Xiamen

Understand

The core of the city is on Xiamen Island. The mainland suburbs Jimei, Tong'an, Xiang'an, and Haicang, as well as the small island of Gulangyu, are separate, but all these areas are administered as parts of Xiamen.

Until 1840, Western "barbarians" were only allowed to conduct trade in Guangzhou under strict restrictions. After China's defeat in the First Opium War, the British seized Hong Kong, and China was forced to open five treaty ports: Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo, and Shanghai. Gulangyu became a concession administered by foreign powers, hosting consulates and luxurious residences. Today, Gulangyu is just a five-minute ferry ride from the main urban area and remains a picturesque and peaceful (car-free) destination.

During the early days of Cold War, Xiamen was a battlefront between the Communists and Nationalists — propaganda broadcast, frogman infiltration, as well as shelling across Xiamen and the neighbouring island of Kinmen were the norm. The giant slogan that promotes Mainland China's "One Country, Two Systems" policy towards reunification (in contrast of the opposing slogan on Kinmen that advocates the Three Principles of the People) is a remanent from that period of prolonged conflict.

In 1980, Xiamen became one of China’s first Special Economic Zones, aimed at encouraging development and opening up the country. Since then, Xiamen has flourished. It has received more Taiwanese investment than any other Chinese city, partly because both southern Fujian a…

Get in

Xiamen has a major airport and good road and rail connections; it is easily reached from anywhere in China and many places beyond.

Get around

Local public transit is easiest to pay for with the Xiamen public transit mini-app on Alipay or WeChat.

If you are planning on staying in Xiamen for a significant amount of time, you can also get an eKatong (e卡通) stored value card. It can be used in different forms of public transport not only in Xiamen, but also in the neighbouring cities of Quanzhou and Zhangzhou.

The local bus system is very good, but the normal bus routes are listed in Chinese and do not have English on the signs. Signs in the BRT and Metro are bilingual in Chinese and English, while announcements are trilingual in Mandarin, Minnan and English. thumb|BRT on bus-only elevated roads thumb|Metro lines in Xiamen Taxis are cheap, starting at ¥8 (plus ¥3 fuel tax – so ¥11) for the first 3 km. After the first 3 km, the meter charge will go up based on distance. Although the meter may read with a decimal, most taxi drivers will round up. On the other hand, as anywhere in China, tipping is not expected.

During the day time, you should be able to get anywhere on Xiamen island, including the airport, for under ¥40. But be wary that some taxi drivers might take advantage of you if they know that you are not a local and might take the longer route to your destination. For example, if the driver says "Huándǎo Lù" after you tell him where you want to go, say bù (no), because that is the ring road that circles the entire island and although it is scenic, it is likely the most expensive way to go.

thumb|Bicy…

Eat

For restaurant listings, see the district articles. Here we list some local specialties that may be worth looking for.

thumb|Mr Lin's deluxe seafood shacha noodles, [[Gulangyu]] thumb|Sea worm jelly snack time!

Shacha noodles (沙茶面 shāchá miàn) — Likely the most famous dish in Xiamen, the Minnan reading sa-te mi hints at their origin: the peanutty broth originates from the Malay satay. Oyster omelette (海蛎煎 hǎilìjiān in Mandarin, 蚵仔煎 ô-á-chian in Minnan) - Small oysters, eggs, sweet potato starch and garlic shoots fried together. For umami lovers. If you've visited Taiwan before, don't be fooled by the name, as the Xiamen version of the dish is quite different from the Taiwanese version. Sea worm jelly (土笋冻 tǔsǔndòng) — Surely Xiamen's most infamous dish, it's just what it says on the tin: marine worms served in aspic with a little soy sauce and chilli to wash it down. The worms are basically tasteless but the texture is distinctly chewy. Xiamen Vermicelli Noodles in Thick Broth 面线糊 miànxiàn hú Xiamen Fish Balls 厦门鱼丸 xiàmén yúwán Shrimp Noodle Soup 虾面 xiāmiàn Xiamen Spring Roll 春卷 chūnjuǎn Xiamen Glutinous Rice Wrap 厦门烧肉粽 xiàmén shāoròu zòng Peanut Soup 花生汤 huāshēng tāng Xiamen Chive Pockets 韭菜盒 jiǔcài hé Crab Porridge 蟹米粥 xièmǐ zhōu Braised Duck with Ginger 姜母鸭 jiāngmǔyā Xiamen Wonton Soup 扁食汤 biǎnshítāng Xiamen Grass Jelly 烧仙草 shāo xiān cǎo Xiamen Four Fruit Soup 四果汤 sì guǒ tāng

Go next

Hakka Tulou – 3–5 hours west of Xiamen are these large earthen structures where a number of residences are built inside a single fortified compound, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kinmen – Islands controlled by Taiwan have charming villages with traditional Fujianese architecture and interesting cold war defenses. One-hour ferry ride from Dongdu Wharf, or 30 minutes from Shuitou Wharf. Going to Kinmen is considered to be leaving China and will use up a single-entry visa. Quanzhou – This ancient city has come down in the world a bit since Marco Polo sailed home from there around 1290 and described it as one of the two busiest ports on Earth and incredibly rich. However, it is still well worth a visit. The old fortress town of Chongwu is located farther east, and has direct buses from Xiamen. Liu'ao – a windswept peninsula with long beaches and strange rock formations, south of Xiamen. Chaozhou – Just across the border in Guangdong province, main center of Teochew culture, and whose Teochew dialect is closely related to Minnan.