Arriving in Xiamen
Our flight from Guilin to Xiamen took us around 55 minutes and cost us 1200CYN/$260NZ for both of us. There are certainly other ways that could be cheaper but our time in China was running out. Our 1-month visa was nearly expired and we weren’t keen on overstaying our welcome in China.
Accommodation
We booked into Liangzhu Lifestyle Hotel. We chose this for its location and good reviews. It cost us 1116CYN/$242NZ for two nights including breakfast. It was more a guest house than a hotel which we like. We find the service is a lot more personal and usually guest houses have a more relaxed atmosphere.
Now, due to previous problems in China with taxi drivers, we made sure we had all our bases covered. We had the address in Chinese plus extra directions from the hotel. There was also a backup plan if taxi got lost. We could WeChat our host and she would come to get us.
Well, you guessed it. The taxi got lost and dropped us off at the wrong spot. This was even after doing a U-turn and he was pretty adamant that it was the correct place to drop us and our backpacks in the darkness of the evening. Feeling rather abandoned we duly sent our host a WeChat and she responded saying she’d be there in around 15-20 minutes. She walked approximately a kilometre to come to meet us (in her slippers). Now that is what I call service.
What’s to See in Xiamen
Gulangyu Island
The number one attraction in Xiamen is to visit Gulangyu Island.
The island is only about 2km square and is reached by a short ferry ride from Xiamen. Only 20,000 people live full time on the island. They not only ban cars but also bicycles. The only vehicles permitted are small electric buggies and electric government service vehicles.
Gulangyu Island is a major domestic tourist destination, attracting more than 10 million visitors per year. This makes it China’s most visited tourist attraction.
That alone should have rung alarm bells.
Getting to The Ferry Terminal
For a start, we had conflicting information on where the ferry actually sailed from. We headed out nice and early to the waterfront location we believed to be the departure point. This was our first error. We were turned away and given hand signals that it was further down the road. This particular ferry terminal was for China nationals only – no foreigners allowed.
We duly set off further down the road to what we thought was the next possible departure point. After walking about 350 metres we entered another building. This was our second mistake. Once again we were sort of told that we were in the wrong place and to keep walking.
To say frustration was starting to mount would be a slight underestimation. We arrived at another building and found an Information Centre. Hurrah, some assistance in English maybe. Eeeerr, not so lucky. She could at least communicate enough to tell us to hop on the local bus passing and it was only going to cost us 1CYN/0.21NZ no matter how far we travelled.
We eventually ended up at the right place at about 11 am at the International Ferry Terminal. It had taken us over 2 hours to get there. So much for the early start.
Remember when I mentioned further up, how popular this island is? Well, it was pretty chaotic in the terminal. We stood in line hoping to get on the 12.20 pm ferry. As we waited, that ferry filled up and no longer available to buy tickets for. The next ferry wasn’t for another 2 hours.
We unanimously decided that we wouldn’t bother going to see the number 1 attraction in Xiamen. Who would want to be on an island which was only 2 km square with all these thousands of people anyway!!
It is possible to pre-book your tickets online. I would recommend you do this in advance.
What to do Instead
We caught the bus back to our starting point and headed off on foot to follow the rather picturesque coastline. After walking for some considerable kilometres, we ended up at Hulishan Beach.
Hulishan Beach
This is one of Xiamen’s most popular beaches. It features a boardwalk which stretches along the beachfront. This made for a very scenic walk as it also took us over expansive bridges which curved out over the water.
Hulishan Mountain Fort
Built on top of Hulishan mountain, this fortress was built in 1894. This coastal defence system came in quite handy when the Japanese warships arrived in 1937.
Covering an area of 17 acres, it consists of barracks, tunnels and other fortified buildings. The foundations of the fort are apparently made out of a mixture of ash, mud and sand mixed with glutinous rice and brown sugar. Sounds more like something you’d eat rather than build with. It’s interesting that it has stood the test of time and remains a solid structure today.
The fort contained a vast collection of iron cannons, 50 in total. These were made as far back as the 1300’s. Two large cannons once guarded the east and south sides. Only one remains and it is the largest and oldest cannon of its type left in the world.
Because of the distance walked to get to Hulishan Beach, we decided on braving the local bus to get back to town. We hoped that all buses were the same as the last one we rode and would only cost us 1CYN regardless of distance.
As luck would have it, they all were this price so it was a relief to know we didn’t have to hike all the way back.
Zhongshan Road Walking Street
Many Chinese cities these days seem to have a historic pedestrian shopping street. Zhongshan Road is Xiamen’s.
There is a collection of historic buildings from Xiamen’s colonial period. This combines with Western styles but maintains its authentic feel and look. The Walking Street is just over 1 km long.
The Zhongshan Road shopping area is more than just one road. There are several side roads also filled with old buildings and lively markets.
This was within walking distance to our accommodation so we spent a couple of nights wandering up and down the street. We stopped off at some food halls to sample some of the local cuisines. Being a coastal city, seafood was certainly popular and crowds flocked to sample of the bounty from the sea.
Our Last Stop in China
Our stay in Xiamen was our last destination in China before flying out to Hong Kong. It was great to spend a day exploring the city. The city was largely an unknown destination for us. Because of its location, it is a convenient departure point to Hong Kong. We are very happy with our choice and gave us an opportunity to see another side of China.
Click on the link below for our highlight (and lowlights) of our visit to Xiamen.