XIAMEN, CHINA

XIAMEN, THATS WHERE MY ROOTS ARE!!

XIAMEN that is where I belong!! Going back to Fujian Province had make me understand my original “roots”. Speaks Hokkien, Think Hokkien, Feel Hokkien.

If you have a chance, do take a trip back to your own roots. You may learn something you may never discover about yourself.

I am a second generation Chinese born in Malaysia and a descendant from Amoy, in Xiamen – that is where my grandfather resides in the early 19^th century, before he migrated to the then Malaya. I have always dream of visiting Xiamen, it is like returning to my roots and to discover more on how the livelihood of my forefathers in China looks like.

My dream was made possible as I was invited to cover an assignment titled “Malaysia China Culture Interaction Ride" jointly organised by Ipoh City Council and Malaysia Interaction Culture Association, to China.

POSING WITH TWO BEAUTIES AT FUJIAN  TULOU

The trip was also to promote exchange of culture, in the form of cycling expedition in China, as well as to promote Ipoh City, to Xiamen.

Over the 10 days trip – Xiamen is one of the selected place where we spent 3D2N to explore the less-known district which has become a popular house name among Malaysian Chinese since the recent establishment of University of Xiamen, in Malaysia.

HERE I COME XIAMEN!

Xiamen also known as Amoy is a major city on the southeast coast of China. It is administered as a sub provincial city of Fujian province with an area of 1699.39 sq km with a population of 3.67 million comprises of Hokkien and Hakka clan, living peacefully together in this island.

GAOBEI VILLAGE

Xiamen is surrounded southern Fujian country side are the ancestral home to large communities of overseas Chinese in South East Asia. The city was a treaty port in the 19^th century and one of the four original Special Economic Zones opened to foreign investment and trade when China began economic reforms in early 1980.

In 2006, Xiamen was ranked as China's second “Most Suitable City for Living” and China's “Most Romantic Leisure City”, in 2011.

 XIAMEN CITY

Xiamen is located in the Fujian Province in the south east coast of China facing the offshore islands, remained undeveloped in the 19602 and 1970s – which has always maintained a 'low profile' until it unveils its 'reform and opening up' drive and its era as a Original Special Economic Zone to the world, in 1980. The reason is to attract foreign investments and trade. In 2001, the governments of mainland China and Taiwan agreed to initiate the Three Mini Links and restored ferry, commercial and mail links between the mainland and offshore islands.

DAY 1

We check into Noah's Ark Kingwest Hotel before paying a courtesy call to Xiamen's Vice Mayor and attended a dinner hosted by the Xiamen Municipal People's 

Government.

COURTESY CALL TO XIAMEN MUNICIPAL PEOPLE'S GOVERNMENT

We also cycled around Xiamen City distributing leaflet from Tourism Malaysia to promote Ipoh City and Visit Malaysia Year 2014.

HUA QIAO MUSEUM (OVERSEAS CHINESE MUSEUM

At the city centre, we also visited the Hua Qiao Museum (Overseas Chinese Museum) which showcase the Chinese history and their past livelihood in Xiamen.

XIAMEN CITY RIVERSIDE

By evening, we drop by the centre for a river cruise to view the high rise buildings surrounding Xiamen City.

 

DAY 2

An adventurous outing – by bus – 2 hours ride up hill to Gaobei Village to view the UNESCO World Heritage Site called Fujian Tulou also known as Hakka Tulou.

FUJIAN TULOU STRUCTURE FROM ATOP

Upon reaching the village, we walked around the place and ushered by our tour guide to her family resident with prepared cooked Fujian cum Hakka food for lunch.

HOKKIEN & HAKKA FOOD SERVED IN TULOU

After lunch, we moved on to see the Tulou Earth Building, equipped with lots of photography session, here. 

KING OF TULOU - CHENGQILOU, GAOBEI VILLAGE

The tulou is a style of Chinese rural dwellings located in the mountainous areas in south eastern Fujian. Built between the 12^th and 20^th centuries. A tulou is a large, enclosed and fortified earth building, commonly rectangular or circular in configuration, with thick load-bearing rammed earth walls between 3 and 5 stories high and housing up to 80 families. Smaller interior buildings are often enclosed by these huge peripheral walls which contain halls, store houses, wells and living areas, the whole structure resembling a small fortified city.

INNER TULOU

There is a total of 46 Fujian Tulou sites, including Chuxi, Tianluokeng, Heking, Gaobei, Dai, Hongkeng, Yangzian, Huiyuan, Zhenfu and Hegui tulou clusters – inscribed in 2008 by UNESCO as World Heritage Site on the category “exceptional examples of a building tradition and function exemplifying a particular type of communal living and defensive organisation in an harmonious relationship with the environment”.

UNIQUE ARCHITECTURE DESIGN

Historically, from the 12^th century to 19^th century, armed bandits plagued Southern China – caused the people of Fujian to built its first strongholds on top of mountains as a defence. These early strongholds later evolved into Fujian Tulou.

AMAZING TULOU

We walked around the Tulou, residing in the Gaobei Village and also enter one of the Tulou to get to known the people there. Some are traders selling souvenir inside the Tulou. The King of Tulou is the Chengqilou which appeared in a book entitled History of Ancient Chinese Architecture.

SOUVENIR SOLD INSIDE THE TULOU

Apart from visiting the Tulou, we rented bicycles and cycle around the tea plantation and hilly trails available, here. 

TEA PLANTATION IN THE GAOBEI VILLAGE

Finally, having seen, feel, touch the Fujian Grounds, I now return with a 'satisfied' heart, where I had accomplished my one heart desire – to visit my ancestor's 

country in China. 

 

CYCLING IN GAOBEI VILLAGE

JUNE 20-23, 2013