A short trip to Xiamen

Over the weekend, we travelled on a short trip to Xiamen. Also known as Amoy, Xiamen is a city in China’s Fujian province and used to be a colonial trading outpost. This legacy can still be seen today in an abundance of western-style architecture.

Xiamen is often considered to be one of the most liveable places in China, and that was clear to me from the moment we arrived. There are a lot of skyscrapers, but also a lot of smaller buildings. The city feels human scale; with a population of over three million residents, it certainly is not, but coming from Shanghai, that number feels miniscule. Like pretty much every chinese city there are big roads that make being a pedestrian a nightmare, but there were also an abundance of smaller roads weaving through the centre.

It’s hard to explain the feel of a place. In general, Xiamen felt relaxing and open. There was a sense of whimsy, and the people were incredibly friendly.

This feeling was strongest on Gulangyu, a tiny island a short ferry ride from the mainland. There is a lot of greenery, a lot of mansions, and no cars, as they are completely banned from the space. There are crowds of tourists, but on heading towards the centre of the island, the numbers dropped significantly. We headed to a small café with only two other customers, and the waitress was so happy that it felt like we’d fallen into the hollywood ideal of a smalltown diner. I don’t know exactly why everyone was so happy, but it was noticeable in almost everyone we spoke to. Maybe it’s the ocean air.

The island is home to gardens, little shops, and both a piano museum and an organ museum. Although they sounded interesting, we chose not to go, because we wanted to take advantage of the wonderful southern weather to stock up on our vitamin d.

The next day, we wandered through a few of the shopping streets on the mainland. There was a lot of repetition, and they were clearly designed for tourists. But just like everywhere else, many of the shopkeepers seemed less intent on getting us to buy things, and more interested in simply saying hello and giving us free samples. This dramatically lessened the stress and allowed us to enjoy admiring the small curiosities on sale.

I don’t want to understate just how much of a joy it was to walk through this city. Everywhere was beautiful. Everywhere smelt good. Everywhere was full of hustle and bustle and small food shops. The city was personal, and not cold.

Of course, being next to the sea also meant that the sunsets were beautiful. We weren’t the only people who thought so, as walking along the beach we saw a couple taking wedding photos about every two minutes.

The walls were thin in the hotel, and at night we could hear people chatting in the courtyards. Drinking tea, sharing a cigarette, sharing some snacks from the night vendors who opened opposite.

It wasn’t the only thing we heard at night; we were woken on two of the nights by a screaming cat. Sleeping in such an old building made this kind of terrifying, as the cat sounded like a child. What stories did this hotel hold? What had it seen over its long life?

On our final day, we stuck close to the hotel, taking one last opportunity to walk the streets. One last opportunity to feel how the people of Xiamen feel every day. We sat at a folding table in the middle of the street and ate satay noodles, a speciality of the region, and quite different from the dish on offer in the uk. The local high school lets their students leave during lunch break, so the streets were full of children in uniform getting lunch, eating fruit, and playing. They aren’t allowed phones at school, so they wander with no supervision or distraction.

I think that Xiamen is one of my favourite cities that i’ve visited. It’s comfortable and convenient, but still maintains its personality. The weather is good, and the people are kind. The streets are beautiful, and everywhere has rhythm.

There’s a lot more i want to see in China, but i wouldn’t mind going back there again soon.