The Alternative Xiamen
What to do in China’s most liveable city
A modern metropolis, Xiamen has a pulsating city-life and a hectic industrial port, while being situated on a mountainous island with unique vegetation supported by a mild climate.
Visiting the city during a coronavirus outbreak in 2020 Chinese New Year festival presented a unique situation where not only finding food was difficult but the touristic sights which would normally be open were closed.
This classic case of ‘when life gives you lemons, make lemonade’ made me consider alternative activities which gave me the perfect opportunities to understand what truly makes the city the most liveable in China.
Green Mobility
The City of Xiamen combines architecture, urban and landscape, by using iconic architectural attraction to connect its vibrant cityscape with the scenic natural surroundings. This large-scale network of footpaths, elevated footpaths and footbridges improved my experience as a visitor, and hopefully the living quality of Xiamenese too.
World’s Longest Elevated Cycleway
The cycling path, designed by Danish firm Dissing+Weitling Architecture (which was founded in 1971 as an extension of the work of renowned architect and designer Arne Jacobsen, who died the same year at age 69), spans 7.6km between Xian Hou 县后 and Hong Wen 红文 BRT stations.
Completed in early 2017, the world’s longest elevated cycling route is suspended 5 meters above ground, sandwiched between motor roads below and BRT roads above. Xiamen Cycling Skyway is the coolest and greenest way to see the city without needing to brave the traffic on the streets below.
You can access the cycleway from the BRT station at each end, or from any of the 11 entrances & exits along the route. If you’ve set up your Wechatpay or Alipay, simply scan the QR code to access the bike-shares (please set up your bike-share app beforehand as the identity verification may take up to 24 hours. As of 2020, the prevailing shared bike is the mint green bikes by Didi, which is only accessible in Didi’s Chinese app, not the English version. Otherwise Alibaba also has its own blue shared bikes, though they are not as common.
Do note that no children, pedestrians or motorbikes are allowed on the cycleway.
Coastal Cycleway
Another popular cycling route is the 43-kilometre-long, sea-facing Amoy Circular Road. It’s also where the annual Xiamen International Marathon, one of China’s major races, takes place.
Yan Wu Pedestrian Bridge 演武大桥观景平台
Just across E-mall, this 2.2km pedestrian bridge is the perfect viewing platform for the twin towers of Hilton Hotel and the Gulangyu island. The bridge features the structure of lenticular beams and elliptic piers, with its whole body painted white. The deck elevation sits at merely 5.5metres above the sea level, to protect Xiamen University Baicheng Campus and the coastal landscape. The lighting on the bridge relies on lamps installed on the guardrails without any lamp pole.
Xiamen Footpath
On top of the cycleway, Dissing+Weitleng has also begun a 23-kilometre pedestrian bridge network project. The project will consist of footpaths and footbridges, giving residents and visitors access to the nearby nature.
Seven unique footbridges appear as beacons in the landscape and create a link between parks, forests and viewpoints, where the city and landscape can unfold from new perspectives.
Xiamen Mountain Ocen Health Footpath 厦门山海健康步道
This newly opened footpath consists of a route that stretches for 23 kilometres, connecting 8 different mountains of Xia Men through a series of elevated walkways and 17 footbridges.
Xiamen Botanical Garden
Situated just behind Xiamen University (the campus of which is so beautiful it is on the top of most people’s lists when visiting the city), this botanical garden’s peaks offer the best vantage point of Xiamen city. Up here, you can really appreciate how green the city is.
Like many gardens, Xiamen Botanical Garden offers different views according to the seasons. When I visited in late January, the cherry blossom only started blossoming. In summer, the lotuses would blossom in the Lotus Pond. However a personal favourite of mine, the Succulent Garden should be available all year long.
Sha Po Wei Art Zone
These otherwise deserted shipbuilding warehouses have been converted into an area filled with artist studios, a skater park and boutiques, and how has become the heart of the local youth culture.
Art District in Jimei
Apart from Shapowei, a number of galleries and museums have sprung up in the past few years, including the Zhangting Art Museum, the Qianji Gallery, 798 Times Space Xiamen, Xinhe Gallery and Three Shadows Xiamen Photography Art Centre.
Xiamen University and its Surrounds
Part of Xiamen’s charm lies in its narrow alleyways and small, hidden shops. Among these lanes, you’ll find Ding’aozai Cat Street, a winding stone-paved lane near the beautiful Xiamen University Campus. It’s a cat lover’s fantasy and a local hotspot thanks to its omnipresent cat art.
Tea Community Centre
“Waterfrom Design were inspired to create a tranquil, harmonious setting for the TEA Community Center in Xiamen, China. Elements of landscape and nature such as sunlight, airy open space and water were considered both architectural features and calming characteristics throughout the design. Community was top of mind, with the designers creating a space for locals to gather and relax.”
- Yellowtrace
If you would like to know more about the latest things happening in Xiamen, follow What’s on Xiamen’s Wechat account. There is also an American couple who have been living in the city since 1998, check out the book and articles they have written about the region. If you would like to know about the Hokkien people who inhabit the Fuzhou province, look no further than Laszlo Montogomery’s China History Podcast.
