Fujian, China

As travelers flock to China, both Starbucks and KFC are appearing on every corner in the large cities, and it is becoming more challenging to discover a China not overrun by tourists. If you want to experience China and not a touristy Chinatown, explore Fujian.

Fujian is a relatively small coastal province located in southeast China. With approximately 80% of the province covered in mountainous terrain and the East China Sea embracing the entire eastern border, Fujian offers a broad range of scenery. Being so close to Taiwan (it actually faces Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait), Fujian benefits from Taiwanese investment, apparent in its well-developed infrastructure.

Xiamen

My May ’12 trip with a small group of six other friends began with our early-morning flight from Shenzhen just across the border from Hong Kong) to Xiamen, the capital of Fujian, where we were met by our local guide, Mr. Wu, and driver, Mr. Chen. For the next 12 days, we traveled throughout Fujian in the comfort of an air-conditioned bus on excellent multilane highways.

Xiamen was one of the original “treaty ports,” established in 1842, allowing foreign trade with China. As with other treaty port cities, an area was designated for foreigners to live in – in this case, the island of Gulangyu. Several old embassy buildings and villas remain there today. Set along the hilly winding streets, these renovated buildings now house restaurants or small hotels and are fun to explore.

At the peak of Sunlight Rock, the highest point on the island, there is a temple dedicated to Guanyin. Since this is a tourist area, some English is spoken, so if you do get lost, as we did, a local can direct you back to the ferry to Xiamen.

A stop for cruise ships, Xiamen was the only area on our trip where we saw other Westerners.

Xiamen benefits from its subtropical climate, and colorful flowers and trees can be seen throughout the city. Being an island, it has an extensive beachfront. Another impressive sight in Xiamen is the vast amount of public sculpture.

Fujian is known for its green oolong tea. In fact, Fujian tea was dumped into Boston Harbor during the Boston Tea Party.

 

Adapted from my article,  “Finding traditional China in the love coastal province of Fujian,” published May 18, 2013 in International Travel News.