Xiamen

Xiamen is a major city on China's southeast coast that has had a long exposure to the outside world. In 1541, European traders (mainly Portuguese) first visited Xiamen, which was China's main port in the nineteenth century for exporting tea. In 1841 Xiamen was captured by the British in the First Opium War and was one of the five Chinese treaty ports opened by the Treaty of Nanking the following year. As a result, it was an early entry point for Protestant missions in China. European settlements were concentrated on the islet of Gulangyu off the main island of Xiamen. Today, Gulangyu is known for colonial architecture. Xiamen was one of the four original Special Economic Zones opened to foreign investment and trade when China began economic reforms in the early 1980s. In 2006, Xiamen was ranked as China's second "most suitable city for living", as well as China's "most romantic leisure city" in 2011.

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Settling into my hotel room just across the water from Xiamen's most famous sightseeing spot, Gulangyu Island.
I enjoyed watching the tourists climb to the top of Sunlight Rock just as the sun began to set.

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Next morning, time for me to head over to Gulangyu Island myself. Here's a shot of the ferry arrival dock.

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It takes several hours to walk around the entire island, so no time to waste despite the rather constant drizzle that plagued me for most of the day. I started by walking clockwise from the boat dock beginning with pretty Haoyue Park.

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Massive statue of Zheng Chenggong, a national hero in China for his military exploits in stopping Dutch encroachment on Chinese territory and driving the foreign devils out of Taiwan from his base here on Gulangyu Island. At nearly 16 meters high, this is the largest stone sculpture of a historical figure in China and is built to withstand scale 12 violent typhoons and earthquakes above magnitude 8.

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Clocking in at over 13 meters in length with a weight of 18 tons, the largest bronze historical figure sculpture in the country Driving Away the Invaders by Cane Shield Army honors Zheng Chenggong's victory over the Dutch.

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Chinese tourists check out a large shark fin for sale at one of the island's countless shops.

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A shot on the grounds of the meticulously-detailed Shuzhuang Garden.

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As endless informational signs attest, there is a local saying that, "You have not really been to Xiamen unless you have climbed Sunlight Rock." It is the premier sightseeing spot on Gulangyu and is a symbol of Xiamen. Below, locals take turns posing for pictures in front of the Sunlight Rock sign.

The views from the top of Sunlight Rock are indeed amazing, covering most of Gulangyu and Xiamen across the strait.

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Some pretty landscaping on the walk down to sea level from atop Sunlight Rock.

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Facade and statue in front of the Zheng Chenggong Memorial Museum.

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Larger than life mural inside the Zheng Chenggong Memorial Museum showing the military leader successfully repelling the Dutch invaders.

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Impressive giant octopus sculpture at the entrance to Underwater World Xiamen.

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The sea life park on Gulangyu features both the largest sperm whale skin specimen and the largest & most complete sperm whale skeleton on display anywhere in the world.

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Several photographs from the grounds of Nanputuo Temple, founded during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907AD).

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Hulishan Cannon Fort, built in 1894 during China's Westernization movement.