hkskyline's 2023 in XIAMEN, China

[hkskyline]

Xiamen, or previously known as Amoy, is a laid-back city along Fujian's coast. During the mid-17th century, it was controlled by Koxinga, a rebel who sought to restore a fallen dynasty. He eventually led his army to kick the Dutch out of Taiwan. Following the First Opium War, Xiamen was 1 of 5 ports forced open to trade, which prompted a foreign settlement to be established on Gulangyu. Getting here by high-speed train is quite easy, taking as little as 2.5 hours from Shenzhen. I recommend spending a weekend here just for the city and its neighbour Quanzhou, which is quite historic and I will set up a separate photo thread for it.

Gulangyu once had a substantial foreign community who had set up its own churches, consulates, and luxury homes. Today, it is a car-free island that has retained its European historical character but overrun by local tourists.











This is the former staff cottage of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, which was built in 1876. The bank had opened a branch in the city in 1873. Located on top of a hill with a commanding view of the island and the surrounding seas, the local Chinese actually didn't like this site because of bad feng shui.





Next door, this 2-storey building is also a staff residence for the bank.







The streets were crowded with many influencers making their rounds getting their perfect photos.





































The Trinity Church was built by 3 Christian communities and was completed in 1945. Thanks to donations from the local Chinese Christians as well as the British Presbyterian Church and the American Reformed Church, the building is shaped like a Greek cross with an octagonal roof.

















The Huang Family Villa was home to Huang Yizhu, who returned from Indonesia in 1919 and decided to build a residence fusing Chinese and Western Art Deco architectural styles.









More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/xiamen.htm

[geomorph]

I have to say that these colonial era buildings look rather mundane, with the glimpses of the modern city in the distance looking more enticing in this case.

[hkskyline]

Located in the old quarter amongst more historic shorter buildings, the Eight Market primarily sells fresh seafood thanks to its location near the harbour. All the activity takes place right on the street but many shops have shade set up to protect against the elements.























I noticed a number of shops selling a particular type of jelly, which is a local speciality. Sand worms dug up from the beaches are cooked and mixed with gelatin to serve cold.













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Another local speciality is mixing fruits and jellies into a customized dessert.





















More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/xiamen.htm

[202_Cyclist]

Interesting photos, thank you for posting.

I can't think of anything more disgusting than this.

[hkskyline]

Much of China's immigration waves during the late Qing Dynasty came from the southern coast such as Fujian and Guangdong.

The Overseas Chinese Museum opened in 1959 and tells the story of how Chinese people immigrated abroad, their hardships and achievements. Its focus is primarily on the southeast Asian diaspora, although there is also some mention of North America, such as Chinese labourers building the transcontinental railroad. Spanning two floors, admission is free and would be a good activity for an hour or so on a cloudy day.











Similar to the West, war bonds were issued to raise money to fight the Japanese invaders.

















After the Opium War, Western countries started recruiting Chinese labourers along these coasts. Many went to various lands in Southeast Asia. Known as "piglets", they were badly treated like slaves, working in manual labour industries such as farming and mining, as well as the "three knives and two small businesses" trades, referring to barbershops, restaurants, tailoring, small vendors, and petty peddlers.







The overseas diaspora had formed their community organizations, newspapers, and special interest groups to band together.







Located at the back of the ground floor is a huge scale model of a typical shopping and residential streetscape, from medicines to jewelry.













More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/xiamen.htm

[hkskyline]

Xiamen is located on an island although suburbs have sprung up on the mainland. Haicang is located across the water to the west of Xiamen island. Its modernization came when it became a special economic zone, attracting Taiwanese investors. The waterfront area has a number of residential skyscrapers and hotels that enjoy skyline views. It is only a short metro ride from the city with Line 2 passing through the area.











































More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/xiamen.htm

[Altoic]

Thanks for including historical commentary in your photos. The city looks beautiful, old and new.

[hkskyline]

Bailuzhou Park is located on an island in a small lake at the heart of the city. This green oasis is a good example of why Xiamen is a very liveable city, a bit more laid back and nice for a family outing.































More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/xiamen.htm

[hkskyline]

Xiamen Museum is a bit of a walk from the metro station, located amidst a set of grand buildings with a large public square. Originally opened on Gulangyu in 1988, it relocated to the present site with 2 storeys of exhibitions. The building was deserted when I arrived and I started on the ground floor exploring some historic artifacts found in the city from past dynasties.





























More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/xiamen.htm

[hkskyline]

Continuing with the museum tour ...































More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/xiamen.htm

[hkskyline]

For non-Xiamen residents, getting to the historic island of Gulanyu is cumbersome. They need to board ferries leaving from the International Cruise Center at Dongdu, which is next to Cruise Center station on Line 2 (green).

Pre-booking for weekends and public holidays is essential as there are many tour groups and ferries fill up quickly. Chinese residents can book it on their mobile phones but I was told by my hotel concierge I need a local phone number to receive the booking SMS. So if you are a foreign tourist without a local number, you will need to physically go to the terminal to book.

When I arrived at lunch time on a Sunday, the next regular ferry available was 2.5 hours away at 3:30pm. There are other more expensive options leaving earlier including an island cruise + landing for over CNY 200. I paid CNY 60 for a "luxury" ferry to Sanqiutian port, which is closer to the historic centre on Gulangyu.



At the manual counter, there are signs that the last ferry back to the International Cruise Center is at 5:40pm. I asked a couple of staff about this and they told me that's because the cruise terminal closes then, but doesn't mean you need to vacate the island by that time or risk being stuck there overnight.





This ferry has 2 stories and there is an open deck at the back of the top floor. The journey takes about 20 minutes with good views of the city on the left side.













Xiamen residents, on the other hand, get to use the city centre ferry terminal to reach Gulangyu, a much shorter 5 minute ride and you can see the other side easily from the port.





















More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/xiamen.htm