Xiamen Things to Do

Unlike most other aquariums in China that have all the aquatic diversity of a common carp pond, this fish center is actually quite impressive. More than 10,000 aquatic creatures lodge here including eels, starfish, Amazon piranhas, and color-happy coral gardens. A long glass tunnel provides visitors with the kind of salt-water views normally only enjoyed by bottom feeders. Be sure to visit the feeding tank that allows visitors to hand-feed turtles and baby sharks.

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This Botanical is very big. I think one day is not enough if you want to see everything and to walk the many trails. Near the entry and at the foot of the hills there is a beautiful lake. In the garden you find temples, pavillons and fields where the future couples pose for traditional wedding photograph. The hills are quite steep and you have to climb many stairs.
Among the greenhouses I would recommend the cactus one. Some cactus are very funny species.

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Most of the travelers reason for visiting Xiamen is spending a few days in gulangyu island
The best thing to do is walking around the island and explore the parks , beaches giving a look at the islands multi-cultural architecture

In the city exploring the Zonghsan Lu(walking street) and the side roads of Zhongsan Lu is the best thing to do in Xiamen

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Take a ferry to Gulangyu Island for:
Sightseeing, Shopping, Beach, Museum, Park, Cats, Ghosts?...
It can be:
Interesting, Fun, Exciting, Romantic, Mysterious, even Spooky!
You can see:
Bright Moon Garden, Seasight Watch Garden, Yu Park, Xiamen Museum, Enchanting oceanfront views, Streets of souvenir shops, Swimming areas, interesting piano museum, romantic paths through the parks, stray cats, and maybe even be a part of mysterious ghost stories...
You can do:
Climb up to the Bright Moon Garden Park and sit at the foot of the amazing giant statue of national hero Zheng Chenggong who is protecting China! Buy China sea pearls from the energetic salespeople at the rows of boutiques, swim proudly with schools of silverfish in the Taiwan Strait, stroll with the stray cats that come out at night, visit the museum and find out if a ghost really lives there!

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I love swimming -- and swimming in the ocean is the best because of all of the nature around you! Xiamen is an island, so there are a lot of nice beaches for swimming! They aren't very crowded and are nice and clean. The water is very salty, so it's easy to swim in. Watch out for the tides -- locals know the right times for swimming. Otherwise -- Dive in!

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As a place of residence for Westerners during Xiamen's colonial past, Gulangyu is famous for its architecture and for hosting China's only piano museum, giving it the nickname of "Piano Island" or "The Town of Pianos" or "The Island of Music". There are over 200 pianos on this island.

The Chinese name also has musical roots, as gu lang means drum waves so-called because of the sound generated by the ocean waves hitting the reefs. Yu means "islet".

In addition, there is a museum dedicated to Koxinga, Haidi Shijie Marine World, a subtropical garden containing plants introduced by overseas Chinese, as well as Xiamen Museum, formerly the Eight Diagrams Tower.

The island of Gulangyu is a pedestrian only destination, where the only vehicles on the islands are several fire trucks and passenger transport vehicles. The narrow streets on the island, together with the architecture of various styles around the world, gives the island a unique appearance.

Huli Fort is another major tourist destination in Xiamen.

At the top of the Fort, is a panaromic viewing of the harbor including the outlying island of Jin Mei of Taiwan.

Xiamen was one of the few ports first opened to Europeans by the Qing Dynasty after the defeat of the Opium War to the British. This cannon fort was not at par to handle the "hairy barbarians". Ironically, the cannons were actually German made.

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Nanputuo is a popular and must-see Buddhist temple in Xiamen. Went there twice myself.

The history of the temple dated back a thousand years to the Tang Dynasty. It is now a popular place to pray for local and overseas Chinese tourists. There is a series of prayer halls built on the slope of the hill and so wear a pair of good shoes to climb the steps.

There are some giant boulders where Chinese characters and sayings are carved out from the rock. Nice views from the top. Just watch your steps.

You caan buy lucky charms at the souvenir shop.

There is a nice lotus pool at the front of the temple if you rather wait and enjoy the views while others in your group climb the steps.