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China
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Currency
Renminbi (RMB)
Electric Plug Details
Two parallel flat blades
Electricity
220Volt, 50Hz
IDD City Code
10
IDD Country Code
592
Language
Putonghau (Mandarin)
Mobile System
GSM
Time Zone
GMT/UTC +8()
Useful Telephone
Emergencies 120
Police Dial 110
Fire & Ambulance 119 |
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Gulangyu Island covers an area of 1.78 square kilometers and stands opposite to Xiamen City across the sea. Xiagu strait is called Egret River. With beautiful sceneries, Gulangyu Island is accredited as "garden on the sea", "architecture exhibition of ten thousand nations", "hometown of music" and "island of piano". It is one of the most attractive landscapes of Xiamen tourist spots. It is a national-level key scenic area and the representative of Xiamen scenic spots. It is on the top list of ten excellent scenic areas of Fujian Province and one of the 35 logo tourist spots all over the country. The whole island is full of natural scenic spots and its main scenic spots include the Crag of Sunlight, Garden of Beans (Shuzhuang Huayuan), Bright Moon Garden (Haoyueyuan) and Yuyuan Garden. |
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South Putuo Temple is an ancient temple with great fame in Xiamen. It has the name of Sourthern Putuo for the reason of its main conformity to Guanyin and Bodhisattva as well as its location to the south of Putuo Mountain, one of the four great Buddhist fields in Zhoushan of Zhejiang province.
Sourthern Putuo temple has a grand scale with a total area of 25.8 hectares and a building area of 21270 square meters. Sitting on the principal axis from the south to the north are the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Precious Hall of Great Hero, the Hall of Great Mercy and the Buddhist Scripture Garret. There are annexes on both sides of the axis, such as corridors, Bell and Drum Towers, Haihui Hall, Puzhao Hall, Taixu library, classrooms of the Buddhist Institute, and so on. All these buildings are spread over a mountain slop of complicated topography with a generally solemn and magnificent atmosphere.
Over the recent years, to the south of the Hall of Heavenly Kings lie the Free Life Pond, two newly built Longevity Towers, two pavilions and a lotus pond, etc. Between the two ponds is the Seven Buddha Tower, which is composed of seven statues of Buddha, such as Sakyamuni and Kasyapa. The Longevity Towers have 11 layers in the style of Buddhist buildings of South Asia, enriching the scenery of South Putuo Temple.
There is the Buddhist Institute of South Fujian in the temple, the earliest Buddhist institute in our country, which is established in 1925. The Buddhist institute ran the school again in 1985, establishing the Yangzheng College, the preparatory class, the formal class of two-year system. It also set additional a two-year research class, exerting an extensive influence at home and Southeast Asia. |
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Hulishan Fortress is a nationally key historical and cultural site. In August, 2000, it is listed into "the complete collection of Guinness World Records of the year 2000". The Fortress, built in the 20th year of the emperor Guangxu's reign (1894), has more than 100 years'gloomy history of rise and fall. The base of the fortress is made of the mixture of camphor tree sap, liquid brown sugar, glutinous rice, clay and sand. Therefore, it is rather solid. The fortress is composed of the barracks, the secret tunnel, commanding tower, sentry platform, the ammunition depot, the trench, the castle, etc. The rectangular castle made of granite rocks occupies an area of 13,000 square meters. Xiamen had been an ancient battlefield where Xiamen people resisted imperial aggressors in the history. It played an important role in resisting foreign aggressors. There are east and west emplacements with two main cannons (only one left now) bought from the Krupp Company of Germany. The whole length of the cannon is 13.13 meters and its weight is 50 tons. The caliber of the cannon is 280 mm and its maximum range of fire is 16,000 meters. The fortress displays more than 50 iron cannons of the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty unearthed from the Xiamen waters and the building site of capital construction. The East and West emplacements are connected by a tunnel. There are military camps at the exits of the tunnel. As a coastal defense fortress, there is a trench outside and a patrolling path inside.
In 1986, platforms of yearning for return are built at the forward position of the fortress. The tourists observe Dadan and Erdan Islands under Jinmen’s jurisdiction through telescopes. In recent years, the fortress yard has been cleaned up and large-scale wall carvings "national soul" is newly built, demonstrating the course of warehousing weapons, reviving military forces and resisting strong enemies with a profound artistic conception. "Rong Spring" is newly built on the left side of wall carvings, which is quite novel. Behind the wall carvings the small garden with evergreen grass has many sculptures and golden ball cactus. A leisure and sightseeing pavilion built in the high place is harmonious and natural with the surroundings. The scenic spot of Moonlight Rock is opened up in the north of the small garden with additionally set "dragon spring waterfalls", "a line sky", and "the poem wall of Hulishan fortress" |
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The Overseas Chinese Museum is a building of national features with a building area of more than 3,000 square meters, displaying more than 7000 exhibits. The museum is presided and founded by Tan Kah-kee, a well-known leader of overseas Chinese, as well as countrymen residing abroad and returning overseas Chinese. It is started in 1956 and opened to the public in May of 1959.
The Overseas Chinese Museum is a building of national features with a building area of more than 3,000 square meters, displaying more than 7000 exhibits. The museum is presided and founded by Tan Kah-kee, a well-known leader of overseas Chinese, as well as countrymen residing abroad and returning overseas Chinese. It is started in 1956 and opened to the public in May of 1959.
The museum is divided into six sections, such as the production and development of overseas Chinese, tragedies of overseas Chinese before Liberation, the friendship between overseas Chinese and the people of the host countries, the contribution of overseas Chinese to the motherland, the past and present of the community of overseas Chinese, the review of policies of overseas Chinese. It displays many cultural relics, handicrafts and specimen sources donated or invested in by many of these overseas Chinese, embodying the guiding thought of Tan Kah-kee that people should show respect for scientific and cultural information and make good use of its social consequences. The whole museum has three exhibition halls with an exhibition area of 2400 square meters, displaying more than 1200 pieces of pictures and documentation of all sorts, about 2000 rare cultural relics, and more than 1000 pieces of specimens of various rare birds, beasts and aquatic products.
The other scenic spots in South Putuo Temple tourist area are Five Gentlemen Peak, Xiamen University, Jinshan Pine stone, Ring Island Road, etcThe museum is divided into six sections, such as the production and development of overseas Chinese, tragedies of overseas Chinese before Liberation, the friendship between overseas Chinese and the people of the host countries, the contribution of overseas Chinese to the motherland, the past and present of the community of overseas Chinese, the review of policies of overseas Chinese. It displays many cultural relics, handicrafts and specimen sources donated or invested in by many of these overseas Chinese, embodying the guiding thought of Tan Kah-kee that people should show respect for scientific and cultural information and make good use of its social consequences. The whole museum has three exhibition halls with an exhibition area of 2400 square meters, displaying more than 1200 pieces of pictures and documentation of all sorts, about 2000 rare cultural relics, and more than 1000 pieces of specimens of various rare birds, beasts and aquatic products.
Other scenic spots in South Putuo Temple tourist area are Five Gentlemen Peak, Xiamen University, Jinshan Pine stone, Ring Island Road, etc |
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