a sub-tropical, maritime climate and with the wealth of trees, shrubbery and gardens, island coastline and variety of attractions it is a popular holiday destination for many visitors from around China and increasingly from overseas. Numerous high-class hotels are available some like Mandarin, Best Western Premier, Crowne Plaza Harbourview, Ramada and JW Marriott reflect a continuing high level of foreign investment. Other recommended hotels include the Marco Polo. Powerlong Hotel, Minnan and Jinyan Hotels, Huaqiao Hotel and the Miramar Hotel. I stayed at Millennium Harbourview, an excellent business and tourist hotel with great facilities.
The airport is around 30km north of the main city area and is reached by a lovely ‘Round-the-Island’ road, part of which is a raised highway perched above the sea. On a clear day you can see the closest of the Taiwanese (called Jinmen by the locals) islands only 5km offshore. There is a large naval base on the island reflecting those periods when the Chinese and Taiwanese governments have been in ‘threatening’ mode. The east coast is undergoing massive change with a convention centre, more hotels, marinas, golf courses – all the facilities to attract the high end tourist.
The Round the Island Road provides a link to a number of tourist attractions including Hulishan Fort and is popular with locals strolling along the pathways and dining at one of the myriad of restaurants. Seafood is the cuisine of choice here.; I had an excellent banquet at the Beauty Seafood restaurant but the sight of all the different fish and crustaceans swimming in tanks before being prepared for our meal was a bit off-putting.
I was intrigued by the huge banner on the roadside facing Taiwan that I was told read ‘One Country Two Systems, the Reunification of China’.
The main tourist attraction is the small island (less than 2sq km) of Gulang a 10 minute ferry ride from downtown Xiamen. There are no vehicles on the island apart from a few battery driven tourist movers and it is relaxing to wander the narrow streets absorbing the mix of Chinese and foreign architectural styles as many foreign embassies and consulates were located there during the early 20th century.
Among the many different architectural styles on the island are traditional Chinese temples with upturned eaves, former consulates of Western countries built in their home country styles of the 19th century, even tiny Japanese houses. Gulang Island is referred to as the ‘Gallery of International Architecture’.
The buildings are grand and exhibit a variety of styles In the Sea and Sky Mansion (actually five villas) there are performances of traditional Chinese music (an acquired taste) and hand puppets that are great fun and the ‘performers’ show incredible skill and flexibility.
Although the booming Xiamen skyline across the water from Gulang is dominated by new high rise structures the local people are careful to preserve the more gracious styles of buildings from earlier times.
Xiamen skyline
The lovely Shuzhuang Garden wanders along the southern coast of the island with a pathway leading up to the Hall of Roaring Tides which houses around 600 different pianos from antique to modern collected from all round the world by Hu Youyi, a native of the island but now residing in Australia. Some of the pianos are played by musicians during the day. Gulang is sometimes called the Island of Pianos and the Land of Music.
There are other pleasant parks on Gulang including Bright Moon Park built to commemorate national hero Zheng Chenggong and the Yuyuan Gardens honouring Lin Qiaozhi (1901-1983) a famous gynaecologist and obstetrician in China
The highest point of the island at the top of Dragon Head Hill is Sunlight (Huang) Rock at only 92m and from the top are panoramas of the islet and across to Xiamen itself. Sunlight Rock consists of two huge rocks, one horizontal and the other vertical leaning on each other. A local saying goes ‘It will be a trip to Xiamen in vain without climbing Sunlight Rock’.
Close to downtown Xiamen is the lovely South Putou Temple with a history stretching back 1000 years. The temple complex contains a number of halls and shrines with, in the Chinese fashion, evocative names such as Hall of Heavenly Kings, Shrine of Sakyumuni Buddha , Hall of Great Compassion and the Sutra Hall..
I was surprised, in this Communist country, at the number of monks and also devotees of the Buddhist philosophies; the devotees were all leaving colourful bouquets of flowers as offerings. Huge ponds full of lotus flowers (and also small turtles) add to the colour. The temple backs on to a group of lovely peaks and is adjacent to Xiamen University that was founded in 1921.
South Putou Temple in Xiamen
Haicang Bridge connects Xiamen to mainland China and the local authorities are busy developing the mainland side as a new manufacturing area with plans to move plants on the island to the mainland precinct. The Haicang bridge is a steel-box floating bridge, at nearly 6km long with a central section over 3km it is the largest in Asia. To get to the bridge the highway from the centre of the city passes the port area of Xiamen, one of the busiest in China.
The development is incredible, huge factories built and then offered to companies (Kodak is located there) and towering residential blocks earmarked for workers. I wondered what effect the global financial crisis had had on this massive development and expansion.
From Xiamen a tour to the Longyan district is a must. A two hour bus ride through fertile farming land (bananas, mushrooms, orchids, etc) is followed by a journey through mountainous country of the Hudong Mountains to Yongding County where the amazing earth buildings of the Hakka people are found in a number of villages. Some of these 360 remaining huge round earth buildings (there are more square shaped) are very popular because of their long history, unique style and amazing structure. The life of the extended families is contained within the structures which have three to five storeys, up to 200 rooms, with dining and kitchen facilities on the ground floor, warehouses on the second and bedrooms and guest rooms on the higher floors, and an ancestral area in the centre for holding ceremonies and celebrations.
In the 1980s spy satellites interpreted images of the buildings taken from high above earth as secret Chinese missile launching pads but on closer inspection found they were looking at the homes of villagers. In the past couple of years the Chinese authorities have constructed a sealed road to make these remote villages more accessible to tourists.
Back in Xiamen the intrepid shopper will be drawn to Zhongshan Road, a pedestrian-only street lined with shops ranging from high end brand names to market stalls. At 10pm the streets are packed with shoppers buying or just strolling possibly as a way to ‘escape’ from their high-rise apartment blocks. Other busy shopping precincts include SM City Square and the World Trade Mart.
Xiamen and the province of Fujian in which it is located produce an amazing variety of goods ranging from sub-tropical fruits, marine products, medicinal foods, pearl embroidery, lacquer line carvings, cloth figures, calligraphy and jade and porcelain articles. Wulong tea from the north of Fujian is also a popular item. However most tourists are drawn to the markets with their dazzling array of clothes and household items at very inexpensive prices.
Fujian cuisine is one of the eight main cuisines of China. With its proximity to the sea it is not surprising that seafood is a specialty with lobster, abalone, shrimp and shellfish local delicacies. Among the recommended seafood restaurants in Xiamen are Shuyou Seafood Restaurant, Happy Paradise Restaurant and Shark’s Fin Restaurant
Vegetarian cuisine also has a long history. Southern Putuo vegetarian dishes reflect the Buddhist diet combining, for example, bean curd with mushroom, winter bamboo shoots and edible fungus The restaurant within the South Putuo Temple is worth a visit.
Another specialty is cooking dishes combined with medicinal herbs and the Lujiang Harbourview Hotel is regarded as the best place to sample this style of cooking in Xiamen.
Tea is served everywhere in Xiamen and many teahouses can be found to indulge this passion with the locals. Specialty ‘shops’ offer elaborate ceremonies for the tourists but I found them expensive and rather hard sell.
Xiamen is a great example of booming China, a pleasant, relaxed city to visit. It can easily be combined with other fascinating places in Fujian province including the historical and cultural city of Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian, as well as Wuyishan and the beautiful Mt Wuyi region.
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