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Xiamen

It is said that in the ancient time, flocks of egrets (Bailu in Chinese) migrated to dwell on Xiamen Island from time to time and that is why people call Xiamen "Ludao" (Island of Egrets) and Xiagu Strait "Lujiang" (River of Egrets). The first settlement of people on Xiamen Island dates back to the latter part of the New Stone Age. That was three to four thousand years ago. And the recorded history dates back to the middle period of the Tang Dynasty, which was more than 1140 years ago. During the Tianbao Period of the Tang Dynasty, the ethnic Chinese surnamed Xue (薛) and Chen (陈) migrated to Xiamen Island from Fu'an in the east of Fujian Province and Zhangzhou in the south of Fujian Province and settled at the southern and northern foot of the Hongjishan Mountain respectively.

The administrative organization of Xiamen City was first set up in the Song Dynasty. It was then affiliated to Tongan County, Quanzhou Prefecture. In the twentieth year during the Hongwu Period in early Ming Dynasty (1387), the imperial government started to build stockade villages and forward posts on the island and named the island "Xiamen", meaning the "Gate of the Motherland". And the geographical name of "Xiamen" became the official name of the island despite that Xiamen was once renamed "Siming Prefecture" and "Siming County" during the several hundred years from then on. In 1933, Xiamen was officially established as a city. That made it the first city set up in Fujian Province.

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Shopping

Shopping Streets
Zhongshan Road
Xiamen has two shopping streets with relatively concentrated market and shops and good transport facilities for the convenience of tourist shopping. One is located on Zhongshan Road in the old urban area; the other is on Dragon's Head Road, Gulangyu Island. Zhongshan Road is 1.2 kilometers in length. 243 markets, shops and restaurants are concentrated on this street. Known as one of "China's ten famous streets", Zhongshan Road is the ideal destination in terms of tourist shopping for travelers from home and abroad, for it's a street full of rich national culture of China and unique Fujian custom. Among them, Hualian Shopping Building, Huahui Market, First Department Store, Tianshun Jewelry Shop are the relatively larger ones. Zhongshan Road is compared to Hong Kong's Tongluowan Bay and Shanghai's Nanjing Road.

(4) Dragon's Head Road on Gulangyu Island
Dragon's Head Road boasts 134 enterprises, institutions and private industrial and commercial entities. A number of shops specialized in the sales of handicraft articles, famous scripts and paintings. Both local handicrafts such as bead embroidery, lacquer carvings, color modeling and color porcelain and antique, jade and stone, scripts and paintings as well as chinaware from every part of the country are sold here. There are also many shops selling dried southern food and nuts at the same time.

• Designated Shopping Units

• Fujian Tea Culture Exchanging Center-Huayang Teahouse
  Fujian Tea Culture Exchanging Center or Huayang Teahouse is located at Tiger Stream Stone Temple, which is one of the 'Eight Scenic Spots' in Xiamen City. The tasteful decoration and cultural environment inside are fit for relaxing and tasting tea. Here you can taste several famous and unique Fujian Wulong Tea free of charge as well as view the show of Gongfu Tea Art of Southern Fujian, acknowledge the benefits for health of Wulong Tea, relaxing both physically and psychologically.

• Minsuchun Co. Ltd.
  Minsuchun Co. Ltd. is located west to the Crag of Sunlight of Gulangyu Island Resort, neighboring sea on the northwest, with a total area of 3,000 square meters. It is a place to enjoy local customs, arts, relaxation and shopping. The building of Minsuchun reflects ancient architectural style of southern Fujian Province. The Fishing Customs Hall is an exhibition place of the vivid scene of southern Fujian people fighting against the sea and conquering the Nature by modern lighting, occasion arrangement, relics and photos. Inside the exhibition halls, narrators in traditional Huian costume are available for tour guiding and introduction. After enjoying customs of southern Fujian, the Stone Carving Culture Exhibition Hall is just in front. Huian Shade Stone Carving and Qingdou Stone Carving is on show. Visitors can get the experience of stone carving in person under the instructions of the craftsmen. Tea Art Show is the next activity. The unique culture-orientated tour in the company will be remembered forever by all the tourists.
  Address : 18 Ganghou Road, Gulangyu Island, Xiamen City
  Tel : 0592-2063082

• Tea Art Exchanging Center of Service Co. of Xiamen University
  In 1993, a propaganda window for spreading traditional Chinese Tea Culture and spirits of tea culture-honest, pretty and honor-was set up on the beautiful and vigorous Gulangyu Island. This center is located near Xiamen University, neighboring the South Putuo Temple and Hulishan Fortress with beautiful environment. The Tea Art Show adopts an original approach here. Then the teahouse becomes a place of exchanging thoughts and ideas about tea culture, tasting fragrant tea at the same time. This teahouse offers wide range of Fujian Wulong Tea formulated by experts here which have been appreciated by tea lovers from all walks of life. The warmhearted services of the tea art girls make visitors feel at home. Here visitors can forget all the unhappiness with fragrant tea in hand.
  Address : 174, College Road, Xiamen City
  Tel : 0592-2098108

• Tea Culture Exchanging Center in Sea-Viewing Garden of Gulangyu Island
  The tea culture-exchanging center is located inside the Sea-Viewing Garden whose formal name is Wanguo Club, covered with heavy lushes and green trees. There is a special port for sightseeing among the European style villas. The main building was the ex-dwelling quarter for the Dutch Consul. Several tea plantations surround the whole area where the world famous Fujian Wulong Tea is planted. The tourists visiting here can watch the tea art show free of charge as well as tasting both the world famous Wulong Tea and one of the southern Fujian customs-tasting Fujian "Gongfu Tea".
  Address : No.8 Tianwei Road, Gulangyu Island, Xiamen city
  Tel : (0592) 2069917

• Jixiang Jewelry Shop
  Jixiang Jewelry Shop is the selling center of Xiamen Jewelry Factory, which is located on the first floor of the factory. The shop consists of three parts: introduction hall, exhibition and sales hall and parking lot. The introduction hall with a total area of 40 sq. kilometers exhibits jade ore samples and mini-sized Gold Ware Producing Ling. Tourists can get the knowledge of producing craftsmanship of gold wares. The Exhibition and Sales Hall with a total business area of 200 sq. kilometers is spacious and bright, reasonably arranged with central heating system, hot and cold water dispenser, comfortable rest house and clean restroom. The Parking Lot occupies 300 sq. kilometers and is capable of parking many buses and cars. This shop is set up for the sales of the famous Chengfeng Brand 9 K, 18K and 24K gold wares manufactured by Xiamen Jewelry Factory as well as jade wares, gold and silver ornaments and art work of craftsmanship in Fujian style. Wide variety of designs, delicate craftsmanship, guaranteed quality, good services, reasonable prices and assured measures give every customer a good buy.
  Address : 1st Floor of the Jewelry Mansion, Middle of Seven Stars Road, Xiamen City
  Zip code : 361012 , Tel : (0592) 5320891

• Shopping Mall

Food

• Moslem Restaurants
  Huli Moslem Restaurant is the only Moslem restaurant in Xiamen that is capable of entertaining overseas tourists. The Restaurant is located opposite to the Information Building on Hulixinglong Road. Only those who are of Hui nationality and believe in Islam have access to this restaurant as a member of staff. This Restaurant has more than 230 square meters available for business, including a 15-square-meter private dining room. It can entertain over 100 dinners at the same time. There is a large parking lot nearby. Both the sanitation and hardware are up to the relevant standards. It is well recognized by overseas Moslem guests.

• Western Food Restaurant
  Xiamen City boasts several western restaurants including Mill, West Coast, Romantic, and Big Gaoxiong. Mill specializes in western-styled food and pastry of unique flavor. It provides superb western and Chinese dishes, coffee, midnight snacks, drink and wine. The Restaurant is gracefully furnished and close to large parking lots. Many Chinese and foreign tourists come to this street to enjoy western food.

• Food Streets
  Xiamen has three streets, which are famous for concentrated eating places. They are the front section of South Lotus Road, Food Street along Xiamen University Street and the middle section of North Lakeside Road (Hubingbei Lu), and Huahui Food Street on Zhongshan Road. The front section of South Lotus Road enjoys geographical advantage and convenient transportation, as it is one of the busiest business areas of Xiamen City. The Street is lined with 18 big restaurants and hotels and other eating places of different scales. Each of the 18 big restaurants and hotels has their own features and styles. Also located here are Fragrant Lotus Restaurant (Haoqingxiang Lianhua Jiulou), with is famous for its long history and repute, Douhuazhuang with Taiwanese feature, Xiyuedi Café providing western pastry. Each of the restaurants on this street observes the state standards governing the services of tourist restaurants and hotels and designated restaurants for tourists. By participating in the quality service competition, these restaurants have made great progress with respect to service quality. Doing business in a fair and just way, entertaining guests politely, selling commodities at marked prices and not selling fake and shoddy products have become common practice here. The Food Street along Xiamen University Street and the middle section of North Lakeside Road (Hubingbei Lu) has distinctive features, too. The former has 35 restaurants mainly providing local food and the latter has 9 restaurants engaged in hot pots. Huahui Food Street boasts 22 restaurants good at various typical local dishes. A lot of citizens and tourists come to these two streets for delicious food.

• Chuanxiang Garden Restaurant
  Chuanxiang Garden Restaurant is located opposite the graceful and beautiful Thousands Stones Botanical Garden and inside the Municipal Activity Center for Old-Aged. It has two stories, which can serve 400 people at the same time. In 1998, it was awarded "Civilization Window Example Unit in Tourist Industry" by the Tourist Bureau of Xiamen Municipality. At the same time. It was appointed as an "Overseas Traveling Group Designated Eating and Drinking Unit" in Xiamen City. Chuanxiang Garden is mainly managing Sichuan Dishes with Cantonese Dishes and Fujian Dishes as supplementary parts. The Sichuan Dishes are characterized with clear, fresh, aromatic and dense properties. And the Garden is especially good at clear and fresh flavor. The Dishes adopt every good flavor from among the people. The Sichuan Dishes are well known for having special techniques in using peppery hot. They assembled various kinds of dishes such as assorted cold dish, barbecue, refreshments and hot pot dish etc. the restaurant can provide dishes with various styles and courses with different flavors to every guest.

• Good Fragrance Grand Restaurant
  "Good Fragrance" has got a history of sixty years. Its original address was in "Outer Cuo Cheng". On the basis of supporting the refreshments, the "Outer Cuo Cheng" collected all refreshments from among the people, and became a big success on refreshments in Xiamen. And then on the basis of keeping the big success of the refreshments, it made efforts to develop Xiamen flavor feast in southern Fujian cuisine. As a result, the flavor dishes from the "Good Fragrance" in Xiamen can meet the requirements of the common citizens and the overseas guests at various levels. "Chinese Famous Refreshments" -"Good Fragrant Roast Meat Zongzi", "Taro Bun" and "Crab Meat Zongzi" are known far and wide. They are awarded with various prizes at all previous cooking competitions at provincial level or at national level. So they are very famous both at home and abroad. In 1994, "Good Fragrance" restaurant was removed to the flourishing section at Hubin Middle Road. It was deeply favored by travelers from home and abroad with its Chinese delicious fast food, famous refreshments with distinctive flavor and the famous dishes of South Fujian cuisine. Everyone who has enjoyed the flavor of "Good Fragrance" would give an acclaim saying that it has the "Real Flavor, Actual Materials, and Good Fragrance". The national well known caricaturist Hua Junwu provides the inscription of "Xiamen Flavor Is Being Here, Good Fragrance Is This Restaurant" in his own handwriting. Having been conferred the title of "An Old Chinese Shop" by the Ministry of Internal Trade, Xiamen Good Fragrance Restaurant has been praised as "Without Arriving at Good Fragrance Restaurant, No Meaning in Travel ling Around the Island" by gourmets, travelers and ordinary people overseas and within the country.

• Jan's Hot Pot Restaurant
  Xiamen Tan's Hot Pot Restaurant is one of the chain restaurants of Tan Family Enterprise Co. Ltd. from Deyang City in Sichuan Province. It belongs to the best eating and drinking enterprises in Xiamen City. It is also an overseas tourist designated eating and drinking unit. It has very high popularity and very good reputation. It mainly operates on self-serving hot pot dish and additionally operates on self-serving Chinese food. It prepares raw dishes and cooked dishes of 128 kinds. It also has restaurant shows. The programs include singing, fashion shows, dancing, acrobatics playing, magic playing and music instrument soloing etc. it is the ideal choice for meeting or eating with friends and family members.

• Designated Tourist Restaurants

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  Information provided by China National Tourism Administration.

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