4 must-visit attractions in Xiamen

Four must-visit attractions in Xiamen: Gulangyu Island, Nanputuo Temple, Xiamen University, and Huandao Road.

1. Gulangyu Island

Gulangyu Island was officially approved as a national 5A tourist attraction on May 8, 2007. It was selected as "the first of the five most beautiful urban areas in China" by National Geographic magazine and is known as the "Garden on the Sea". Many buildings with Chinese and foreign architectural styles are well preserved on the island, and it is known as the "Architectural Exposition of All Nations".

The residents on the island love music and have a high density of pianos, so it is praised as the Piano Island. The main tourist attractions include Sunlight Rock, Shuzhuang Garden, Bathing Beach, Zheng Chenggong Memorial Hall, etc. On July 8, 2017, "Gulangyu: Historic International Community" was included in the World Heritage List, becoming China's 52nd World Heritage.

2. Nanputuo Temple

Nanputuo Temple is located in Siming District, Xiamen City. It was built in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, and was originally called Sizhou Yuan. Monk Wen Cui in the Northern Song Dynasty renamed it Wuwuyan. Yuan waste. It was rebuilt in the early Ming Dynasty and renamed Puzhao Temple. In the late Ming Dynasty, the poet monk Jueguang moved to the temple and built it in front of the mountain. The temples and courtyards were well-equipped, and there were often more than a hundred monks living there. In the early Qing Dynasty, it was abandoned due to military disasters.

In the 22nd year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1684), Shi Lang, Marquis of Jinghai, stationed in Xiamen after regaining Taiwan, donated money to restore the old temple, and built a Dabei Pavilion to enshrine Guanyin Bodhisattva, which he combined with Putuo Mountain in Zhejiang Province. Similar to the Guanyin Taoist Temple, it was renamed Nanputuo Temple. Over the past few hundred years, it has been renovated and expanded many times by monks such as Jingfeng, Shengji, and Xican. By the early years of the Republic of China, it had formed a Zen temple with three halls and seven halls. .

3. Xiamen University

Xiamen University is known as "the most beautiful university in China". The campus is surrounded by mountains and lakes, facing the sea, backed by Wanshi Botanical Garden, and on one side is Nanputuo The temple, with Baicheng Beach on one side, faces Gulangyu Island, a world cultural heritage site, across the sea.

The early buildings of Xiamen University, including the Qunxian Building Group, Jiannan Building Group, Furong Building Group and Xiamen University Anthropology Museum, are national key cultural relics protection units and were selected as one of the "First Batch of China's 20th Century Architectural Heritage" "Directory.

4. Huandao Road

Huandao Road is an urban arterial road surrounding Xiamen Island. It is 60 meters wide and has 6 lanes in both directions. It is a first-level urban secondary arterial road. The motor vehicle lane is 18-24 meters, the non-motor vehicle lane is 6-7 meters, the sidewalk is 6-8 meters, and the green belt is 80-100 meters.

The construction of the section from Baicheng to Huangcuo started in February 1997 and was completed on September 8, 1998. The section from Huangcuo to Qianpu was completed on September 8, 1999. The section from the Convention and Exhibition Center to Xiangshan was started in September 1999 and completed in September 2000. From May 2001 to December 2002, the Xiangshan to Wutong section was opened.

Xiamen’s folk culture:

Mid-Autumn cake gambling is a folk activity that extends the unique cake culture in southern Fujian. It is a game used for entertainment during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The combination of the results of throwing six dice is used to determine the participants' prizes. The traditional prizes are moon cakes of different sizes, known as Hui Cake. It is said that this game can predict a person's luck in the next year.

It is taboo to pay New Year greetings on the third day of the first lunar month. Xiamen’s traditional custom is that you cannot visit your home to pay New Year greetings on the third day of the first lunar month. Instead, you must offer sacrifices to the dead at home. There is a proverb that goes, "The first day of the Lunar New Year is early, the second day of the Lunar New Year is early, and the third day of the Lunar New Year is sleepy and full." It means that there are no guests coming to the door on the third day of the Lunar New Year, so it doesn't matter if you get up late. So where did this custom come from? According to legend, during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, Japanese pirates occupied Wuyu, an island outside Xiamen.

On New Year's Eve one year, the officers and soldiers were busy celebrating the New Year and neglected to defend. A large number of Japanese pirates took the opportunity to attack the city. The soldiers and civilians rose up to resist the enemy. After two days and three nights of fierce fighting, the Japanese pirates were defeated. However, the soldiers and civilians in the city suffered heavy casualties. On the third day of the Lunar New Year, people bury their relatives and friends, mourn the dead, and cry loudly. They have no time to visit other homes to pay New Year greetings. On the third day of the second lunar month, Xiamen residents regard this day as their death anniversary. Over time, it has become a custom.

Reference for the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia—Xiamen City