It
is located in the southern part of Gulangyu, the Sunlight Rock (Riguangyan)
is the highest point of the island, 92.68 meters above sea
level.
From this vantage point you can get a
bird view of the entire island through wooded foliage and over
colonial rooftops, even, if you are lucky, catching a glimpse of the
nearby Taiwanese Island of Jinmen. The climb up to the 40 meters wide
rock is leisurely and winds through some of the nicest scenery of
Gulangyu, between mansions and ancient, knarled trees.
At the foot of the hill stands the
Koxinga Memorial Hall in commemoration of the great patriotic general
who fought and beat the Dutch colonialists on Taiwan. Displayed in the
museum are various relics of him, including his jade belt and part of
his imperial robe.
Cost: RMB70(including
the museum).
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Ten-thousand-Rock
in Lion Mountain in the east suburb of Xiamen is well-known for its
countless grotesque rocks, some lying on cliffs, some standing on
slopes, some looking like jade screens, some resembling an old man.
Viewed from different angles, they present different features, like a
man or an animal, but all vivid and alive. Hidden among the stone
wall, are quite, attractive caves running through the hills, gurgling
streams and precipitate waterfall giving off pearly sprays. Standing
on the Kuangyi Platform by the Changxiao Cave, one can have a
bird's-eye-view of his 'Island of Egret' and experience its
kaleidoscopic views.
Half way on the mountain is the Shichan
Temple, built in the Tang Dynasty. The building of the Temple are
exquisitely designed and well arranged, bearing an extinctive feature.
Around the Temple are numerous inscriptions, most of which were
written by celebrities.
The Ten-Thousand-rock Botanical Garden,
known as 'Green Museum', boasts more than four thousand species
tropical and sugtropical plants, flourishing all the year round with
their dazzling brilliance. The gigantic Golden Tiger fish Ferocactus
is not only the king of the hundreds of cactus here but also one of
the biggest in the country.
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Lying
to the southwest of Wanshiyan is Tiger Stream Rock (Huxiyan). There is
an ancient temple here, the Donglin Temple (Donglin si), which was
built in the Ming dynasty over 500 years ago.
This is a quaint little temple nestling
among the crags of this '10,000 rock hill', with some of the rooms
hewn out of the rock.
The best time to pay a visit here is at
night with a full moon, when the whole rock, together with the temple,
are supposedly enveloped in mystery. 'Watching the moon at Huxiyan' is
considered one of the 'Eight Major Sights' in Xiamen.
How to get there: See
White Deer Cave.
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Turtle
Garden (Aoyuan) Situated on the southeastern tip of Jimei Town, Turtle
Garden includes a 50-metre-long corridor, a monument and the Mausoleum
of Tan Kah Kee.
Originally from the village of Jimei, 16
miles from Xiamen in Fujian Province, China, Tan Kah Kee arrived in
Singapore at age 16 (1890) to begin his career in his father's rice
store. That business collapsed in 1903, but Tan Kah Kee went on to
build an industrial empire ranging from rubber plantations and
manufacturing, sawmills, canneries, real estate, import and export
brokerage, ocean transport to -- rice trading.
The years 1912 and 1914 were the best for
his enterprises when he amassed a huge fortune. He came to be known as
the 'Henry Ford of Malaya.' He spent his fortune not on himself or his
family, but on education, for education, not business, was his abiding
concern. He founded and financed several schools and other educational
institutions in his native Jimei as well as in Singapore. In 1921 he
set up Xiamen University where Lim Boon Keng was first
Vice-chancellor, and maintained it for 16 years even during his
financially difficult years, before the Chinese government took it
over in 1937.
Back to the garden. The walls on both
sides of the corridor have carvings of more than 40 pictures relating
the lives of historical figures. A pagoda-shaped stone monument is
erected in the centre of the garden. On the stone railings are relief
sculptures depicting the life of this great patriot.
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One
of the smaller Xiamen sights, the White Deer Cave (Bailu dong), is
considered by the Chinese as one of the 'eight minor sights of Xiamen'.
There is now a temple here, built in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644),
which houses the cave.
The cave itself contains a pair of clay
white deer that are positioned with their mouths facing the rock.
Often in hot summer white smoke or steam issues forth from the
crevices of the rock, wafting past the face of the stationary deer and
giving the impression that the deer are smoking. The great pulling
point of this sight is in its views, giving a great spread of the town
and the sea. Also of note is another temple, at the Tiger Stream Rock
(Huxiyan), just behind the cave. This is a quaint little temple
nestling in the rocks of the hillside.
How to get there: At the
North gate of the Botanical Gardens, near to the Revolutionary
Martyrs' Memorial, a rail line runs East-West intersecting
Siming Rd. Follow the eastward line to the Tiger
Stream Rock. Number one and two buses run along Siming Rd.
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Sightseeing
Index
