Vacation in Xiaman China with Asian Vacations, Inc.

XIAMEN ATTRACTIONS

Gulang Island
Gulangyu, a beautiful islet, separated from the main island by the 500-metre-wide Egret River, with an area of 177 sq. km, enjoys the laudatory title "Garden on the Sea.". The original name of the islet was Yuan Zhou Zi. In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) it was renamed Gulang, meaning ''drum waves" because the holes in the southwestern reefs hit by the waves make sounds like a drum. The Dragon Head Hill, Hoisting Flag Hill and Hen Hill stand in a line in the islet. Overlapping peaks foil the blue water, white clouds, green trees and bright flowers. The air in the islet is fresh. The entire place is free from any sort of vehicles and is particularly quiet. All these render an atmosphere of a fairyland. The architecture on the islet varies greatly in style, Chinese and foreign. Thus the islet has a laudatory title "the World Architecture Museum". The residents here love music and possess more pianos than anywhere in the nation, though there is only a population of 20,000 people. Thus the islet is praised as the "Piano Islet". Today, Gulangyu is listed as one of the nation's major scenic spots. The main sites of interest here include the Sunlit Rock, Shuzhuang Park, Gangzihou Bathing Beach and Memorial Hall to Zheng Chenggong, which are visited annually by millions from all parts of the country and the world.

Haoyue Garden
Situated in the Southeast portion of the Island, Haoyue Garden is very large and beautiful. The most famous site of Haoyue Garden is the Zhen Chenggong Statue. Zhen Chenggong who recovered Taiwan from Dutch colonialists is a Chinese national hero. This statue is the largest one in all of China

Ji Mei
As one of the four major scenic spots in Xiamen, Ji Mei enjoys a long-term fame for its tourists attractions like Turtle Garden, Returnees Garden and the former residence of Mr. Tan Kah-Kee. Ji Mei is a small town on the other side of the bank facing north Xiamen Island. With Gaoji and Xingji Causeways meeting there, Ji Mei becomes the sole gateway into Xiamen. Ji Mei is also the hometown of Mr. Tan Kah-Kee, a famous overseas Chinese leader who devoted himself to the educational causes in China. He started various schools in the town, including Ji Mei Normal School, Ji Mei Navigation Institute, Xiamen Aquatic Products Technical Institute and Agriculture School besides Ji Mei Kindergarten, Ji Mei Primary School and Ji Mei Middle School. Equipped with Science Hall, a library and a hospital, these schools brought the town the name "Ji Mei School Village" which is renowned at home and abroad. The Turtle Garden was built during Mr. Tan Kah-Kee's lifetime and later was chosen as the place where his grave was to be laid. Mr. Tan Kah-Kee's residence was turned into a memorial hall and the Returnees Garden with Mr. Tan Kah-Kee's bronze statue in it in his memory. In Ji Mei, there are still relics from the time where Zhen Chenggong had drilled his soldiers and the ruins of old Ji Mei Village-Yenping Old Fort. The Turtle Garden was constructed in 1950 by Mr. Tan Kah-Kee on the former site of "Turtle Head Palace" from which came its present name. In the center of the garden is the Ji Mei Liberation Monument with an inscription by Mao Zedong on the front and a tablet record written by Mr. Tan Kah-Kee on the back. The stone foundation of the monument consists of two stages. The lower stage has eight steps, signifying the eight-year Anti-Japanese War; the upper stage is composed of three steps, symbolizing the three-year Liberation War. They are telling the later generations that victories were hard-won and therefore should be cherished. The foundation of the monument is surrounded by gray jade carvings and relief sculptures polished with great care, embodying a concentrated reflection of exquisite workmanship and a unique style of south Fujian stone carving art. The former residence of Mr. Tan Kah-Kee is situated on Jiageng Road and still retains its old look to be visited and pondered upon. Mr. Tan Kah-Kee lived frugally all his life. It is extremely moving to see how simple those daily necessities and clothing were. To the west of the residence is an exhibition of Mr. Tan Kah-Kee's life story.

Nanputuo Temple
On the Southern outskirts of Xiamen Town, is the Buddhist Temple called Puzhao Temple (Universal Grace Temple), it was first built during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). Later it was destroyed during warfare in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) and during the reign of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD) Emperor Kangxi, a naval general ordered it to be rebuilt into a Buddhist Temple and named it Nanputuo Temple. The temple covers 30,000 sq. m with four main buildings on north-south axis. They are Devajara Hall, Mahavira Hall, Dabei Hall (Great Compassion Hall) and a Pavilion built in 1936 which stores Buddhist scriptures, Buddha images from Burma, ivory sculptures and other works of art. Many rooms flanking the main buildings are dormitories, libraries and study rooms for monks. Mahavira Hall: Mahavira Hall, built in 1921 has the statues of the Trinity of the Three Ages (Sakyamuni, the Buddha of the Present, the Buddha of the Past, Kasyapa. The Buddha of the Future, Maitreya), Avalokitesvara (the Goddess of Mercy) and his disciples are also there. Attractive Murals on the wall are mainly concerned about Buddhist stories and figures from India. Dabei Hall: It is an Octagonal Tower rebuilt in 1928. Inside are enshrined four Statues of Avalokitesvara (Guiyin Bodhisattva, the Goddess of Mercy) on the lotus-flower base. The Bodhisattva with his arms across his chest has 48 hands stretching out. On each hand is a mini scared eye. Two banyans were planted on each side of the hall. Sutra-Keeping Pavilion: The Pavilion, built in 1936, stores thousands of Buddhist scriptures, Buddha images from Burma, ivory Sculptures, wood sculptures, bronze bells, incense burner and other works of art. One particular porcelain Avalokitesvara is said to be very precious. Many rooms flanking the main buildings are dormitories, libraries and study rooms for monks. The temple also offers Vegetarian Food for tourists. Admission: �2

South Putuo Temple
South Putuo Temple is situated below the Five Old Gentlemen Peaks in the southern part of the island of Xiamen. It was first built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) and is one of the sacred places of Buddhism in Southern Fujian. Inside the temple are the Hall of the Heavenly Guardians, the Hall for the Great Hero, the Scripture Chambre and the Great Compassion Hall - all of which were built in an exquisite and grand style. Enshrined in these halls are the statues of Maitreya, Sanshi Reverend Buddha, Thousand-handed Guanyin (Bodhisattva), Four Kings of Heaven and the eighteen arhats. Although all are serious and solemn in appearance, each is distinctly different from another. The temple attracts a large number of pilgrims at home and from abroad. The excellent craftsmanship of the Thousand-handed Guanyin is marked by its thousand hands. thousand eyes and glistening golden color. The Pavilion where Buddhist scriptures are kept has a rich collection of historical articles of Buddhism, such as classics, statues of Buddhas, bronze bells from the Sung Dynasty, calligraphic works and paintings from ancient times. Among them, "Intriguing Lotus Scripture" written in blood in the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) and the statue of Guanyin in white porcelain, a masterpiece of He Chaosong, are the most valuable. The temple there preserves many inscriptions, among which the stone inscriptions written by Chen Di and Sheng Yourong in the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty and the one on a stone stele written by Emperor of the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD) are the most famous. Behind the temple, inscribed on the wall of a rock is a large word "Buddha" which is 4.66 m in height and 3.33 m wide. Farther behind, high up on the mountain stands a screen of five peaks colored by green trees and bamboo and marked by serene valleys and rocks of pleasing shapes. They are called "Five Old Gentlemen Reaching the Clouds" and are one of the eight grand sights of Xiamen. Reaching the top, you not only have a view of the mountain undulating in the wind, but also the view of the sea surging in the distance.

Sunlight Rock
Riguang Rock is also called Moving Rock. It is the summit of Gulang Islet. On the mountain, huge and precipitous rocks form many caves and gullies. Pavilions are hidden among green trees. If you go up the steps, you will come to the Lotus Flower Convent first, where a huge rock named ''A Piece of Tile', sitting on the top forms a hall below. On the large rocks beside the convent are inscribed ''Wonderland of Gulang,'' and ''Number One along the Egret River". Behind the convent are ''the Dragon's Cave of the Egret River,'' ''the Cave of Summer Resort'' and there scenic spots. Close to the convent is the historical site of Zheng Chenggong's Dragon Head Mountain Fastness and the platform for directing the raining of his seamen. Coming to the top of the mountain, you can see the beautiful view of the sea and the mountains. The Xiamen Island and Gulangyu, Dadan and Erdan are all presented before your eyes.

Wanshi (10 Thousand Stone) Botanical Garden
Wanshi Hill is a natural landscape of lakes and mountains. More than 4,000 species of tropical and subtropical plants have been introduced and domesticated here. Lush and green, the garden is really a "Green Museum" and "City Garden". The major scenic spots around are Wanshi Botanical Garden, Wanshilian Temple, Tipsy Fairy Rock, Taiping Rock, Tiger Brook Rock and Elephant Trunk Peak. Located on the north Lion Hill of southeast Xiamen's urban district, Wanshi Botanical Garden is a unique combination of park and botanical garden. With historic remains scattered about, this place has been a scenic spot for tourists since ancient times. Xue Qifeng, a famous scholar of early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD), praised it in one of his poems like this - "Hills and rocks combine all the views and the garden has been claiming unparalleled wonder through the ages". Wanshi Botanical Garden heads the list of Xiamen eight views by holding five of them. There are also nearly 100 stone inscriptions. The year 1952 saw the construction of Wanshi Rock Reservoir around which the Botanical Garden was extended. More than 20 plant plots, flower nurseries and display rooms have been classified. They are specializing in palm, bamboo, orchid, potted landscape and medicinal plants, etc. Tens of thousands of tropical and subtropical plants are cultivated there. It is well known throughout the world for its fruitful scientific research. Wanshilian Temple was built during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of late Qing Dynasty and was rebuilt by Hou Shilang of Jinghai. Additional renovations were made in recent years. On the two sides of the mountain gate, there is a pair of antithetical couplets written by a Great Master Hongyi for an abbot named Huiquan. The Great Hall of the Buddha, meditation abodes and monks' rooms form a delightful contrast with those high giant rocks. Quiet and elegant, the temple reminds one of a fairyland with the help of a gurgling stream below the Haizeng Bridge in front of the temple. In the west part of the garden lies the Tipsy Fairy Rock, Sweet Spring Cave, Tianjie Temple and other sceneries. Tianjie Temple occupies a high position and descends down. Its famous morning bell can be heard far and near and was listed among the eight views of Xiamen�"Bell Tinkling at dawn from the Heaven Border." There are numerous stone inscriptions carved in the cliffs behind the temple and among which the one engraved before the Long Howling Cave during the reign of Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) is the most valuable. This piece of Poem Wall has another name of "Smiling Rock in Peace" which is also among the eight views of Xiamen. There has been a saying "The things that can make one smile and happy can not be expressed". It is personified and then spares more room for thought. Here is also the place where Zhen Chenggong used to read. At "Tiger Brook and the Moon Light"-one of the eight views of Xiamen, with rocks densely covering the valley and ancient banyans entrenching everywhere, a naturally marvelous and perilous sight is thus presented. In the evening of the 15th of every lunar month, the grand moon is hanging high above, shining over the arhat clay sculptures and the clay tiger set in the cave. The shadow fluctuates as the light twinkles and the clay tiger seems to come back to life. When it is the mid-autumn festival night, visitors exceeding ten thousand strive to be the first to enjoy the sight of the wonderful moon. During the reign of Emperor Wanli, Lin Maoshi, a well-known bachelor, cut a hole in the rock and built a stone room named "Lincen Cave" in it. To the north of Wanshilian Temple are such views as "Carp Magic", "Tiger Teeth Cave", "Jia Tian Jing" (a path placing the sky in between two huge rocks), "One-line Heaven" and "Flying Whale Rock". Each of them got their name from their similarity in form. We find another gigantic rock near the river bank, this one carved with two Chinese characters "Lock Clouds". It is said that this is the place where Zhen Chenggong killed his second cousin, Zhen Lian.