Xiamen, the port city formerly known as Amoy, is a coastal city in southeastern China. It is a famous tourist city of Fujian Province with the most attractive seascape. The city within the special economic zones of China, mainly consist of Xiamen Island, Gulangyu Island, the north bank area of the Jiulong River and Tong’an County, which are connected to the mainland by the Gaoji Seawall, Xiamen Bridge. The city is also known as Egret Island, where hundreds of thousands of egrets inhabiting there, due to the beautiful natural scenery, the fresh air and the clean environment of the city. The city has a land area of over 1,500 square kilometres and a population of over 3.5 million.
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Climate
Xiamen has a subtropical monsoon climate, and the weather for most part of the year is mild and pleasant. Typhoons are expected about four to five times during the months from July to September.
The annual temperatures average 21C (about 70F) and with rainfall mainly in the months from May to August.
During winters, only sweaters or light coats are required in the coldest month of January, with July as the hottest month in Xiamen.
Language
The official speaking language of China is known as Putonghua for the mainland and serves as a means of communication within the mandarin speaking regions. In Xiamen, Min Nan (Hokkien) dialect is widely spoken by the local. It’s not mutually intelligible with Mandarin, Cantonese or any of the other Min dialects. English is not widely spoken, though staff in higher end hotels will usually be able to communicate in English.
Language
The official speaking language of China is known as Putonghua for the mainland and serves as a means of communication within the mandarin speaking regions.
in Xiamen, Min Nan (Hokkien) dialect is widely spoken by the local. It’s not mutually intelligible with Mandarin, Cantonese or any of the other Min dialects. English is not widely spoken, though staff in higher end hotels will usually be able to communicate in English.
Currency
The Chinese Yuan Renminbi is the official currency of the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese Yuan Renminbi usually comes in 1 jiao, 2 jiao, 5 jiao, 1 yuan, 2 yuan, 5 yuan, 10 yuan, 20 yuan, 50 yuan and 100 yuan. The largest denomination of the renminbi is the 100 yuan note. 1 jiao is divided into 10 fen, pennies in English.
Transportation
- Public Bus
Xiamen has a very developed public transportation system with over 200 lines of buses. In general, buses run from 06:00 in the morning to 23:00 in the evening, and cost from 1 yuan to 3 yuan according to the distance. The Ferry Port, Xiamen University and Xiamen Train Station are the three main starting stations. Some quite convenient special mini buses in blue are also available, which can stop everywhere but not at appointed stops. Besides, in Xiamen Island, there are double-deck tour and sightseeing buses running along the most amazing views in the island from 08:00 to 19:00 every day, and the price cost 20 Yuan per person. - Bus Rapid Transit
There are 3 destination which one of the station ends at Xiamen North Railway Station in Jimei around 21 stops over 33.4 km and takes about 90mins, from Diyi Matou and ends at Xike around 9 stops over 15.3 km and takes about 40 minutes. For Diyi Matou, the basic fare is 3 jiao per km in non-air condition bus and 6 jiao in air conditioned bus. The third ends at Qianpu. Each average cost only 5 jiao and depart every 1 to 3 minutes. The fare is calculated by distance travelled. - Taxi
More than 5,300 taxies are running around the city. The city’s large numbers of taxies are more convenient and inexpensive than those of some other hot tourist destinations. Taxi fare charges 8 yuan within 3 kilometers (about 1.9 miles), and additional 2 yuan for every subsequent 1 kilometer. In the night time from 23:00 p.m. to 05:00 a.m. the next day, the fare charges 9.6 yuan within 3 kilometers and additional 2.4 yuan for each subsequent kilometer.
Housing
Xiamen offers a range of accommodation options to suit all tastes. If you also wish to settle in Xiamen, finding accommodation will be one of your priorities. But this should not be a difficult task since the different neighbourhoods provide various types of housing units. Rent prices in Xiamen, like in the rest of the country, generally vary according to the neighbourhood, type of accommodation and comfort level.
Ranging from inexpensive apartments to luxurious seaside or mountaintop apartments. The seaside apartments, which can get around 2000-3000 yuan monthly, and if you like living outside the city you can rent an entire 3 or 4-storey homes for only 3000 – 4000 yuan monthly.
Food
As Xiamen is close to Taiwan, it shares similar cuisine, dialect and customs from southern Fujian Province. Da Pai Dang or literally “big row stall” originates from Cantonese and means street food stalls or mobile carts. People sit at small nearby tables on the sidewalk, outdoor and open-air. It is the street-side eating, however, that best represents Xiamen. Outdoors or in, sharing tables with strangers is the norm.
Education
Education in China is a state-run system of the public education run by the Ministry of Education. Every citizen must attend school for at least nine years, which includes six years of primary education for children aged 6 years old and three years of junior secondary school education for ages 12 – 15 years. After middle school, there is 3 years of high school, which then completes their secondary education.
Shopping
Xiamen has many large scale shopping malls selling all kinds of goods including home appliances, high fashions, gold and silver jewelleries, jade articles, art wares, antiques, and works of calligraphy and paintings. Zhongshan Road is the most prosperous street in Xiamen, hence visitors can get the enjoyment of shopping, eating and entertainment there. Lady’s street is a section of Zhongshan Road, with the length of 300 meters. This street should be the heaven of young ladies, because the colourful decorations of the stores always change and the clothing, shoes and hats sold there should be the most fashionable in Xiamen.
Attractions
Xiamen is a slow-paced life and a great place to relax during holidays. Gulangyu Island, Mount Wuyi, South Putuo Temple, and Taining Danxia Landform are the top four attractions in Xiamen that are really worth a visit. It provides visitors with picturesque landscapes and a unique culture.
Festivals and Events
If you are interested in the local culture and customs, you can pay attention to the various local festivals. For example, June is noted for the Phoenix Flower Tourist Festival, August is noted for the Gulangyu Piano Festival, and the week of Mid-Autumn Day is noted for the Bobing (‘Cake Gambling’) Festival.
There is a variety of things to see and do in Xiamen including many annual events and seasonal festivals, including the vibrant Lantern Festival, which is held at Zhongshan Park in March and the popular Dragon Boat Festival, at Jimei during June.