Along China's coast is a string of cities that shine like pearls in the spotlight. They have a colorful past and a dynamic present. They combine industrial might with urban sophistication. They are often the best places to live - or work. Xiamen, in East China's Fujian province, is one of them.
When people talk about Xiamen, most are referring to the 128-sq-km island. But beyond the downtown island is an area 10 times larger, linked by four bridges and a tunnel. Most tourists do not venture beyond the island not because there are no attractions - there are plenty - but because there's so much to see and experience in the old districts.
My first impression of the city is, it's very new and very clean - as if winds from the sea have scrubbed dust off the buildings. On closer inspection, you'll notice the old architectural styles in the retail streets where a covered walkway protects shoppers from the rain, like in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. There are also colonial-era structures in a rich variety of styles.
The city is perfect for walking. Although you can feel the boom of commerce, you can easily get away by taking a detour to one of numerous parks.
Bailuzhou Park is equivalent to New York's Central Park. It sits close to the shopping streets and, up north, the government buildings. The lake with an islet in the middle is an oasis of serenity in a desert of concrete and steel. The giant banyan trees, ubiquitous in the province, provide shelter from the sun. There is also a stone sculpture of a maiden washing her hair.
I figure
Xiamen subconsciously sees itself as a young woman by the seaside, irresistibly innocent, yet cosmopolitan after she is dressed up.
It's a breeze to get around the island with the opening of several tunnels in recent years. You can drive from one side to a seafood restaurant on the other side of town in 20 minutes. Speaking of seafood, this is the local specialty and there are many culinary selections. My favorite is the oyster omelet.
Xiamen is like an urban romance. The aroma of love seeps from the red roof of an old house, the aerial roots of a banyan tree, the ethereal notes of a distant piano and the waves lapping the sands on the beach. It is a city with which you can't help falling in love.
Pilgrims flock to paradise on Earth
Recently, I spent the day walking along Huandao Nanlu, the southern tip of Xiamen's ring road.
I started at Southern Putuo Temple, so called because there is a Putuo Temple in Zhejiang province, bordering Fujian to its north.
When I first saw road signs pointing to the temple, I thought "Gee, people here must be fervid Buddhists. They give directions to a place hundreds of miles away." Silly me! The southern version is just as popular, with pilgrims crowding every nook and cranny. More halls were being constructed up the hill.
I enjoyed the park outside the temple proper. It was more spacious, with a pond and two towers and a pavilion. Here you can still burn incense and pray but it's less congested. Many sat around on the balustrades taking a break or got busy feeding the fish or releasing bought fish back into the waters, giving them their second life. If it was preaching that was going on inside the temple, it was more like its practice outside it.
Next door is
Xiamen University, a school I considered applying to when I was at high school. Thank God I didn't. Had I come here I doubt I would have got any work done. The campus is so beautiful it's like a botanical garden - and a perfect setting for dating. There is a lake with black swans in it. You don't need to venture one step outside if you want to make a romantic film.
The architecture on campus is a subtle fusion of many styles, colonial and modern, Chinese and Western. I took a liking to the roofed corridors that connect two buildings. The red tiles reminded me of Stanford University and its Spanish design.
One of the gates leads almost right to the beach. Over here, you'll see sunbathers and sandcastle builders. I didn't see any surfers, though. Instead, the fun activity seemed to be synchronized cycling in which more than one person shares an elongated cycle.
Sauntering east, I came across paths that are veritable boardwalks, usually places for drinks and snacks. Not far is Hulishan Fort, which the road sign identifies as "fortress". This 70,000-sq-m compound was built in 1894 when the Qing (1644-1911) government was shaken by the power of Western aggression. There were German-made Krupp cannons aplenty, and some are even used as ad-hoc seats for a live performance.
Every day at 10 am and 4 pm, a phalanx of actors dressed in Qing military uniforms parade in front of camera-toting tourists. After brandishing the imperial dragon flags in a few not-so-regal dance , they march up a knoll. It's a little ironic that Qing flags fly so high here, considering that
Xiamen was once called "Siming", literally "missing the Ming Dynasty". It was changed after Qing conquered China proper, and is now the name of a city district.
The fanfare ended with the lighting of a Dutch cannon, which took me by surprise. I didn't expect it to be so loud. But the smoke made for good drama. Everyone was happy and many snatched photos with the actors. In history, the only military feat associated with the fort was the sinking a Japanese destroyer in 1937.
Farther east are more beaches, more forts and more amusement parks, some of which are on the north side of the road. For 9 km it stretches eastward - until one reaches the ultra-modern
Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center, a mammoth complex where the annual investment fair is held. Farther north one has to drive because the whole coastal highway runs 43 km and encircles much of the island. It is one of the country's best scenic drives, a stunning six-lane road with greenery as wide as 100 meters and some parts named "bridges", because the colorfully lit elevated roadway curves gracefully like a ribbon wrapped around an expensive gift.
For residents and visitors alike, a day at
Xiamen beach is like a gift one showers upon oneself - yet without entailing much cost.
Dulcet sounds of 'Drum Wave Islet'
A trip to
Xiamen is not complete without a stopover at Gulangyu.
Thinking of it, a stopover is not enough. The best way to see this 1.87-sq-km island is to stay a day or two and absorb the sights and sounds of this little gem on the crown that is the coastal city of Xiamen.
Gulangyu is sandwiched between the city proper and the peninsula of Haicang district. And it takes only five minutes by ferry to reach. (The fare is 8 yuan - with 1 yuan more for the upper deck for a better view - charged on the return trip only. You can also take an around-the-island cruise for 15 yuan, but that's another experience.)
Part of the charm is, there is no motor traffic on the island, which means you'll have to walk. And Gulangyu is a stroller's paradise.
The 1.87-sq-km Gulangyu is known for its architectural diversity and historical richness. Dou Wa / China Photo Press
The 1.87-sq-km Gulangyu is known for its architectural diversity and historical richness. Dou Wa / China Photo Press There is a newly built 6-km boulevard that girdles the island, where you can take a battery-powered cart. But that's not the way to approach this islet. Just randomly pick any road and it will wind through a maze of architectural diversity and historical richness. You'll probably stumble upon the old consulates of many Western powers. There are also grand mansions that used to be financial institutions. Just imagine a century ago this island had one of the most vibrant CBDs in the country. It's a shame many have fallen into decay, but now they are being restored to their former splendor, at least the structures and facades.
Zigzagging through the residential area, with its churches and temples, are houses so lushly landscaped it is difficult to tell where a residence ends and a park begins. If you are quiet, you'll hear the sounds of a piano wafting from one of the houses.
Gulangyu is known as "Piano Island" not just because there is a museum dedicated to pianos but also because the island has produced a disproportionately large number of China's musicians. As a matter of fact, the list of celebrities from what is literally "Drum Wave Islet" reads like a who's-who of the arts and sciences.
In the old days this was obviously a very upscale enclave. Many of the residents made their fortunes overseas. They brought back money and lifestyles from the countries in which they did business. Now the island of 20,000 is turning into a tourist mecca, somewhat like the Montmartre of Paris if you substitute fine arts for classical music. If you take away the teeming tourists, you can still savor the peace, seclusion and refined tastes of a bygone era.
Which means you'd better stay a night or two. Stroll around in the early morning or at sunset when the tourist army is absent. There are many hotels on the island that come at reasonable rates. Many offer online reservations.
For many, Sunlight Rock is a must-see attraction. It offers a panorama of the island and beyond. It also gives a lesson in history. There are sculptures in memory of Zheng Chenggong and his army, who recaptured TW from the Dutch in 1661. But the most prominent is not about the military action, but a depiction of leisure in a fortress, of soldiers drinking and having fun.
At Gulangyu, fun can be elevated to an art.
