XIAMEN. China’s Garden City and National Health City! It has changed immensely from the time Joseph and Gloria Gaisano brought a few media to the place in the late ‘90s.
The expanded airport and wide interconnecting roads made it easier for us to reach the Yeohwa Mandarin Hotel where 14 travel agents and I were to spend a three-day refreshing familiarization tour courtesy of Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Fortune Travel. Marijo Araneta, our PAL escort and Aida Uy, Fortune’s indefatigable GM, Stephen Chen and Cindy Zhu, Emma Gao, Tom Sun and Alice Yan of the Xiamen C and D International Travel Service were the perfect hosts for all of us, Arco Travel‘s Marife Rojas, Maganda Travel’s Janette Infante, AAI Travel ‘s Gines Justina Ruiz, Discovery Hotel’s David Matheu, Cebu Holidays’ Ricky Tio, Golden JC’s Corazon O, Funtastic Travel’s Ashwena Real, First Metro Travel’s Marie Jacqueline Uy, Fortune Travel’s Mitchel and Catherine Uy and Jack-O. We had a smooth flight via PR 330 and all agreed we had very good inflight meals and service. No hitches in our land arrangements and our hotel accommodation was just right.
Xiamen has a population close to three million and its tourism arrivals were a whopping 20 million in 2007, mostly domestic visitors and some 2.4 million foreign tourists. There was jubilation when we arrived because the first direct flight from Taipei to Xiamen took place after several long years of anticipation.
The mayors of both cities pledged to increase the existing eight flights a day.
We saw some 86 tourists from Taiwan enjoying the food and shopping. China is proving that tourism transcends ideological differences, a good act for us to follow.
Like Cebu, Xiamen relies on the creative entrepreneurial propensities of its people who love their environment and preserve their heritage. Our itinerary was something different as it exposed us to Xiamen’s wealth of natural resources and history.
We had less shopping but explored the colorful ethnic customs, maritime and port facilities, rocks and mountains, and most of all, the bountiful forests, green and pliant bamboo and penang trees, mangroves, pristine seas and ocean gardens which are almost everywhere, providing a healthy and lovely ambiance. But, balancing all these is high-end infrastructure--- bridges , high towers and buildings, a shipping industry that solidifies its trade and investments. Needless to say, Xiamen is economically stable and still growing.
The Gulangyu Islet
Start of the day’s adventure. In our sporty clothes and caps, we were all ready to beat the 36-degree temperature for a long walk in exchange for a sightseeing ship trip on which would unfold the scenic Garden on the Sea. An ecotourism site, indeed! Our amiable and accommodating tour guide, Catherine, saw to it we would not miss the Sunlight Rock and the Shuzhuang Garden. We saw the gigantic statue of Xiamen’s national hero who liberated the people from the Dutch. He stands undaunted in the middle of the sea and continues to protect China from oppressors and calamities. The people’s veneration of him is as fervent as our faith in the Sto. Niño.
There are some 20,000 inhabitants in the Gulang Island, mostly senior citizens and retirees. Because the place is pollution-free, even sickly children choose to stay and enjoy a healthy lifestyle.
We climbed the Hi-Heaven to watch a puppet show accompanied by Nanyin music played with ethnic instruments. There were some souvenirs we bought along the way, like some huge Chinese-inspired fans. Mitchell bought a lot for his staff. Most of us needed them to have some air against the biting summer heat. But it was awesome watching the show cum colorful costumes and skillful artists.
Aida thought we should really see the Piano Museum situated on the lofty hilltop.
It houses the largest and century-old pianos. I learned that Bartolomeo Cristofor, the keeper of the instruments, served in the Florentine court of Prince Ferdinand de Medici (1663-1713).The grand pianos of Carl Ronisch and G.Schwechtin of Germany are all intact. Did you know that the Piano Museum was built in 1921 by Huang Hsu Ng, a Chinaman who once resided in the Philippines?
The botanical garden, the Mom Garden, added to our romance with nature.
We had glimpses of Jimei and the Quanzhou, once a great port city and the most prosperous, at the starting point of the Silk Road on the sea. The Silk Road for more than a thousand years has been the trading route between the East and the West. The wholesale market and varieties of small goods in Shieshi are well-known in China and has earned it the title of the Shopping Paradise.
Mitchel took time out to visit his father’s ( the late Martin Uy) ancestral home. It turned sentimental when Aida found the old picture of the house posted in the museum.
Xiamen Olympic Museum
Ricky and Jack were so excited to see the Olympic Museum and be able to hold the ceremonial Olympic torch. Actually, all of us wanted to do so and the cameras never stopped clicking.
The Xiamen Olympic Museum, among the 12 International Olympic Museums, approved by the International Olympic Committee and the China Olympic Committee, was built and funded by Ching-kuo Wu, a world-renowned architecture expert.
The museum has on its ground floor the impressive Heaven Jade and Boxing sculpture. Cora O, Marijo and Jackie were amazed at the Olympic artifacts and the historical roots of the Olympics. I loved the Parthenon miniature and remembered my Greek literature as I read the Olympic Ode and viewed the treasure area of the gods and goddesses with Jupiter or Zeus at the center of the finely structured arena. Amazing! It wasn’t easy to leave the Xiamen Olympic Museum but we had to because we had something else on our schedule. First bout with shopping mania!
Our shopping spree at the Zhongshan Road was so quick we hardly had the time to take advantage of the sale holiday. The next day, we found ourselves scouting for more stores to shop. Oh, yes, we passed by SM-Xiamen too! In a nearby mall, Ashwena, Aida and Cora collected a few nice shoes while Ricky and Mitchel preferred to go to the food court for some ice cream and egg custard. The group bought countless products and pastries made of herbal ingredients. The garment stores were scarce and sizes were limited to small and medium, and slightly large.
During the meals hosted by the officers of C and D and the Tourism Board of Xiamen, we had the rarest and most expensive Chinese cuisine and health food! Delicious and rich, the menus combined classic foodstuff with contemporary seasonings but the unique Chinese taste was distinctly kept from the appetizers to desserts. For us, it was a truly gustatory delight. Hmm…food, glorious food!
The Riyuegu Hotsprings and Spa
The Riyuegu hotsprings is an oasis of quietude and tranquility, a hideaway composed of 115 beautifully-decorated guest rooms and sand suites and secluded recreational facilities with beautiful interiors and landscapes.
The ladies decided to pamper themselves with a soothing royal foot and body massage. Ricky and David tried the hotsprings for the rare feel of the hot water, aromatic oils, herbs and spices. Aida and I really loved the relaxing massage with the herbal spirits and warm compress. Next day, Jackie and Cora O had a clinical therapeutic spa and massage elsewhere near the hotel and described the experience to be very invigorating and scientific.
The Mythical Earthen Dwellings
The trip to Nanking to visit Xiamen’s all time cultural heritage, the Hakka Building, was most unique with its historical essence. These earthen dwellings which date back to many centuries ago, untouched by technology, are famous all over the world. Tourists come to immerse themselves in the crude, yet enduring lifestyle, to see the antique buildings, in the mountainous domains far from the maddening crowd. We were there and climbed the high staircase made of sturdy wood, with no nails used to connect the walls. It was a three-hour trip from the city but it was worth it. The long drive was enlivened by rolling green hills and mountains and blooms along the well-paved roads.
These remnants of a valuable historical mantle spread to other places from Nanjing to Zhangzhou, with 800 family houses standing on raw soil. During our visit, we found some old Chinese families and children occupying some rooms, some dry artesian wells, stray animals and clotheslines. We were told that units had been provided with power by the government, but there was hardly an active life in most of the dwellings.
If Xiamen desires to make this a heritage attraction, there is a need to clean-up and package the site, without destroying the original structure, but rather enhance it. Substantial literature, or inscriptions, must be posted in appropriate places to provide the visitors ample information of the historical wealth of the place.
The journey back to the hotel was less tedious because the lingering memories of Nanking kept haunting us. The flashback to centuries and centuries of Chinese life was a significant human experience.
We thank Philippine Airlines and Cebu Fortune Travel for the wholesome Xiamen fam-tour. It was the best time to realize the wealth of ecotourism.
SOURCE: Sun Star by Mila C. Espina
