Xiamen 🔥

Key data

Items shown in Chinese are kept from the original Chinese source; no English name is available yet.

Landmarks

City Overview

• Gulangyu's piano melodies, breezy coastal roads and the warmth of Minnan culture.

History

• Xiamen was called "Jiahe Island" in ancient times. In the Ming Dynasty a garrison was stationed here, and a town gradually took shape. After it was opened as a trading port in modern times, Xiamen became an important foreign trade port and a famous hometown of overseas Chinese. The mixed Chinese and Western architecture of the nations on Gulangyu Island records that era of historic encounters. In the late 20th century, Xiamen became one of China's earliest special economic zones to adopt the opening-up policy, and the city developed rapidly. Today Xiamen preserves historical sites such as the Hulishan Fortress while also building a modern port area and a new coastal city; the transformation from an island fishing village to an international metropolis is clearly visible.

Culture

• Xiamen's culture centers on Minnan (Southern Fujian) traditions. The local Minnan dialect is widely spoken, its tones crisp and warm; Nanyin is called "a living fossil in the history of Chinese music," and local operas such as Gezai Opera and Gaojia Opera have been passed down to this day, while Gulangyu's reputation as the "Island of Pianos" sustains its musical tradition. In food, Minnan snacks like satay noodles, sea worm jelly, and oyster omelette are a delight, and the gongfu tea culture is part of everyday social life. Folk activities such as Bobing (mooncake dice game) and the Wangchuan boat-burning ceremony are distinctive, and arcade buildings and red-brick traditional houses form the city's unique texture.

Science & Technology

• Xiamen is home to Xiamen University and other universities and research institutions, with strong research in marine science, biomedicine, and new materials. Software and information services, flat-panel displays, and integrated circuit design have formed industrial clusters, and Xiamen Software Park gathers many innovative companies. Leveraging its port advantages and open platforms, cross-border e-commerce and port-based economy are thriving. The city is moving toward becoming a more vibrant and attractive innovation hub, with an increasingly strong atmosphere of technological innovation.

Economy

• Xiamen's 2025 GDP reached 898.037 billion yuan, with per capita economic indicators ranking among the highest in China. Electronics and information, machinery and equipment, tourism and exhibitions, and financial services are its pillar industries. Xiamen Port is a world-renowned container hub port with shipping networks reaching across the globe. High-tech enterprises are developing in clusters, and a number of local brands have expanded nationwide. Thanks to its superb island environment and open policies, Xiamen's tourism economy and trade exhibitions continue to thrive; Gulangyu Island and the Island Ring Road attract large numbers of domestic and international tourists each year, and the economy is full of vitality.

Climate