Xiamen -- Xiàmén

Xiamen (Chinese: 厦门, Pinyin: Xiàmén) is a major city on the southeast (Taiwan Strait) coast of the People's Republic of China. It is administered as a sub-provincial city of Fujian province with an area of 1575.16 km2 and population of 3.61 million. Its built up area is now bigger than the old urban island area and covers now all 6 districts of Xiamen, for a total of 3,531,147 inhabitants. 

Xiamen and the surrounding southern Fujian countryside are the ancestral home to large communities of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia and Taiwan. The city was a treaty port in the 19th century and one of the four original Special Economic Zones opened to foreign investment and trade when China began economic reforms in the early 1980s. It is endowed with educational and cultural institutions supported by the overseas Chinese diaspora. In 2006, Xiamen was ranked as China's second 'most suitable city for living'.

Climate

Xiamen has a climate characterised by long, hot and humid summers and short, mild and dry winters. The warmest month is July, at 27.8 °C (82.0 °F), and oddly, the coolest month is February, at 12.4 °C (54.3 °F). Spring, both by humidity and percentage of sunshine, is the dampest season but typhoons in late summer and early autumn can make the latter period wetter overall. Summer and autumn are marked by comparatively sunny conditions, while autumn is warm and dry. Frost is very rare, and the last snowfall in the city was in January 1893.

Cityscape

Fortune Center which stands 192 meter tall is the tallest building in Xiamen now. Four other buildings all of which are taller than Fortune center are under construction and approximately will be completed in 2015.

Tourism

                     鼓浪屿 (Gǔlànɡyǔ)

Xiamen and its surrounding countryside is known for its scenery and tree-lined beaches. Gulangyu(Chinese: 鼓浪屿, Gǔlànɡyǔ), also known as Piano Island, is a popular weekend getaway with views of the city and features many Victorian-era style European edifices. Xiamen's Botanical Garden is a nature lover's paradise. The Buddhist Nanputuo Temple, dating back to the Tang Dynasty, is a national treasure. 

 

      Xiamen University -- Xiàmén Dàxué

Xiamen University is a beautiful campus with old traditional buildings and a tranquil lake outside the foreign language department. Nowadays the University is open for anyone, some registration may needed on peak holidays. To avoid long registration procedure, you may enter the university from three smaller gates which are across the Baicheng beach.