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Travel Guide for Xiamen and Fujian
AmoyMagic-- Travel , Resident and Business Guide to Xiamen and Fujian
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AmoyMagic--Guide to Xiamen & Fujian
Copyright 2001-7 by Sue Brown & Dr. Bill Help Build an online  community for foreigners.  Join the Xiamen Guide forumOrder Books Common Talk Xiamen Dailys Weekly English SupplementXiamenguide Forum Guide to Xiamen and Fujian business tourism history culture cuisine entertainment investment  Guide to Xiamen hsiamen amoy fuhken fukien
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Nantai Island Tour (Fuzhou/Foochow)
Adapted from "Fujian Adventure", Magic Fujian, etc.

Fuzhou Links
History of Foochow FukienHistory Haunted Nantai Island (Foreign Devils & Chinese Ghosts)
Pagoda Anchorage
Downtown Fuzhou Restaurants ShoppingDowntown Fuzhou Cuisine and RestaurantsCuisine  Fuh-chau Specialties and shoppingShopping  Fuhchau Secret Valley of YongtaiSecret Yongtai Foochow Muslim MosqueMosque
"The MIssion Cemetery of Fuh-Chau" / Foochow by Rev.J.W. Wiley , M.D. (also mispelled Wylie )Fuh-chau Cemetery (1850s) Fuh-chau Specialties and shoppingMiracle in a Fujian Church!
Fuzhou Haunted Nantai Island

Nantai Island¡­Foreign Devils and Ghosts.  The first Opium War forced Fuzhou open as a Treaty Port¡ªat least on paper. But battleships and lawyers didn¡¯t win the people¡¯s hearts, and the Laowai still had to fight tooth and nail to get land for commerce and housing. I had a taste of their poor reception when I played Admiral Elliott in a TV series. (Like the modern binoculars? At least I persuaded them to ditch the telephone and typewrite on my London desk!).

Fuzhou British Consulate Foochow FuhchauAfter opening the Canton consulate in July 1843, George Tradescant Lay arrived in Fuzhou in July 1844. But Fuzhou folk didn¡¯t welcome him with wide-open arms! He was forced off his ship at Pagoda Island and made to go up river in a small boat. Fuzhou authorities allocated him a house in a poor class neighborhood.. The house was built of boards, over the river, which flooded twice a day. He was later moved to another house which he complained, ¡®kept out neither sun nor rain.¡¯

Foreigners had opened Fuzhou¡¯s doors at gunpoint, and now they insisted on living inside the city walls¡ªas if familiarity would breed camaraderie rather than contempt. The Chinese, however, were ingenious in finding reasons to keep the Laowai outside the gates. ¡°Tall buildings destroy the fengshui,¡± was a favorite ploy.
Fuzhou Russian Consulate
Eventually the Chinese found a solution: put the foreign devils with the ghosts! The foreigners were allowed to build their settlement, with its fine colonial mansions, consulates, and churches, upon an old burial ground on Nantai Island, to the south. This made it tough to keep servants, who were afraid of ghosts, but at least it helped keep the rent down. ...

Over ensuing decades, there existed an uneasy peace between Laonei and Laowai, but both prospered during the heyday of the opium and tea trades. This prosperity was due in large part to the integrity of the Chinese. A resident of Fuzhou, Brand, wrote about Chinese Ariel shipped tea from Foochow to Londonbusinessmen:

¡°There is one thing I would here like to lay special stress upon ¨C that is the wonderful integrity and charming manners of all Chinese merchants in the olden days. They were keen bargainers, but having agreed to a price one did not even ask them to ¡®chop¡¯ (equivalent to signing) a contract. Their word was their bond.¡±

Romantic tea clippers gave way to steamships, but Foochow (Fuzhou) tea became prized in America and Europe. Even the King and Queen of England pronounced that Foochow tea had a more delicate flavor than Indian or Ceylon varieties.

Nantai Tour In spite of spooks, Nantai turned out to be a nice place to live¡ªespecially up on the cool heights of the shady hill. Irish Consulate in Fuzhou; all that is left is the bell tower by former Trinity College FoochowMoney poured in as consulates went up for Britain, Spain, France, America, Italy, Holland, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, Russia, Portugal, Germany, Austria, deng deng. Chinese also benefited from the foreign enclave. Many Chinese children received a foreign education and went abroad to become doctors and engineers, or to go into the legal [sic] profession.

The landowning Laowai are largely gone, but even today a tour of Nantai Island evokes images of the wealth and splendor of 19th century Foochow.
The Huanan School for Women was used as a cheap hotel until the 90s, but now the stately building is Fujian Normal University¡¯s Institute of Geography.

Trinity College was modeled after the original in Dublin. Sadly, it was torn down and replaced by stock concrete and tile structures, and in 1993 became the Fuzhou Foreign Language School. But the Irish Consulate bell tower still stands in the courtyard, and a bronze plaque on the front wall of the former Russian Consulate commemorates those who contributed to its renovation in 1996.
Fuzhou church now used to store paint and chemicals
Church/Paint Storage  Behind the former Russian consulate is an old church now used as a paint factory, and full of machinery, Styrofoam panels, and paint. Click Here for miraculous story about a Chinese church and paint!

British Consulate   The magnificent British consulate was torn down to build a home for retired Army generals, and well guarded by an old fellow who was upset because I looked through the gate.

Former Rotary Club  To the right of the British consulate that isn¡¯t there anymore is the old Rotary Club, a fine building in its day but now in a state of depressing dilapidation.

Former U. S. Consulate in Fuzhou (Foochow Fuhchau ) is now a library for nursing schoolFormer American Consulate   The library of the nursing school across from the former Rotary Club used to be the American consulate, and is worth a visit if you can get past the gatekeeper, and giggly nursing students, who told me that Britain is desperate to hire Made in China nurses.

Fuzhou Seminary is further up the hill, just past where the British consulate isn¡¯t. Originally a church, it was turned into a camera factory, but the photo business never developed, so now it¡¯s a seminary.

The Old Stone Church could have been conjured straight out of CelticFuzhou English Presbyterian Church -- my favorite stone church legend. I could imagine Arthur himself worshipping in it. The church bell was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. The church became a protected historical relic in 1992, but is in a sad state of disrepair. It is now serving as the Chinese People¡¯s Liberation Army 37503 Division Printing Division. I¡¯m not sure what they print, but it¡¯s probably not Bibles or hymnals.

Anglo-Chinese School Many Chinese politicians, intellectuals, academicians, and scientists, graduated from the century old Anglo-Chinese School. The beautifully restored church is now a gymnasium but I guess that¡¯s just the Restored red brick Fuzhou church now a gymnasiumway the ball bounces.

Further up the road are the old estates of wealthy foreigners, and the French consulate, which is now the headquarters of the Chinese Navy. That move was probably revenge for the French-Chinese naval battle in the 1880s. The French probably thought they¡¯d really done something for the history books, but in the long run you can¡¯t beat a people who¡¯ve stuck around for 5,020 years.

FUZHOU LINKS
Fuzhou Muslim MosqueFuzhou History (birthplace of Chinese Maritime Industry)
Fuzhou Muslim Mosque
Pagoda Island (famous "China Pagoda," Sino-French Battle, etc.)
Haunted Nantai Island International Settlement
Foochow's Haunted Nantai Island Tour  (Includes old Consulates, Rotary Club, haunted churches...)
Downtown FuchauHeart of Fuzhou: 3 Wards & 7 Streets, Li Family House, Banyan City, Yushan Hill and White Pagoda, Clay People, etc.
Fuzhou Muslim MosqueQingjing Mosque
Secret Valley of Yongtai  FoochowSecret Valley of Yongtai (Fujian's Best Kept Secret)
Fuzhou Cuisine (Budda Leaps the Wall)
Fuzhou Cuisine  (Buddha Jumps the Wall Soup, Pounded Pork, Fish Balls)
Fuzhou Specialties and ShoppingFuzhou Shopping
Note: Fuzhou was also spelled Foochow, Fuh-chau, Fuhchau, etc.


TRAVEL LINKS Hakka Earthen architecture Favorite Fujian Sites Photographs of Fuhken places like Zhangzhou, Longyan, Ningde, Sanming, Wuyi MountainFujian Foto Album AmoyMagic-- Travel , Resident and Business Guide to Xiamen and FujianXiamen Gulangyu Kulangyu Kolongsoo Kolongsu KulongsuGulangyu Guide to Fukien Fuhken Fujian Guides Mystic Quanzhou -- the fabled port of Zayton ( or Zaytun Zaitun Zaiton ) from which Marco Polo sailed,  Sinbad the Arab visited.  ChinchewQuanzhou
Zhangzhou  changchow Zhangzhou Longyan Yongding Liancheng Changting Amoy Tigers LianchengLongyan Wuyi Mountain Guide Zhuxi  tea Wuyi Mtn Ningde Taimu Mountain ZhouningNingde Putian Fujian Xianyou Mazu TemplePutian Sanming Scenic Wonderland Mingxi Gem bed rubies Sanming Zhouning Carp VillageZhouning Hakka Earthen architecture Taimu Mtn. Hakka Earthen architecture Roundhouses Fujian covered wooden bridgesBridges Hakka Earthen architecture Jiangxi Hakka Earthen architecture Guilin Help Build an online  community for foreigners.  Join the Xiamen Guide forumOrder Books Letters from AmoyMagic ReadersReaders' Letters Travelogues by Scott Ballantyne

Gulangyu Kulangyu Kolongsoo Kolongsu Kulongsu
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Guide to Xiamen University Historic and modern, including departments -- Arts Science computers mathematics accounting management law department etc.
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Mystic Quanzhou -- the fabled port of Zayton ( or Zaytun Zaitun Zaiton ) from which Marco Polo sailed,  Sinbad the Arab visited.  Chinchew
Quanzhou

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The Paint Miracle at a Fujian Country ChurchPriest using noodles for Chinese communion
The congregation in a small rural Fujian country church decided to repaint the church, but only had enough money for about ten gallons of paint.  They did it anyway, in faith, praying that the paint would not run out, even as the oil did not run out in the Old Testament story of Elijah and the widow.   When the paint ran low, they added paint thinner, but managed to complete the entire wooden church with just ten gallons of paint!

But no sooner had they finished, a very untimely (for that season) thunderstorm broke upon the church, washing off much of the paint that had been thinned.  And a voice from heaven said, "Repaint, and thin no more!"


Click Here for "Amoy Mission -- 1840s-1950s"


Daily Useful Links for Xiamen Guide and Fujian Guide
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Education Links for Xiamen University, Xiamen International School, Chinese Study, History, Xiamen Libraries, Museums
Xiamen University GuideXiamen University
Xiamen International School  International Baccalaureate ProgramXIS(Int'l School)
Study Mandarin Chinese or Minnan Dialect at Xiamen University  or with private tutorStudy Mandarin
 
China Studies Program Xiamen University  Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Washington D.C. Jay LundeliusCSP(China Studies)
Piano Island Music Events Xiamen Philharmonic OrchestraLibrary Xiamen Museum Library Science Center  World's largest organ museum Asia's largest piano museum China's first anthropology museum Sino Eurolpean art museum etc.Museums
History of Amoy Changchow Chinchew Zaiton Fukien etc.History
Dining Links (Chinese and International Restaurants in Xiamen and Fujian
Xiamen restaurants dining western and Chinese cuisineRestaurants Xiamen Asian restaurants -- Singapore Thailand Thai Malaysian  Japanese Korean PhilippineAsian
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Xiamen restaurants dining western and Chinese cuisineChinese Xiamen Italian Restaurants -- over 40!  Pizza pasta cheeseItalian
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Recreation Links: Beach, Sports, Parks, Gardens, Birdwatching, Martial Arts, Music
Hakka Earthen architecture Massage!
Hakka Earthen architecture Beaches Kite Flying in Xiamen ChinaFly Kites
Sports -- Golf, Badminton Tennis Bowling Paint BallSports Xiamen Boardwalk One of the most beautiful boardwalks in China or anywhere else.  Along the Island Ring road over 6km long so far.Boardwalk
Xiamen Parks, recreation, hiking boardwalk etcParks Xiamen Museum Library Science Center etcPets
Bird watching in Xiamen Amoy  SwinhoeBirdwatching
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Work or teach in Xiamen, Quanzhou or other Fujian schools and universities  English French RussianJobs!(teach/work)
Hire permanent or temporary workers labor craftsmen maids tutorsHire Workers
Foreign Companies in Xiamen Joint Ventures Foreign Companies
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