2010-04-06 Guide Though Xiamen
Amoy –Xiamen, Island of Music and Art of Living
Flowers bloom all year round in this subtropical climate, walk 20 minutes in any direction and you’ll find a part with shady banyan trees and intoxicatingly sweet flowers.
Xiamen, is an ancient island gateway to China. The city was part of the maritime Silk Road and the heart of Chinese maritime trade. Xiamen was founded in the 14th century as a Ming dynasty trade center and outpost to defend against Japanese pirates. Following the defeat of the Ming by Qing forces in 1644, Xiamen became a stronghold of resistance under the famous general Zheng chenggong.
Geographically close to Taiwan, Xiamen shares similar cuisine, dialect and customs with the island, as many Taiwanese originally came from Minnan, an area of southern Fujian Province. In 1841, the British forced Xiamen to open its port and it became on of the first treaty ports in China. People in Xiamen still cling to many traditions that have long been discontinued in other parts of China—you may still find a shrine in many homes, where people light incense and give offerings of food and prayers. Or while meandering among the zigzagging old lanes in the evenings, you might hear the high-pitch singing of Minnan Opera.
Across the Lujiang channel, a 10 minute ferry ride from Xiamen is Gulangyu, an island less than two kilometers square. Gulangyu and Xiamen are the habitat of a species of heron call egrets; today these gorgeous birds are a protected species. Some egrets can still be seen lounging around the beaches and in the water.
The 93m high Sunlight Rock, the highest point of Gulandyu Island, dominates the landscape and is a useful reference point when strolling through the twisting streets of the town. There’s also the Zheng Chenggong Museum, a tribute to the Ming trader turned patriot. Once you enter the island’s residential area, you’ll begin to hear the soft echo of music. Locals also call Gulangyu “Piano Island”, and at any time of day piano music drifts from the villas and lingers in the island’s narrow streets. Many famous Chinese musician hail from Xiamen; perhaps the calm breeze from the ocean and the languid pace of life are conductive to musical genius. Every May, there’s an international music festival, and piano competitions and music festivals are also frequently held.
Back in Xiamen, the Nanputuo temple is a major destination for Buddhists. Situated at the foot of the Five Old Men Peak and next Xiamen University, this peaceful temple is over 1,000 years old and is Xiamen’s oldest sight. Look for the character fo which means Buddha in Chinese, carved into a rock. At 4.6m it’s hard to miss.
Next to Nanputuo temple is Xiamen University, founded in 1921 by the wealthy Chen
Jiageng, who made his fortune in Singapore. Chen’s philanthropy was widespread, sponsoring many schools in his native Jimei, just east of Xiamen. The architecture of Xiamen University is a blend of Minnan and western styles. People say the students in Xiamen University must have had a hard time studying. With the beach and such beautiful scenery nearby, who can sit all day in a classroom?
On the southeast end of the campus and next the beach is the Hulishan Cannon Fort, where the biggest ancient cannon in Asia is on display. North of the university is the Ten Thousand Rock Botanical Garden, which is full of subtropical plants and rocks of whimsical shapes.
Starting from the Baicheng Beach next to Xiamen University is the scenic Island Ring Road. Rent a bicycle and tour along the most beautiful beach in Xiamen and you’ll pass by strawberry fields, and be bathed in the soft sea breeze. If you’re tired, sit down and grab a barbeque and watch the kites sail through the cloudless sky, while listening to the waves lap onto the sandy beach.
To say tea is popular in Xiamen is a slight understatement; with over 1,000 teahouses it’s a necessity. Kung Fu Tea is as essential for the local as coffee is for westerners. Kung Fu tea is super strong and will literally keep you awake all night if you drink too many of these mini-cups of caffeine. It will take some time for you to get used to the strong taste, but it’s something that locals savor like connoisseurs. Drinking tea, chatting with friends and loafing away their weekends on a hilltop park is a favorite pastime for the locals.
Xiamen dishes are usually fresh, light and sweet. Seafood restaurants usually have no menus-just point to the critter you want. Although ordering can be a little intimidating and chaotic, what eventually turns up on your plate is usually satisfying and very tasty.
Along with delicious main courses, Xiamen also offers a variety of tasty snacks. Sweet sticky rice and bamboo shoots, leeks and pork, creamy and refreshing peanut soup and sticky rice congee with crabmeat are all delicious. In and near Nanputuo Temple are quite a few vegetarian restaurants and you will leave feeling good that no animals died in making your meal.
Gulangyu
Off the coast of Xiamen are a number of picturesque islands and islets. The most famous is Gulangyu, separated from the city by a 500-meter wide channel. A five minute ferry ride from the west side of Xiamen, Gulangyu Island covers an area of nearly two square kilometers. It gets its name, Gulangyu, meaning “drum waves”, because the reefs in the southwestern part of the island make sounds like the beating of drums when they are lapped by the waves.
Gulangyu is one of the best-known stat-level scenic areas in the country, enjoying fame nationwide as the Garden on the Sea and also Piano Island. No vehicles are allowed on the island, so it is away from the noise, pollution, and hustle and bustle of cities and visitors can fully enjoy the pleasure of tranquility and relaxation there. Wandering around the island, you will find Gulangyu truly a charming resort. The air is so clean and fresh that every breath is a great treat. The island is blessed with pleasant weather all year round, and is densely covered with flourishing evergreens and brightly colored flowers, well deserving its name as a garden on the sea. The quay of the island is ingeniously built in the shape of a piano, reminding visitors of its other popular name, Piano Island. Small as it is, Gulandyu boasts many tourist attractions that are well worth visiting. Among them Haoyue Part, Shuzhuang Garden and Sunlight Rock are the most famous and shouldn’t be missed. It’s just a five minute walk from the quay to Haoyue Park. It was built to commemorate the national hero Zheng Chenggong, who recovered Taiwan from the Dutch colonialists during the mid-17th century. Gulangyu was where Zheng Chenggong trained his navy. The park features a huge statue of him standing on a rock by the sea. Made of granite, the statue is 16 meters high and weights 1,600 tons. There is also memorial hall documenting the life of this national hero. To the west of the Haoyue Park lies Shuzhuang Garden. The garden was originally built in 1913 as a private villa by a rich Taiwan businessman after he moved his family to the island. It was turned into a public part in the 1950s. in the garden you can find many attractive features, such as towers, pavilions, bridges and strange rock formations and man-made hills. Another thing that makes the garden famous is that inside is the only piano museum is China. The museum has a collection of some 70 pianos that were make decades ago in countries such as Italy, France, Britain, Austria and Germany.
As we mentioned, Gulandyu is known as Piano Island, not only because it’s the hometown of many prominent pianists, but also for the local people’s great passion for piano music. The island has over 600 pianos among the 20 thousand local residents, which is the largest per capital rate in China. Most of the locals can play the piano well. Wandering through the streets, you can often hear the melodic sounds of the piano lingering in the air, which adds an even more romantic atmosphere to this beautiful island. North of the shuzhuang garden stands Sunlight Rock. About 100 meters above sea level, it is the highest hill on the island. Standing on its top you have a bird’s-eye view of the whole island and the city of Xiamen in the distance. Each year, Gulangyu receives millions of visitors from home and abroad. It has a number of hotels to ensure them a comfortable stay on the island.