Beijing Hotels     Beijing Train     Beijing Flight     Countries     Blog     Home

Your Reliable Gateway Travel to Beijing China
200+ things to do in Beijing China. Book ahead - save time and money!
10 reasons to use a local travel Agency !

Home → China Travel Guide → Fujian Travel Guide - Xiamen Travel Guide

Xiamen Travel Guide

Location: Xiamen is in the southeast of Xiamen province. It looks out the Taiwan Strait and borders Quanzhou to the north and Zhangzhou to the south.

Population: 2,500,000

Area: 1,569 square kilometers

History: It is said that in the ancient time, flocks of egrets (Bailu in Chinese) migrated to dwell on Xiamen Island from time to time and that is why people call Xiamen "Ludao" (Island of Egrets) and Xiagu Strait "Lujiang" (River of Egrets). The first settlement of people on Xiamen Island dates back to the latter part of the New Stone Age. That was three to four thousand years ago. And the recorded history dates back to the middle period of the Tang Dynasty, which was more than 1140 years ago. During the Tianbao Period of the Tang Dynasty, the ethnic Chinese surnamed Xue (?) and Chen (?) migrated to Xiamen Island from Fu'an in the east of Xiamen Province and Zhangzhou in the south of Xiamen Province and settled at the southern and northern foot of the Hongjishan Mountain respectively.
The administrative organization of Xiamen City was first set up in the Song Dynasty. It was then affiliated to Tongan County, Quanzhou Prefecture. In the twentieth year during the Hongwu Period in early Ming Dynasty (1387), the imperial government started to build stockade villages and forward posts on the island and named the island "Xiamen", meaning the "Gate of the Motherland". And the geographical name of "Xiamen" became the official name of the island despite that Xiamen was once renamed "Siming Prefecture" and "Siming County" during the several hundred years from then on. In 1933, Xiamen was officially established as a city. That made it the first city set up in Xiamen Province.

Climate: Xiamen weather is mild and pleasant most of the year because the city has a subtropical monsoon climate. In this case, the whole year round is good time to visit Xiamen except that typhoons influence the weather four to five times during the months from July to September. The annual temperatures of Xiamen average 21 C (about 70 F) and rainfall abounds mainly in the months from May to August. Xiamen winters are mild, requiring only sweaters or light coats in the coldest January. Summers are free from extreme heat, although thin clothes are needed in the hottest July.

Transportation: By Air, By Train and Bus, City Transportation
By Air: Xiamen has an international airport, conveniently close to downtown, 20 minutes by taxi. Having airplane routes to most domestic destinations and destinations outside of China.

By Train and Bus:
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.

City Transportation:
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. It is convenient to take the ferry to Gulangyu Island.

Local Food: Seafood, Herbal Meal, Vegetable Dishes, Tu Sun Dong, Peanut Soup, Spring Roll

Attractions: Gulangyu Island, Hulishan Battery, Jimei, Nanputuo Temple
Gulangyu Island-Gulangyu Island is located just southwest of Xiamen City. Visitors can reach it by steamship from Xiamen City in about 5 minutes. Gulangyu Island is renowned for its delicate natural beauty, its ancient relics, and its varied architecture. The island is on China's list of National Scenic Spots and also ranks at the top of the list of the ten most-scenic areas in Xiamen Province.

Hulishan Battery-Hulishan Battery lies to the south of the Xiamen Island. Construction began in 1894 during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) and ended in 1896. It covers an area of more than 70,000 square meters (about 17 acres) and is composed of barracks, a tunnel, a magazine and other fortified buildings, all surrounded by a granite wall. The ground on which the battery is built is quite solid because it is made of a mixture of ash, mud and sand with glutinous rice and brown sugar. Two large cannons once guarded the east and the south sides, but only one remains.

Jimei-Jimei is located in the north of Xiamen Special Economic Zone, 17 kilometers (about 11 miles) from the city center. It is opposite to Xiamen Island and is at the foot of Tianma Mountain facing the sea on three sides. Jimei is the hometown of Mr. Tan Kah Kee (Chen Jiageng) (1874-1961), a renowned educator and leader of overseas Chinese. Nowadays, Jimei is one of the four most popular tourist sites of Xiamen City, especially for its academic atmosphere as well as pretty natural and social sights.
Nanputuo Temple-This Buddhist temple was once called Puzhao Temple (Universal Grace Temple). It was first built during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and was later destroyed in the warfare during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). During the reign of Qing Emperor Kangxi (1662-1722), a naval general ordered it to be rebuilt into a Buddhist Temple and named it Nanputuo Temple.

Questions & Answers: