By Zhang Zhao ( China Daily )

A tourist to Xiamen easily realizes he has entered Zengcuoan when walking along the southern coast of the island city.

Although the place is not prominent on the map, Zengcuoan draws seas of tourists with its artistic-style inns, local foods and all sorts of creative products.

Its name literally means "the village of the Zeng family". Zengcuoan was just a small fishing village five years ago, but now it is bustling with commerce. Along the many narrow alleys winding up and down, paved with stone, are around 700 shops, restaurants and inns. 


The village has a range of art attractions for visitors. [Photo / chinadaily.com.cn]

One of the most popular shops in the area is an ice cream store with the name Qingtianjian, which literally means "see you on sunny days".

The shop indeed opens only on sunny days and is closed when it rains or when the shop owner is in a bad mood. There is always a long line of customers, but everyone seems happy waiting.

"The ice cream was very delicious and worth waiting for," said a tourist from Shandong province.

"Maybe the long wait makes the ice cream taste even better," added his girlfriend.

In a cafe called Kingdom of Cats, 12 cats wander around to accompany the customers and play with them.

Cafe owner Wang Wei said that he opened it just this year. "I hope the guests can truly relax at my cafe by interacting with the cute kitties around them, not by playing on their smartphones," he said.

A must-try local snack is called tusundong, or sea worm jelly. The worms are boiled and then cooled to make jelly. Before eating, people add many seasonings such as soy source, vinegar, chili, mustard and garlic. 

Once a fishing village, Zengcuoan now appeals to leisure travelers and those with an 'artistic temperament'. [Photo / chinadaily.com.cn]

The area is as busy in the evening as in the day.

At the sunset hour, the fading halo of the sun drops on the quiet beach as just a few meters away the alleys of Zengcuoan still bustle with tourists from across the world enjoying their coffee, cakes and seafood barbecue.

Like many resorts across the world, shop owners keep smiling to welcome new guests.

While some tourists choose quick tours because of tight schedules, most prefer to enjoy taking it slow, staying in a local inn for days to try all local foods, buy handicrafts or just to enjoy the view.

A freelance travel blog writer surnamed Chen said he stayed in Zengcuoan for two days. "Sometimes I just sit under a palm tree on the nearby beach doing nothing but looking at the sea and enjoying the breeze," he said.

"Zengcuoan is attractive to college students and young travelers with an artistic temperament," said Jiang Yuan, a student at Xiamen University whose dormitory is in the area.

She said that nearly every student at Xiamen University has been to a local inn called Dreamer House where concerts and parties are often organized.

Contact the writer at zhangzhao@chinadaily.com.cn