2018 AGM VENUE EXPLORE - XIAMEN
WHY XIAMEN
Xiamen, is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, Haicang, and Xiang'an. Altogether, these cover an area of 1,699.39 square kilometers (656.14 sq mi) with a population of 3,531,347 as of 2010. The urbanized area of the city has spread from its original island to include parts of all six of its districts, with a total population of 1,861,289.
Xiamen has a diverse and well-developed economy. Important industries are fishing, shipbuilding, food processing, tanning, textiles, machine tool manufacturing, chemical industries, stone industries, telecommunications and financial services. The city has economic and trade relations with 162 countries and regions worldwide, and benefits from foreign investment, particularly capital from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
Xiamen has been an important port for centuries and became one of China's earliest Special Economic Zones in the 1980s. The name Xiamen means "door to the house" , referreing to the city's centuries-old role as a gateway to China.
The city is known for its mild climate, Hokkien culture and colonial architecture, as well as its relatively low pollution. In 2006, Xiamen was ranked as China's 2nd-"most suitable city for living", as well as China's "most romantic leisure city" in 2011.
HOW TO GET TO XIAMEN
The Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport(XMN) is the only one airport of Xiamen also the main air hub in East China with flights to over 90 domestic and international destinations. Xiamen has direct flights to most cities in China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and major cities in east Asia like Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul. Intercontinental flights to Amsterdam, Sydney, Melbourne, Vancouver, Seattle(stopover Shenzhen), Los Angeles have been started from 2011. Xiamen also hold a strong network to southeast Asia cities like, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Jakarta, Cebu and Singapore, to serve the large communities of southern Fujian's overseas diaspora and the increasing tourism flows.
The airport is close to the city, can reach our AGM venue Doubletree By Hilton Xiamen-Haicang hotel within 40 minutes drive. Hotel provides shuttle bus service at very hour from airport to hotel from 0900hrs to 1700hrs at the cost of CNY15 per person per trip.
We will broadcast more information about the shuttle bus service towards the event date.
WHERE TO VISIT IN XIAMEN
You can enjoy Xiamen's unique scenery not only in the day but also in the night. Take a breather and walk beside Yundang Lake in the evening and you can see how Xiamen transforms into a different setting: lighted artistic sculptures, scent of the sea, and romantic lovers by the lake.
Gulangyu Island(鼓浪屿）, a former colonial enclave, a popular weekend getaway with views of the city and features many Victorian-style buildings. People always say a visit to Xiamen would not be complete without setting foot on Gulangyu, the island just across the harbor. Walking around, especially on tourist infested days is exciting. All sorts of food vendors, interesting handicraft hawkers, cute little cafes and restaurants. Lots and lots of colorful portrait artists in every nook and corner. To sum up, Gulangyu may just represent what a Chinese version of a Bohemian-like enclave can be.
South Putuo Temple (南普陀寺). A big Buddhist temple outside Xiamen University at Xiada Street. Visitors can climb the mountain behind the temple for beautiful views of Xiamen and surrounding nature. The mountain is also littered with small enclaves with hundreds of Buddhist statuettes. You can also walk around the lotus pond and eat in the vegetarian restaurant on the east end.
Xiamen University (厦门大学). Beautiful campus with old traditional buildings and a tranquil lake outside the foreign language department. Nowadays the University is open for anyone, some registration may needed on peak holidays. To avoid long registration procedure, you may enter the university from three smaller gates which are across the Baicheng beach.
WHAT TO EAT IN XIAMEN
Fujian cuisine, also known as Min cuisine or Hokkien cuisine, is one of the native Chinese cuisines derived from the native cooking style of China's Fujian Province, most notably from Fuzhou & Xiamen. Fujian cuisine is known to be light but flavorful, soft, and tender, with particular emphasis on umami taste, known in Chinese cooking as xianwei; as well as retaining the original flavor of the main ingredients instead of masking them.
Many diverse seafood and woodland delicacies are used, including a myriad variety of local fish, shellfish and turtles, or indigenous edible mushrooms and bamboo shoots, provided by the coastal and mountainous regions of Fujian. The most commonly employed cooking techniques in the region's cuisine include braising, stewing, steaming and boiling.