First Impressions of Xiamen

We only had 1.5 days in Xiamen to spend (not including our time in Gulangyu), so we decided to make the most of it by trying to see as much as we could.  Our first morning there was a Monday, and we were quite surprised at how empty the streets were.  Since we were traveling from Guangdong where the streets are packed at any time of day or night, we were pleasantly surprised at the seemingly slower pace of life here.

In fact, the streets were so empty that it took us about 20 minutes of walking around before we found a place that was open to sit down for some breakfast.  We were around the University area and there were quite a number of artsy and cute cafes, but many of them were not yet open.  We finally decided to sit down for a coffee at the Rendezvous Café.

After a light breakfast, we decided to walk around Xiamen University for a bit.  The University was beautiful and looked very similar to any post-secondary institution back home.  They even had a little lake in the middle of the campus.  It was also at the university where we finally found more people.  The streets of Xiamen were seriously very quiet.

After visiting the university, we made our way to the adjacent beach to find people sunbathing, fishing and just hanging around the water.  It was a warm day, but the beach wasn’t crowded at all. 

After the beach, it was an easy walk to The Huli Hill Fort and Cannon (胡里山炮台), which is probably the best known of Xiamen’s tourist spots.  The fort was constructed in the late 1800s, but the reason that this place is famous is because it is home to the world’s largest cannon.  The place was lively and the guards put on regular performances for the tourists.

For some reason, in the middle of the park, we found some Disney benches…

After a little while at Huli Hill Fort, we made our way to Music Square which I loved.  Even from a distance, I could see the music decorations on the side of the road.  It was essentially a large park that was decorated with statues of famous musicians, along with monuments displaying past accomplishments.  The park was next to the water as well so there was a promenade along the water that made for a great, relaxing stroll.  The park had a great deal to see and it was a great way to end the afternoon.