|
Untitled Document
Xiamen China Travel Guide
Xiamen (厦门) (Amoy, Eng.; Archaic) is a coastal sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It looks out to the Taiwan Strait and borders Quanzhou to the north and Zhangzhou to the south.
Xiamen and the surrounding countryside are famous for being an ancestral home to overseas Chinese and one of China's earliest Special Economic Zones in the 1980s. It covers an area of 1 565 km² with a local population of 5 million. It was recently named China's 2nd most livable city.[1]
Name of the City
Earlier, the name was written as 下門 , meaning "Lower Gate" — possibly because of its position at the mouth of the Nine Dragon River — but the authorities found that name too unrefined. The characters "下門" ("lower gate") in Zhangzhou dialects of Min Nan Chinese are pronounced Ē-mûi (using the POJ Romanization). The dialect is still spoken in the west and southwest of the city. In Quanzhou dialect, the most common dialect, it is pronounced Ē-mn̂g.
Later, "下門" was changed to the modern toponym "廈門", which has the same pronunciation in Mandarin (but not in Min Nan), and which literally means "The Gate of the Grand Mansion". The name continues to be pronounced as "下門" (Ē-mn̂g) in Min Nan.
Administration
Xiamen
Traditional Chinese:
廈門
Simplified Chinese:
厦门
Hanyu Pinyin:
Xiàmén
[show]Transliterations
Mandarin
- Hanyu Pinyin:
Xiàmén
- Wade-Giles:
Hsiamen
Min
- Min-nan POJ:
Hā-mn̂g (厦门), Ē-mn̂g (下门)
The subprovincial city of Xiamen administers 6 districts.
Haicang District (海沧区)
Huli District (湖里区)
Jimei District (集美区)
Siming District (思明区)
Tong'an District (同安区)
Xiang'an District (翔安区)
The districts of Siming and Huli form the Special Economic Zone.
In May 2003, Gulangyu Island and Kaiyuan District were merged into Siming District, Xinglin District (杏林区) was merged into Jimei District, and Xiang'an District was created out of a section of Tong'an District.
History
During the early Jin Dynasty, the place was made Tong'an District (同安縣) in 282, a sub-entity of Jin'an Prefecture (晉安郡). During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the city was known as a sustainable international seaport, and the Chinese scientist and statesman Shen Kuo (1031-1095) spent some of his youth there while his father was a local bureaucrat on the government staff. In 1387, the Ming Dynasty used the place as base against pirates, and was part of Quanzhou. Koxinga, stationed here in 1650, named it Siming Island (思明洲), or "Remembering the Ming", but the city was renamed by the Manchus in 1680 to Xiamen Subprefecture. The name "Siming" was changed back after the 1912 Xinhai Revolution and the settlement was made a county. Later it reverted to the name Xiamen City. In 1949, Xiamen became a provincial city (省辖市), then was upgraded to a vice-province-class city (副省级市), or a municipality. It was made a Special Economic Zone in 1980.
Xiamen was the port of trade first used by Europeans in 1541. It was China's main port in the nineteenth century for exporting tea. As a result, the Amoy dialect had a major influence on how Chinese terminology was translated into English and other European languages. For example, the words "Amoy", "tea" (茶; tê), "cumshaw" (感謝; kám-siā), "ketchup" (茄汁; kiô-chiap), and "Pekoe" (白毫; pe̍h-hô), kowtow (磕頭; khàu-thâu), gung-ho, and possibly Japan (Ji̍t-pún) originated from the Amoy dialect.
Xiamen was one of the five Chinese treaty ports opened by the Treaty of Nanjing (signed in 1842) at the end of the First Opium War between Britain and China. As a result, it was an early entry point for Protestant missions in China .
In 1999, the largest corruption scandal in China's history was uncovered, implicating up to 200 government officials. Lai Changxing is alleged to have run an enormous smuggling operation, which financed the city's football team, film studios, largest construction project, and a vast brothel rented to him by the local Public Security Bureau. According to Time (magazine), "locals used to joke that Xiamen should change its name to Yuanhua, the name of Lai's company." They subsequently claimed that potential investors were discouraged by the taint of corruption.[2]
Economy
Since Xiamen Special Economic Zone was established, it has opened up to foreign direct investment and created many jobs, factories, export opportunities for local companies and multinational corporations. Xiamen benefits particularly from investment capital from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Xiamen's primary economic activities include fishing, shipbuilding, food processing, tanning, textiles, machine tool manufacturing, chemical industries, telecommunications, and financial services.
Xiamen is a favourite destination for foreign investors. By the end of 2000, a total of 4,991 projects with foreign direct investment had been approved in the city, with a contractual foreign investment amount of US$17.527 billion and an actual foreign investment amount of US$11.452 billion [3].
In 1992, Xiamen was ranked among the top 10 Chinese cities in relation to comprehensive strengths with its GDP increasing by an average of over 20% annually. In 2006, Xiamen's GDP amounted to 116.2 billion Yuan, an increase of 16.7% over the previous year; and the per-capita GDP was about US$6,546. Further economic reforms were introduced and this brought about a total volume of imports and exports in 2006 of US$32.8 billion, while that of exports totalled US$20.5 billion [4].
Xiamen is also the host of the China International Fair for Investment and Trade held annually in early September to attract foreign direct investment into the Chinese mainland.
Financial services
By Chinese standards, Xiamen has highly developed banking services. The biggest bank is the state-owned commercial bank, Sino-foreign joint venture Xiamen International Bank, and solely foreign-funded Xiamen City Commercial Bank.
Foreign banks that have established representative offices in Xiamen include:
Hong Kong: Jiyou Bank, East Asia Bank, HSBC (China), Hang Seng Bank
Singapore: Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation, United Overseas Bank
US: Bank of the Orient, Citibank, Hartford Financial Services
Europe: Standard Chartered Bank, Crédit Lyonnais
Japan: Mizuho Bank
Philippines: Commercial Bank, Allied Bank
Thailand: Bangkok Bank
There are more than 600 financial institutions in operation in Xiamen. Retail and corporate customers in Xiamen have access to a wide variety of financial services and various financial services firm.
Geography
Xiamen comprises Xiamen Island (longitude 118° 04'04"E, latitude 24° 26'46" N.), Gulangyu Island, and a larger region along the mouth of the Jiulong River on the mainland. Huli District and most of Siming District (except Gulangyu) are on Xiamen Island, while the other four districts lie on the mainland. The Gaoji (Gaoqi-Jimei) Causeway built in 1955 has transformed Xiamen Island into a peninsula by linking it with the mainland.
Xiamen Island is located very close to the island of Quemoy (Kinmen), which is governed by the Republic of China (based on Taiwan).
Downtown Xiamen as seen from Gulangyu Island
Climate
Xiamen has a monsoonal Humid subtropical climate, a zone characterized by hot, humid summers and chilly to mild winters. The maximum temperature is 38.4°and the minimum is 2°. The annual rainfall averages 1 100 mm, and strong northeastern winds prevail.
Culture
The local vernacular is Amoy, a dialect of Southern Min (閩南), also called Hokkien. Amoy is widely used and understood in the southern region of Fujian province as well as overseas. The official language of the People's Republic of China, Mandarin (Putonghua), is also used in the media, business, communications, education and the arts.
Media
Xiamen is served by Xiamen Television, which broadcasts news and entertainment such as movies and television series.
Transportation
Xiamen is served by the Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport, the base of Xiamen Airlines.
Currently, there are nine Asian cities that have direct flights to Xiamen. They are Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Jakarta, Osaka, Nagoya, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore and Bangkok. Cities outside China's mainland that have direct flights to Xiamen are Hong Kong and Macau which are situated on Guangdong province's southern border.
Taxi rides are available from the airport to the city. The taxi fare is around 30-40 RMB.
A ferry service links Xiamen Island and Gulangyu Island.
There are two major bridges linking Xiamen Island to the mainland.
There is also a bus service for 1 or 2 RMB. This is the main form of mass transit. Taxis are also common and can be easily hailed in most areas of the city.
Many people in the city also ride bicycles to get from place to place. Unlike in most Chinese cities, where motorcycles and mopeds are the major form of transportation, such vehicles are not allowed in Xiamen. Using car horns is also banned. These two laws make Xiamen's streets especially pleasant.
Infrastructure
Xiamen Port
Xiamen Port is one of the top ten ports in China. It is a huge, deepwater, ice-free port that never silts up. Xiamen Port is located on Xiamen Island which is at the mouth of the Jiulong River. It has an excellent natural harbour and is well connected to the mainland. The natural coastline in the port area is 64.5 km while the water is over 12 m indepth. There are 81 berths of big, medium or small tonnage, including 16 deep-water berths, of which 6 operate containers of over 10,000 tonnes. 100 000 t ships can berth straight at the inner port, while 50 000 t ships can pull in for loading and unloading. Currently, Xiamen port has navigation routes to Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Kaohsiung and Singapore. Xiamen has recently opened ocean routes to the Mediterranean Sea, Europe and the Americas. In 2000, the cargo throughput at the port was 19.65 million tons, an increase of 10.82% over the previous year; the container throughput reached 108.46 million TEUs, up by 27.83% from the previous year.
Tourism
Xiamen was recently voted China's cleanest city, and has many attractions for the tourist. Xiamen and its surrounding countryside provides spectacular scenery and pleasant tree-lined beaches. Gulangyu, also known as Piano Island, is a popular, peaceful weekend getaway with amazing views of the city. Xiamen's Botanical Garden is a nature lover's paradise. The Buddhist Nanputuo Temple, dating back to the Tang Dynasty, is a national treasure. Xiamen is also famous for its history as a frontline during the war with Kinmen (Quemoy) 50 years ago. One attraction for tourist is to view Jingmen island, a few kilometers away and under Taiwanese control, from Xiamen island.
Shopping
Xiamen has a wide variety of department stores. There are also supermarkets run by Metro and Wal-Mart and the SM Shopping Mall. There are also supermarkets on university campuses and they have delivery service for many goods. In the university campus, there are many bookstores. Both the supermarkets and bookstores open seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. In Xiamen, there are also night markets.
Zhongshan Road
This is the main commercial street in Xiamen. It includes traditional shophouses with the latest fashion, shoes and wide variety of products. A large section of the street (between the ferry landing and Siming Street) has recently been fully pedestrianized.
Xiahe Road
This is a newly established busy commercial precinct in Xiamen. Shopping centres located here include Railway Station World Trading Mall, Chengda Mall, Holiday World for Women and Children, Eupa and 3C.
Bailuzhou Shopping and Recreational Centre
It is situated in the upper Hubinzhong Road and has a large assortment of shops and restaurants.
Colleges and universities
National
Xiamen University (founded 1921)
Public
Lujiang University (厦门理工学院/鹭江职业大学)
Jimei University (集美大学)
Xiamen Oceanography Vocational College (厦门海洋职业技术学院)
Private
Xiamen Nanyang College (厦门南洋学院)
Xiamen Performing Arts College (厦门演艺职业学院)
Sister cities
Cardiff, Wales, since 1983.
Sasebo, Japan, since 1983.
Cebu, Philippines, since 1984.
Guadalajara, Mexico.
Baltimore, Maryland, since 1985.
Wellington, New Zealand, since 1987.
Penang, Malaysia, since 1991.
Mokpo, South Korea, since 2007.
Netanya, Israel, since 2008.
Sarasota, Florida (pending).
Notable inhabitants
Han Kuo-Huang, ethnomusicologist
Koxinga, early Qing dynasty rebel
Lai Changxing, purported businessman, alleged criminal
Niven Charvet, poet
Xiamen Travel Guide
Xiamen (厦门) is a coastal city in Fujian Province, China.
While not a "must see" destination, it has a number of attractions, an interesting history and is tourist friendly.
Understand
Until 1840, Western "barbarians" were allowed to trade only in Guangzhou, and only under strict controls. After China lost the First Opium War, Britain took Hong Kong and China was forced to open five "Treaty Ports": Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo and Shanghai.
In Xiamen, the island Gulang Yu became a foreign enclave with consulates and luxurious homes. Today it is a quiet area (no cars or motorcycles) and five minutes by ferry from downtown, and still quite scenic.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Fujian was a focus of missionary activity. There are still many historic churches in the region.
In the 1970s, Xiamen was made a Special Economic Zone to encourage development. This has worked. Xiamen has more Taiwan investment than any other mainland city, partly because the Minnan dialect spoken around Xiamen is nearly identical to Taiwanese. There is also a major influx of other foreign investment.
It is not Shanghai or Hong Kong, but compared to many other cities in China, Xiamen is definitely a very vibrant, affluent and modern place.
Get in
Xiamen has an international airport, code XMN, conveniently close to downtown, 30-40 RMB and 20 minutes by taxi. Xiamen Airlines [1] use that as their hub; they have connections all over China and some international flights. Several other Chinese airlines also fly to Xiamen.
International flights:
If you are flying to Xiamen from North America, consider Korean Air. They offer great discounts, and the Seoul Airport is the most user-friendly on the planet — free internet and nice free lounges with couches to stretch out on.
If you are coming from elsewhere, look for cheap flights direct to Xiamen from Singapore or Bangkok. see Discount airlines in Asia for more information. AirAsia has cheap regular flights between Bangkok and Xiamen.
There are also expected train and bus services of any major city. The train however, is not a good option for trips along the coast — for example to Fuzhou, Shantou or Hong Kong — because it takes a circuitous route through the mountains. This is changing; a new high speed rail line along the coast is under construction, but as of mid-2007 it is not near completion. For now, use the bus for those destinations.
Some bus times and costs:
Quanzhou: 35 RMB, 1.5 hours
Fuzhou: 70-90 RMB, 4 hours
Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen or Zhuhai: around 300, overnight. There is a bus direct to Xiamen from Hong Kong airport.
For trips to/from Hong Kong, try to choose a bus that goes all the way. With some tickets, you have to change busses at the Hong Kong - Shenzhen border.
You may come across references to a ferry service with Hong Kong. It no longer operates (as of November 2004).
Get around
Taxis are cheap and start at 8 yuan for the first 3 kilometers. The local bus system is very good, but the bus routes are listed in Mandarin and do not have English on them. Take the ferry to Gulangyu.
See
You could enjoy Xiamen's unique sceneries not only in the day but also in the night. Take a breather and walk beside the Yuandang lake in the evening and you could see how Xiamen transforms into a different setting - mushrooming lighted artistic sculptures, scent of the sea, and romantic lovers by the lake. Enjoy your stroll and notice that some residential and commercial buildings even have a "battle of the lights at night" (which is actually a battle of the business) - "simple" laser and light shows which attract attention - this is some form of an "advertisement" mostly by newly opened commercial buildings and some residentials to say that their business has opened or that business is ongoing as usual. When it's time for commercial businesses and residentials to close or "sleep" in the night, the simple lights attraction can't be seen anymore - this is one of those on-going efforts of the people on energy conservation. Be sure to see these places of interest, and see what are the differences viewing them during the day and night:
Zhongshan road - see the yearly "facelifts" and notice that older buildings are becoming extinct and being replaced by modern ones
The night markets - see how smaller businesses trade in the night.
Public parks - are clean and set with greeneries.
Yuandang lake - is mystical by day and magical by night, see how the egrets flock in the day and fly for home in the night.
Bai Lu Zhou Park - a large and beautiful park. Go around 8:30 p.m. and enjoy the vendors, music, and dancing.
Xiamen University - beautiful campus with old traditional buildings and a tranquil lake outside the foreign language department.
Jia Geng Park - A beautiful park in memory of Chen Jiageng, founder of Xiamen University.
Nan Pu Tuo Temple - A big Buddhist temple outside Xiamen University at Xiada (short for Xiamen University) Street; an old nun there is good at acupuncture.
Gu Lang Yu Island - a beautiful island that you can take ferry to get to from downtown Xiamen. It's called Island of Piano. It's said almost every single family on the family owns a piano. Cars were not allowed on the island when I was there 5 years ago.
Xiamen is one of China's popular tourist cities.
Buy
Check out the Xiamen Shopping A to Z section. Outside of China: http://amoymagic.com/shop.htm Within China: http://amoymagic.mts.cn/shop.htm
Eat
There is a whole strip of cafes and bars along the lake next to the Marco Polo Hotel, more-or-less all with patios and/or balconies that give a view of the lake. Geo Geo Cafe, furthest from the hotel in that strip, serve good Italian and American food and coffee.
On the side street off the lake by the hotel are several more places: Tutto Bene, a very good Italian place
Javaroma, good coffee, run by an Aussie
Local Chinese Restaurants Little Chili's offers excellent Chinese food at an affordable price. The menus are in English.
Drink
Tea Houses are popular in Xiamen. You'll see relaxing people making tea in front of their house in daytime.
Contact
The area code for Xiamen is 0592. When calling from overseas, dial +86 592 XXXX-XXXX
|
