Xiamen

No reviews yetCity Fujian, China

About Xiamen

Known to generations of sailors and tea traders as Amoy, Xiamen is an island city off the coast of southern Fujian, linked to the mainland by bridges and tunnels and home to more than five million people across its wider municipality. Sea breezes, flowering trees and a gentle subtropical climate make it one of the most relaxed big cities in China.

After the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842 it became one of the first five ports opened to British trade, and foreign merchants and consuls settled on tiny Gulangyu, whose car-free lanes of colonial villas joined the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2017. In 1980 Xiamen became one of China's first four Special Economic Zones, and its modern skyline rose quickly.

Buddhist Nanputuo Temple and the lakeside campus of Xiamen University sit side by side, the Huandao Road follows the island's southern beaches past Zengcuo'an village, and Jimei recalls the philanthropist Tan Kah Kee. Do not leave without a bowl of shacha noodles and a crisp oyster omelette.

Best seasonOctober to December and March to May; summers are hot and typhoons can arrive from July to September.

Ideal stayThree days for Gulangyu, the temple and university, and the coastal road.

ArrivingXiamen Gaoqi International Airport is on the island itself; high-speed trains link Xiamen with Fuzhou, Shenzhen and Shanghai.

Why People Love Xiamen: 12 Things to Discover

Landmarks 2

Gulangyu Island

A short ferry ride from the city, this small car-free island became an international settlement after 1842, and its lanes are line...

Xiamen University

Founded in 1921 by the overseas Chinese philanthropist Tan Kah Kee, this is often called one of China's most beautiful campuses, w...

Viewpoints 1

Sunlight Rock

The highest point on Gulangyu is a cluster of huge granite boulders reached by stone steps through gardens and past small temples....

Parks 2

Shuzhuang Garden

Built in the early 20th century as a private villa garden by a wealthy merchant family from Taiwan, this seaside park on Gulangyu...

Xiamen Botanical Garden

Spread over the green hills of Wanshi Mountain in the middle of the island, this large garden holds collections of palms, cacti an...

Temples and Shrines 1

Nanputuo Temple

Founded in the Tang dynasty and rebuilt many times, this busy Buddhist temple climbs the slopes of Wulao Peak beside Xiamen Univer...

History 2

Hulishan Fortress

Built in the 1890s on a headland at the southern tip of the island, this granite fortress guarded the entrance to Xiamen harbor. I...

Jimei School Village

On the mainland across the bay, the Jimei district grew around the schools founded by Tan Kah Kee, the overseas Chinese businessma...

Shopping 1

Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street

Xiamen's classic downtown shopping street runs from the ferry piers into the old city, lined with arcaded qilou buildings whose co...

Neighborhoods 1

Zengcuo'an Village

Once a small fishing village on the island's south-east coast, Zengcuo'an has become a maze of narrow lanes filled with cafes, gue...

Scenic Drives 1

Xiamen Huandao Road

This seaside road loops around the eastern and southern shores of Xiamen Island, with a separate cycling and walking path running...

Food and Drink 1

Xiamen Shacha Noodles

The city's favorite cheap meal is a bowl of noodles in a rich, slightly spicy shacha broth made with dried seafood, peanuts and sp...

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