Xiamen - Tiny Beautiful City

By Jian Shuo Wang on 2006-04-26 23:46 · Xiamen

If you visit Shanghai, you may want to visit nearby city like Hangzhou 杭州. If you have more budget, you won’t want to miss Beijing 北京. Shanghai does not present China. Beijing does. If you want to relax, and really enjoy sea, Sanya 三亚 is the city to go. If you want combined experience of both seashore, and city life, Dalian 大连, Qingdao 青岛 and Xiamen 厦门 are good choices.

The second China Webmaster Conference was held in Xiamen, and I hosted a panel in the meeting. So I visited Xiamen for the third time (First, second)

Xiamen is warmer than Shanghai.

Xiamen is an island.

Near Xiamen is the Jinmen金门, part of Taiwan island. (Politically important places)

Xiamen is safe.

Xiamen has nice lakes and mountains.

Xiamen is a modern city.

Xiamen has more advanced economy than Fuzhou, the capital of the province, because it became the special development zone 20 years ago.

I love the sea of Xiamen - blue. The sea near Shanghai is yellow.

It is possible to swim in the sea, but not in April.

I like Xiamen.

26 Comments

Mr Wang,

Is Sanya used to be known as Hainan island ?

— loretta · 2006-04-27 01:29

Xiamen is indeed very beautiful. I attended Xiamen University from 1990-1994 and got my Bachelor degree there. I had a wonderful and memorable 4 years in that great city.

I like your pictures, especially the ones in your first post about Xiamen. GuLang Yu is absolutely wonderful. And the ring road around the island is nice too, a lot of nice beaches and picnic areas along the way.

When you go there next time, I highly recommend Xiamen Botanic Garden. Xiamen University, Nan Pu Tuo Temple, Wu Lao Feng (accessible via the Botanic Garden and Xiamen University) are also worth a visit. I have some pictures here. They were taken in 2004. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jihaidong/tags/xiamen/

I miss the city and the time I spent there a lot. Someday I will bring the whole family there.

To Loretta,

SanYa is a city on HaiNan island.

— Ji Village News · 2006-04-27 11:18

mr wang:

i know your blog from EF magazine. i can understand why lots of foreigner likes to read you bolg. this is really a good way to share information on our china.

in fact, i am working in xiamen, i am very happy to know that you love xiamen too.

— lily · 2006-04-27 11:22

Hi, Mr Wang;

I went to Xiamen with my friends about ten years ago, it is a beautiful city! I still can remember the island called Gulangyu, beside enjoying the nice scenery, you can also have the delicious seafood with the economic price there, but, it has definitely made a lot of changes after so many years, so, Mr wang, could you post some fresh photos you taken there to share with us? If can, many thanks.

Alice Feng

— Alice Feng · 2006-04-27 12:13

my god ,your english is so poor,according to my sense of that.

所谓的大牛也不过如此，难道说明我的水平也不差？？？

— Max · 2006-04-27 12:13

So happy to read u article.

I had a tour in Xiamen one month ago.

The sea of Xiamen is really beautiful. I wish to travel again.

— meriel · 2006-04-27 13:29

Sanya is a city in the south shore of Hainan Island. The other major city is Haikou, capital of the island.

— Jian Shuo Wang · 2006-04-27 14:48

I don't go to a place because is "representative" place of some place. I live in Beijing, and my dear, if this represents China and not Shanghai, you have a very bad delegate.

China is sandy? China is bad traffic? China is destroy hutongs? My god.

— chinochano · 2006-04-27 16:08

In my impression, I generally agree with you. Beijing relatively has more showcases than Shanghai.

I am from Shantou (汕头) by the way, we have a blog to introduce our city as well, you are welcome to take a look: www.MyShantou.net

— Richard Hong · 2006-04-28 01:57

First of all, chinochano, what the f. are you talking about ???

Is it related to Jianshuo's headline posting ?

Secondly, Jianshuo, please visit http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/wpacm.html

There you will find that you just missed the nice 24 degrees of warm seawater around Xiamen !! April/May are the best time to swim there. Nearly no mosquitoes, and not too hot.

You should try go in june, then things begins to cook there, not that pleasant.

— carsten · 2006-04-29 00:37

I'm planning a one-month stay in Xiamen this autumn, after my close friend is recruited by the graduate school of Xiamen University. Since I have plenty of time there, what's your guys' suggestions that I cannot miss there? I will appreciate it a lot if you can give me some advice.

— Wendy Yu · 2006-05-05 16:38

i run into your blog by accident. Really good. I am at xiamen university for my master degree now. Xiamen is a wonderful place for living, relaxation and working( if i can say). I think people can never appreciate what you say until they pay a visit to Xiamen themselves. Welcome to Xiamen. You can never miss such a wonderful place.

— vivianDai · 2006-06-15 15:15

i am very glad that you like xiamen so much~

i am proud of xiamen.

i am a xiamen girl.

— child. · 2006-08-10 21:57

I have been working in Xiamen for almost 20 days.During that time,I spent most of the time working,only payed a visit to the sea coast and Xiamen University once.Already I have been touched by it's beauty.Now I'm studying in Shanghai.Hoping that I visit Xiamen again in the futuer.

— chaochaoanzi · 2006-10-21 10:49

I was in Xiamen last week, and damn, I also love it. But I still give a damn about what represents or not China.

— ChinoChano · 2006-12-17 15:24

I am a xiamen boy ! I am proud of xiamen too.

I have visited lots of cities in china ,but in my opinion,xiamen is the best!

I am very happy to hear that lots of you like xiamen

Thought I study in another city ,I pay lots of attention to all news about xiamen.

I welcome all people of the world to have a visit to xiamen!

Then you will fell it!

— wensheng · 2007-02-01 20:16

Mr Wang,

The first time I got to Amoy I was shocked, this is not what I had in mind when thinking about China. This place is like heaven and I am going to make it my 2nd home.

Thanks!

— Oil Paintings by Mike · 2007-04-08 02:57

And meanwhile I forgot, I have found here a local company http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/home_gallery.htm that is the best source I have found for art. Thanks to these guys my walls are full of real paintings. It seems this is a real industry here!

— Oil Paintings by Mike · 2007-04-08 02:58

This is the first time I've been here. I study in XMU now. It's really a great city! Welcome everybody to come and visit this beautiful place and also my beautiful University!!!

— Carol Ke · 2007-06-16 23:32

I live in xiamen boy ! I am enjoying its beaty and clearance.

I put some instruction of about Xiamen brief in our site below

http://www.oilpainting.ws

— wujin · 2007-09-26 14:08

Hi!

I would love to go to Xiamen, but I am having trouble finding accommodation online. Im looking for something on a small budget. Do you have any recommendations? I see that there are hostels in Xiamen, but there are no contact details to the hostels...so if you have any tips throw them my way please :)

Thanks!

— Sigrid · 2008-09-21 02:37

I'm a student.I live in Xiamen.

Now,I'm study in "Xiamen Foreigh Language Middle School"

I'm in junior one.

Xiamen is a very beautiful city.Welcome to Xiamen!

— Lucy · 2008-12-04 13:32

Chinese oil painting network was founded in 2003, is located in the enjoyment of "Chinese Oil Painting Village,

the first" reputation, and in 2004 became a national model of cultural industries based in Shenzhen large oil

painting Finnish village in 2007 to expand to as poetically Indus painting of the mountain, into the influence

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decorative painting.

— Xiongjianlin · 2008-12-22 02:24

This is my first time to be here, I think Xiamen is a beautiful city I see here many comments about its beauty & clearness

— Modern Oil Painting · 2009-03-15 07:09

Exquisite photos but try living here for a few months and dig deep down to where the local and natives gather and you'll understand the hypocrisy of xiamen. Lets just leave it at this, xiamens like a whore, a quickie will do the job and you'll never look back. Y'all are tourists therefore the sites may seem picturesque but trust me, it's not as it seems. The scenery and coastline sea breeze is just a facade, these ppl here dont give a rats ass about you or where youre from. Money talks, which is universal but at least in some continents civility and courtesy is still practiced. Don't blame it on the ppl, because they don't know better. The lack of education and enforced mao doctrines killed this nations culture and turned it into a toilet bowl. I'm scared to even imagine what the eastern parts of china look like.

— Darrel · 2009-07-11 19:17

My boyfriend might be receiving a job offer in Xiamen. Could someone tell me what the average cost of some basic things? Housing? A good meal at a restaurant? A pair of shoes? Monthly bills? Anything else you think of?

— Anne · 2010-01-13 21:06