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Background: For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.

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By Al and Rich
June 22nd 2008

Jamming in Xiamen Asia » China » Fujian » Xiamen » Gulangyu

Gulangyu
View from the ferry port at Xiamen

Hello all, The next stop on the Rich and Al world tour was Gulangyu, a small island off a slightly bigger island (Xiamen). To saves ourselves going through an epic 22 hour train journey we splashed the cash and flew from Shanghai in just over an hour. We then took a short bus journey to the ferry port in Xiamen. When we got off the bus the heavens opened and by the time we ran the 200m to the ferry port we were soaked to the skin. They don't do anything in half measures in China, not even rain. In the [View Full Entry]

By PaulinChina
February 29th 2008

Xiamen and Gulang Yu Asia » China » Fujian » Xiamen » Gulangyu

It's now day 5 on the road and the time is nearing for me to leave Xiamen. Unfortunately the train for Guangzhou leaves in the evening so I have pretty much most of the day to spend waiting for this train. Yesterday was a great day, another early start and very productive day! I seem to be waking up early and hitting the sack early. I headed off to "Gulang Yu" which is only a ten minute ferry ride from Xiamen. Gulang Yu used to have a well established foreign community in the 1880's. I'd heard lots about it before arriving [View Full Entry]

By laoshi Paul
February 29th 2008

Gulang Yu (Xiamen) Asia » China » Fujian » Xiamen » Gulangyu

By brons
February 27th 2008

Xiamen Asia » China » Fujian » Xiamen

Courtyard at Xiamen International Youth Hostel

After our delayed flight from Bangkok (which Air Asia felt bad about, so they supplied every passenger with a burger from Burger King and a bottle of water), we arrived safely in Xiamen and caught a taxi to our hostel. Being the middle of the night, we would have to wait until the break of day to get a feel for the city itself. The staff at the International Youth Hostel were very friendly (especially considering the late hour) and we fell to sleep in what was probably the most comfortable bed of our trip thus far. Upon waking, I simply [View Full Entry]

Testing out one of the supports propping up that heavy boulder

By laoshi Paul
February 27th 2008

Xiamen Asia » China » Fujian » Xiamen » Jimei

Well I had planned to keep this blog up to date on a daily basis, unfortunately the computers in the place I'm staying run at a snails pace and therefore its rather difficult to sometimes even get online! I've arrived safely in Xiamen! The train journey wasn't as bad as I had expected and to be honest it passed pretty quickly! I actually met a couple of Chinese guys before I even got on the train who worked in Xiamen so they were able to give me the low down on the place! They were desperate to practice their English as [View Full Entry]

By PaulinChina
February 27th 2008

Xiamen Asia » China » Fujian » Xiamen » Jimei

I've arrived safely in Xiamen! The train journey wasn't as bad as I had expected and to be honest it passed pretty quickly! I actually met a couple of Chinese guys before I even got on the train who worked in Xiamen so they were able to give me the low down on the place! They were desperate to practice their English as I was also keen to practice my Chinese! The living conditions on the train were pretty cramped and it was very very loud at night! Obviously I was sleeping directly opposite an older man who snored through the [View Full Entry]

By Beth and Craig
January 25th 2008

Gulangyu - Cultural Succession Asia » China » Fujian » Xiamen » Gulangyu

Entry Way - Gulangyu

A five minute ferry ride from the city of Xiamen, Gulangyu is an island still transitioning from its colonial past. Its a fine example of China's cultural resilience. The look is still European, but the vibe is entirely Chinese. A Brief Overview of the History of the Concessions The Opium Wars were a terrible loss for China, not only because it legalized a terrible drug addiction and cemented a bankrupting trade imbalance but it opened China to European concessions. These concessions reflected the social darwinism of the time, as Chinese citizens were not allowed entry. Th [View Full Entry]

By Sharon Jumper
September 17th 2007

Gulangyu Island, near Xiamen Asia » China » Fujian » Xiamen » Gulangyu

Statue of General Zhong
Viewed from a distance on Gulyangyu. Gorgeous park and beach surrounds the statue.

We decided to venture across the water to Gulangyu, a small island across the water from Xiamen, where many old colonial buildings and historical sites are still standing. There are beautiful trees, some of which are 200+ years old, and gardens as well. Gulangyu in Pinyin literally means, "Piano Island." The island was home to a famous music school and contains the world's largest piano museum (we'll catch that one the next time around!) One great thing about Gulangyu is that it is not very crowded. It also has NO vehicles, save for a few electric golf carts that drive elderly [View Full Entry]

By Sharon Jumper
September 9th 2007

Jimei University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China Asia » China » Fujian » Xiamen

Overseas college and dorm
Foreign faculty live and teach many classes in this building - it is one of the older buildings on campus.

We've finished our first week of teaching here. I'm teaching Human Resources Management to undergraduate Seniors and my husband is teaching Business Negotiation to undergraduate Sophmores. The Chinese students are all very polite and hard-working. Their English is quite good, as it should be, since they've been taking English classes since they were in Kindergarten. We are living in the on-campus foreign faculty apartments. Since two of us are teaching, we have two apartments - we live in one on the fifth floor (ugh! LOTS OF STAIRS) and our son, Andrew, lives in one on the second floor o [View Full Entry]

By Sharon Jumper
September 9th 2007

Life in Xiamen Asia » China » Fujian » Xiamen

Statues on waterfront promenade
I think these are drunk guys!

Getting around here is a bit of a challenge when you don't know the language. Xiamen is an island, but we live at Jimei University, which is on the mainland. Jimei is basically a college town built around the schools of the university. There are many small shops, bars, and restaurants that cater to college students, but not much else to do there. There's a Kentucky Fried Chicken, but not much else to my picky tastes! Getting to Xiamen requires a taxi ride (my favorite - a 30 minute ride across the bridge, to the opposite side of the island - [View Full Entry]

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