Xiamen, Fujian | 厦门福建
Day 2 | 第二天 + Day 3 | 第三天
Xiamen, Fujian is a port city on China’s southeast coast, across a strait from Taiwan. It’s also known as Amoy in the Hokkien/ Fujianese dialect. The word Amoy was coined after the 1st Opium War (1839-1842) when Xiamen was forced opened as a treaty port. The origin of the name Amoy is based on the following story: a foreigner asked a Fuzhou customs officer the island’s name and he was told it was called, “Ah Mo” in the local dialect, and Amoy was as close as foreigners could get in pronouncing the name of the city.
Today, many overseas Chinese still refer to Xiamen as Amoy. The city became an economic zone in the 1980s attracting foreign investments, particularly from overseas Chinese. One can sense some of this wealth in parts of the city through the architecture, retail stores, and material goods.
A few members of our group arrived earlier so we started our day sightseeing in Xiamen.
Nanputuo Temple (South Temple) | 南普陀寺
Located on the southeast of Xiamen Island, we visited a renowned buddhist temple, Nanputuo, founded during the Tang Dynasty (618-970 CE).
Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street | 中山路步行街
Zhongshan Lu is the oldest commercial street in Xiamen dating back to 1925 and completely closed to vehicular traffic. We spent the afternoon exploring the stores and eateries - many of which sold local snacks such as pineapple cakes, dried meats, and seafood omelettes. I had always associated pineapple cakes with Taiwan. Having these cakes in Xiamen reminded me of the close relationship between Fujian and Taiwan historically, geographically, and culturally. Many Taiwanese are descendants of immigrants from southern Fujian.
Gulangyu Island | 鼓浪屿
The next day we visited Gulangyu Island, which is a pedestrian-only island off the coast of Xiamen. In 2017, it became a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site and is only reachable by a ferry ride from downtown Xiamen. Cars and bicycles are banned from the island — instead workers deliver goods around the island with carts.
Reminders of China’s colonial past are seen throughout the island. Gulangyu became an international settlement (similar to the International Settlement in Shanghai ) as a result from China’s loss in the First Opium War and the Treaty of Nanking in 1842. Thirteen countries including Great Britain, France, The Netherlands and Japan enjoyed privileges on the island. The consulates, churches, hospitals, schools, and police stations built by those foreign communities explain the predominantly Victorian-era style architecture that can still be seen throughout Gulangyu island today.
I saw a large number of Chinese nationals traveling to Gulangyu Island as we were waiting for the ferry. I was curious about such large numbers of domestic tourists during the “off-season” and when I asked our tour guide about this, he told me that Xiamen is a destination for many Chinese nationals at any time of the year because of the mild climate and relatively low pollution compared to other parts of China. I later learned that although only close to 20,000 people live on the island, Gulangyu attracts more than 10 million visitors per year—making it one of China's most visited tourist attractions. When I lived in China in the 90’s, I don’t recall seeing many Chinese nationals traveling for leisure within China. At that time, tourist destinations were mainly full of 外购人 | foreigners.
Hulishan Fortress | 胡里山炮台
Our final destination for the day was Hulishan Fortress. Located on the south side of Xiamen Island, Hulishan Fortress was built in 1894, during the Qing Dynasty, and served a key role in the country’s defense against Japanese expansion in the early 20th century. The fortress consists of a granite castle and tower, an ammunition depot, barracks, and trenches. Many of these structures combined Chinese and European elements showcasing the influence of westernization at the time. ■