The city Xiamen
Xiamen, one of China's famous Garden Cities, is considered as one of the most livable places in China—yet most tourists are from China itself. But that's about to change.
On the carfree island of Gulangyu, the most famous attraction of the city, visitors come here for its almost one thousand historical buildings. In fact, Gulangyu had a lively European community by the turn of the 20th century. Today, visitors always like to walk the winding roads and enjoy the special Fujianstyle buildings.
Much of Xiamen's beauty lies in its ordinary local life. Early in the morning, lose yourself in the busy English Market, the city's largest and oldest openair market, Among all kinds of fresh vegetables and fish, you'll find some street food like the local breakfast.
Walk along the Railway Cultural Park, and you'll see a tunnel with the display about the history of Chinese railways. Further south, at the base of the Botanical Garden, don't miss the old Nanputuo Temple. With more than 20 wooden buildings standing on the side of a hill, this Buddhist complex (建筑群) draws visitors from around the country. You can eat at the small restaurants on sites, which serve traditional local vegan dishes.
Xiamen's more welcoming and slower pace of life is attracting people from Beijing and Shanghai, too. Echo Zheng, who runs her own fashion label Qing Yi, recently have prepared for a photo exhibition in her own showroom that displays handstitched (手工缝制的) clothes inspired by traditional costume. “I like to be absorbed in getting inspiration，” she said. “In Xiamen, there's so much beauty and nature, so you can actually think clearly.”
Her customers, however, are still mostly from Beijing and Shanghai. Is she worried that running her boutique in Xiamen could have a bad effect on her work? No. “All my customers also love coming to Xiamen，” she said.
