Amoy Magic Guide to Xiamen and Fujian Main Page MenuClick to Access
OUTSIDE China
Amoy Magic Guide to Xiamen and Fujian Main Page MenuClick to Access
INSIDE China
TRAVEL LINKS
AmoyMagic-- Travel , Resident and Business Guide to Xiamen and FujianXiamen Gulangyu Kulangyu Kolongsoo Kolongsu KulongsuGulangyu
 Jimei Tan Kah Kee Jimei University Turtle Garden Jimei AmoyMagic-- Travel , Resident and Business Guide to Xiamen and FujianTong'an
Jinmen Quemoy Matsu TaiwanJinmen Zhangzhou changchow Zhangzhou
 Discover Quanzhou, ancient start of maritime silk route ( or Zaytun Zaitun Zaiton ) from which Marco Polo sailed, Sinbad the Arab visited. ChinchewQuanzhou Wuyi Mountain Guide Zhuxi tea Wuyi
Favorite Fujian tourist sites , in order: Xiamen Quanzhou Longyan Hakka earthen houses Wuyi mountain Ningde #1Fujian Sites!
Photographs of Fuhken places like Zhangzhou, Longyan, Ningde, Sanming, Wuyi MountainFujian Foto Album
Guidebooks about Fujian and Xiamen Fujian Adventure Discover Quanzhou Discover Gulangyu Magic Fujian etc.Books on Fujian
Letters from AmoyMagic ReadersReaders'Letters
Ningde Taimu Mountain ZhouningNingde Zhouning Carp VillageZhouning
Longyan Yongding Hakka round houses earthen architectureLongyan Sanming Scenic Wonderland Mingxi Gem bed rubies Sanming
Putian Fujian Xianyou Mazu TemplePutian Fujian covered wooden bridgesBridges
Xiamen travel agents and ticketing for trains, planes and automobilesTravel Info,
Hakka Earthen architecture Hakka Roundhouses
Xiamen Travel Agents and Tour Guides English SpeakingTravel Agents

MISC. LINKS
Historical and Modern Amoy People -- Colorful Characters!Amoy People! amoy mission missionaries
Darwinian Driving Survival of the Fastest DarwinDarwin Driving Darwin Chinese Driving Survival of fastest
South China Tigers -- our Amoy Kitty CatsAmoy Tigers
Chinese inventions compass gunpowder printing paper zoos newspaper etc.Chinese Inventions
1994 80 day 40,000 km drive to Tibet & backTibet in 80 Days!forty thousand kilometer drive around China
Dethroned Perils of Chinese Potty ToiletDethroned! Chinese bathrooms
Writings by Bill Brown about life in China, Fukien Xiamen etc. Includes 80 Day Drive to Tibet Darwinian Driving Misc.Writings
Latest news tips ideas updatesLatest News
OpiumWars short history and background of the Opium Wars between China Britain Europe missionaries battle against opium addiction etc.Lord of Opium
Kite Flying in Xiamen ChinaBack to Main Page

Chinese Kung Fu and Martial Arts Korean Tae Kwon Do Japanese JujitsuMartial arts Chinese Kung FuKung Fu

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 hsiamen amoy fuhken fukienInside of a Hakka round earthen house
Main Page   Business Links     Recreation Links     E-mail Beautiful wooden covered bridge in West Fujian's longyan changting

Longyan, Fujian (Click Pics for larger photos)
Longyan Links:  Ancient Hakka earthen architectureHakka Roundhouses Longyan Yongding Hakka roundhouses Roundhouse Photo Album Longyan Yongding Hakka roundhousesAmoy Tigers Longyan Changting Tingzhou Start of Long MarchChangting (5 Pages!) text and 100+ photos on "Little Red Shanghai", Long March, Hakka Homeland, etc.) Longyan Liancheng Guanzai MountainGuanzai Mountain (Surrealistic scenery!)

Journey to the West! West Fujian is one roller coaster range of mountains after another, but it’s well worth the ride to the Hakka Earthen Houses (about 20,000 of them, altogether!), and “Little Red Shanghai—” the Hakka Homeland, Cradle of Chinese Communism, and start of the Long March (followed by the Short April ). photo of amoy tiger in meihua nature reserve fujian

South China tigers (a.k.a. Amoy tigers) roam Meihua Nature Preserve, and the subterranean beauty of Dragon Cave and the Immortal Lake Cave compete with the surrealistic scenery of Guanzai Mountain above.

The six hour drive from Amoy to Changting winds past ancient villages and banyans (the ‘fengshui tree’ ) nestled deep within dark valleys shrouded by mists and time. Old stone bridges irrigate patches of sweet potatoes, tobacco, and taro, guarded by colorful scarecrows (with crows often perched right on their shoulders).

mountain road leading to Nanjing and Yongding round housesMysterious temples cling precariously to cliffs, pagodas crown bald peaks, and solitary bamboos tower here and there like giant brushes painting the mist on mountains lifted straight from a Chinese watercolor.
Before the highways, it is no wonder I averaged just 10 miles an hour!Back to top Amoymagic Guide to Xiamen and Fujian

“Don’t view flowers on horseback!” Chinese warn. (走马观花, zouma guanhua). In other words, “Take time to smell the roses”(or the nightsoil, as the case may be). So I prefer to drive slowly (relatively) and savor the sites. I ignore the honks behind me because I know that Darwinian Driving (Survival of the Fastest) and Sunzi’s Art of Auto Warfare (孙子汽车兵法) require they pass me anyway, whether I’m driving 50 kph or 150 kph. But at least such driving helps keep the Car crashes are part of the population control program. See Darwinian Driving--survival of the fastestpopulation down.

Zhangzhou Bananas are small, and not so pretty, but very tastyEndless seas of banana trees fill the valleys west of Zhangzhou. Zhangzhou bananas are no cheaper here than in Xiamen but they’re so fresh that one stalk included a pair of field mice, at no extra charge. Zhangli would have had kittens if he’d known that our cat Charlemagne got to them.

Past the bright red and white cottages of “China Orchid Garden (中国兰花园)” begin the endless villages, temples, ancient banyan trees, and the endless billboards that help entertain bored Bills.

Reminds me of the See Rock City barn roofs all over the South East United States!Billboards and slogans painted on old walls, buildings, and farmhouses once proclaimed, “Long Live the Victorious Struggle of the People!” Nowadays they exhort citizens to “Have one child!” “Cherish the Roads,” “Help Fight Fires,” or “Drink HuiQuan Beer!” Bright red “Robust!” mineral water signs adorned buildings in even the remotest valleys. They reminded me of the “See Rock City! ” barn roofs once scattered all over the Southeastern U.S.
Back to top Amoymagic Guide to Xiamen and Fujian


Gold and Gall! Longyan is a geological gold mine, boasting South China’s largest deposit of iron, as well as gold, manganese, tungsten, and deng deng.

In addition to mining and agriculture (tobacco is the biggest crop, fertilized by lots of dung dung ), West Fujian is into electronics, metallurgy, machinery, forestry, building materials, chemicals, textiles, food, and light industries. The area exports handmade paper, rabbit fur, pepper, dried mushrooms, smoked plums, and peanuts. But the big claim to fame is Wuping County’s dried pig gallbladder. The brochure claims,
“Dried pig gallbladder contains various carbohydrates and vitamins, especially it is the best gift and delicious dish to be given or to entertain guests and friends with.”

It would take a lot of gall to dish that out to friends, but if you’ve the guts , go for it.

A Dog’s Life (A She Minority Legend) I swerved to avoid a hound in the highway and my friend said, “The She worship dogs as gods.”
“I know,” I said. “And I almost sent that god back to heaven!”
Legends claim that an ancient king offered his daughter in marriage to whomever could save the village from bandits—never dreaming a dog would win the pretty prize. He didn’t want a dog for a son-in-law, so he used a 7-day magic transformation to turn the mutt into a man. But on the last night the curious King took a peek. The magic stopped, leaving a man with a mutt’s head. Ever since, the She have worshipped dogs, and would no more eat a dog than other Chinese would chow down on boiled Buddha.

Hakka also worship dogs, but preferably puppies, ten pounds or less, in a pot. During the 1930s, some soldiers sold their blankets (and probably pup tents as well) for a hot pot of potatoes ‘n puppy. A hot Hakka dish today is QiLing TouTai—“Unicorn pokes out his head” (puppy steamed in a pig’s stomach). Yum. Back to top Amoymagic Guide to Xiamen and Fujian Roads have improved greatly!

Highway Heaven Fujian’s modern highways are shrinking our convoluted province faster than Chinese jeans washed in hot water. Highways bore through mountains and arch across deep valleys. And every meter is meticulously manicured with grass, shrubs, bougainvillea, azaleas, a kaleidoscope of potted plants, and “Cherish the Greenery!” signs. I love the new highways. They are a real contrast from the dirt roads common only a decade ago! But they fly right past delightful little towns like Shizhong (适中), about 170 km west of Xiamen.

Shizhong’s plain has some fascinating 4-story rammed-earth Hakka Castles. These aren’t tourist traps. Real people live and work here, and when you show up on their doorstep they’ll grin and say, “You’ve come! Have some tea!” You might as well sit down because they’re going to keep offering it until you do! Home of the 1929 Gutian Conference of the Chinese Communist Party

1929 Gutian Conference Center 古田会议旧址 Mao was in West Fujian (Minxi), the “Holy Land of Chinese Communism,” when he penned, “A single spark can start a prairie fire!” But it was one heck of a spark!

Recently, the author of “Culture and Landscapes of West Fujian” wrote this pulse-pounding paragraph:

Dr. Bill hamming it up as a PLA soldier“Nowadays, step into Minxi thisDoes it look like my pants are falling down? That's because they are! sacred land, tracing the footprint of revolution herald, and we still can feel the warm of kindling which set the prairie of ablaze and touch the pulse of revolution struggle which was blistering the heaven, boiling the mountains, and shaking heaven and earth and taste indeed that the revolution leader and the herald they rushed around, searched about and conquered numerous difficulties and endured all kinds of hardships and die for nations and natives with a generosity.”
In front of the school house where the Maoist "school" of thought helped get its start

In Dec. 1929, the Fourth Red Army held its conference in an elementary school (which is why they call Maoism a ‘school’ of thought). This school was originally built in 1848 as the Liao family’s ancestral hall. The sign above the school reads, “The Eternal Radiance/Glory of the Gutian Conference" (古田会议永放光芒.). The nearby Gutian Congress Exhibition Hall, Fujian’s largest revolutionary museum, was built in 1974 and has over 7,303 historical relics—not including the relic selling entrance tickets.
Historical plaque of Gutian Conference Center Inside the Gutian conference center Mao Zedong slept here; George Washington slept in the room next door
Back to top Amoymagic Guide to Xiamen and Fujian

Rattan and bamboo furniture sold beside the highway to ChangtingBamboozled An elderly couple waved as I passed, andNear Pengkou many people sell bamboo and wood products I wondered where they got their beautiful bamboo rocking chairs. I got my answer a few kilometers down the road.

Between Longyan and Pengkou (about the 266 km. marker), roadside vendors display an astonishing variety of wood, bamboo and rattan products. They sell everything from 50-cent bamboo stools to bamboo mattresses, car seat covers, couches, chairs and tables, massive cutting boards, and artistic root sculptures (which are also found south of Wuyi Mountain). On sheets of black plastic beside the highway are strips of Longyan’s famous sweet potato, drying in the sun.

Fortunately, the dried sweet potato sold in stores is usually majestic South China tiger ( Amoy Tiger) in Fujian Province's Meihua Mountain Nature Reservepackaged in hygienic factories.

The Meihua Mountain (梅花山) Nature Reserve is a wonderland of waterfalls, rolling wooded hills, strange peaks, and breathtaking caverns, and is home to almost 1500 kinds of plants and hundreds of varieties of reptiles, birds, and animals, including 40 endangered species like leopards, black bears, and rare South China tigers. (Click for photos of these tigers!)

South China Tiger ( Amoy Tiger) Meihua Mountain Nature Reserve Fujian ChinaIn August, 2000, Longyan launched a $17.6 million USD (donations appreciated!) tiger protection project because less than 30 remain in the wild, and only 59 in zoos. They hope that by 2010, the six protected tigers will have bred and raised the population to 100. I don’t see how six tigers can do that unless they spike their food with Viagra. But on July 20, 2001, Zhongzhong and Qiuqiu were born to Yuanyuan and Xiongxiong.
Good good start start!
Back to top Amoymagic Guide to Xiamen and Fujian

Longkong Caverns (龙硿洞) When I visited Yanshi Town’s Long Kong Caverns 15 years ago, the only illumination was our guide’s flashlight, which died 2/3 of the way through the tour. As we held hands and slipped and slid through the caverns inky depths I vowed, “Never again!” But today the caverns are well developed, well lit, and well worth the 48 km drive from Longyan City. The caverns include 14 smaller caves. The largest cavern is 20 m high, 50 m wide, and can hold 1,000 people (provided they’ve had a light lunch).

Three “Immortal Doors” are in the front cave. One door leads to certain death. Just kidding. The middle door leads to the Stone Elephant and the Stone Bed. They say the Stone Bed is restful, but I thought it was hard and damp, like a petrified waterbed. But it probably beats the ‘room and board’ I’ve gotten in some local hotels.

Like everywhere else in China, locals have whiled away the past 5,018 years (Click Here for explanation of 5018 years) by naming every rock, nook, and cranny, both above ground and below. LongKong Caverns has Stone Frog Leaping into Pond, Guanyin goddess, Most Exalted Lord Lao, and Running Horse, where dripping water supposedly sounds like hoof beats. The most striking formation is the Stone Bells, which ring if you strike them. Other favorites include Spring Plowing, River Snails, Wax Gourd, Bamboo Grove (in Jade Cave), Boa, Flying White Dragons, Cloth Curtains, and the Yellow Umbrella, which might provide shelter from the dripping horse.
Back to top Amoymagic Guide to Xiamen and Fujian

Subterranean Immortal Lake (仙湖) in Yongding’s Fushi Town is little known but nonetheless spectacular. The underground complex has dozens of halls, and the ten-meter-high hall, “Dragon’s Palace in the Western Sea” covers 10,000 square meters. Tourists are ferried to the subterranean sea’s center to see a 10 m high column that is strikingly similar to Long Kong’s Stone Bells because it rings when struck.

Zhangping’s Yongfu Flower Town （永福）, originally a She stronghold, really blooms during the Flower Fair on the 6th day of the Chinese New Year. At 755 meters elevation, this ancient town enjoys the perfect climate for raising exotic fruit like tangerines and honey peaches, and the hundreds of varieties of flowers (like camellias, orchids and azaleas) sold throughout China and other Southeast Asian countries. Yongfu is also famous for its bamboo hats, beautifully wrought rattan furniture, and its own unique style of paper-cuts, a folk art found throughout China.

Yongfu historical attractions include the Aotou Porcelain Site, Liuxiu Tower, Changqing Castle, Huigong Bridge, and Buyun Bridge.
Back to top Amoymagic Guide to Xiamen and Fujian

Friend’s Crossing (朋口, Pengkou), just south of Longyan, is a “T” intersection thronged with vendors and a few dozen men lazing on motorcycles—the rural version of taxis. A grandpa leading his water buffalo and calf up the middle of the highway ignores honking drivers. He knows that if you hit his animals, he’ll retire on the settlement. If you kill the farmer himself, his family will retire and worship his remains at the ancestral shelf.

To Pengkou’s left lies Changting, the “Little Red Shanghai. To the right is lovely Liancheng’s Guanzai Mountain, one of China’s star scenic attractions. Liancheng was also home to one of ancient China’s four greatest printing centers.Sibao Woodblock Printing

Sibao Woodblock Printing West Fujian had forests of camphor for printing blocks, and endless bamboo reserves for the famous papers made in Ninghua, Changting, and Liancheng as early as the 11th century. Burned pines produced soot for ink. Date palm fibers and mountain animals’ fur provided brushes. The pieces to the printing industry puzzle were all there, but it still came together almost by accident.
Back to top Amoymagic Guide to Xiamen and Fujian

Chinese invented ‘rag paper’ around 2,100 years ago, and the
Arabs learned the process from their prisoners in the 8th century (Europeans learned these same secrets about the 12th century). Around 1045 A.D.,Bi Sheng invented movable type. Give that Chinese uses thousands of characters, the typesetting must have been a real chore. Personally, I’d not have the patience for it. I’m just not that type.

In the 16th century, Zou Xuesheng (1523-1598) printed some texts to educate his sons, and they in turn produced and sold texts to various schools—creating the Sibao printing industry.

By the late 1700s, over 100 families (60% of some villages’ populations) produced and sold books. The Zou and Ma families’ presses produced over 1,000 books, including Emperor Kangxi’s Dictionary, the Four Classics, the Children’s Treasury of Knowledge, as well as various encyclopedias, almanacs, and fengshui manuals. But the city was so remote that it remained relatively obscure. Some printing magnates’ mansions remain today, most printing stalls are now pigpens or storage bins.

While Sibao’s books have vanished, the inspiration for many a poet remains—in nearby Guanzai Mountain.
Back to top Amoymagic Guide to Xiamen and Fujian

 

The Chengang Wine (沉缸酒) Factory, established in 1957 in Longyan, just off the 319 Highway, is well worth a visit. I’ve toured the place thrice, and while the speeches can be murder by monologue, the factory tour is fascinating. The Apostle Paul may have meant Chengang Wine when he urged young Timothy to no longer drink water but take a little wine for his stomach’s sake. The 200-year-old recipe for Chengang Wine has 31 Chinese medicines that cure anything that ails you, and a few things that don’t.
The 500 employees and 96 technicians put out 10,000 tons of the sweet yellow wine each year.
Address: #78 Shuangquan Rd., Xinluo District, Longyan.
Phone: (0597)221-1222.

A Xiamen University professor told me China had 5000 years of history--but that was 18 years ago.
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

Gulangyu Kulangyu Kolongsoo Kolongsu Kulongsu
Gulangyu

Guide to Xiamen University Historic and modern, including departments -- Arts Science computers mathematics accounting management law department etc.Xiamen Univ

Mystic Quanzhou -- the fabled port of Zayton ( or Zaytun Zaitun Zaiton ) from which Marco Polo sailed, Sinbad the Arab visited. Chinchew
Quanzhou

AmoyMagic-- Travel , Resident and Business Guide to Xiamen and Fujian
XiamenGuide


Fujian Adv

Guide to Fukien Fuhken Bilingual Chinese English Parallel with MP3 CDFujianGuide
Click to e-mail Dr. Bill Brown or Susan BrownClick to E-mail Email address for Bill and Sue Brown     Letters from AmoyMagic ReadersReaders'Letters

Last Updated: May 2007Return to main page and main menu of Amoymagic Return to Main Page       Return to top of pageBack to Top


DAILY LINKS
Frequently Asked Questions about Xiamen andFujianFAQs Questions?
Info on apartments or houses in Xiamen, real estate agentsReal Estate
Xiamen Shopping guide malls supermarketsShopping Download Xiamen MapsMaps
Xiamen BookstoresBookstores
Train rail schedule for Xiamen, fukien Trains Amoy Bus ScheduleBusses
Car rental rent a car or van with driver in xiamen and fujianCar Rental
Xiamen hotels guesthouses hostels Hotels English News Services sources in Xiamen Fujian ChinaNews (CT)
Doctors Dentists Hospitals Clinics in Xiamen Jimei and Tong'an Medical & Dental
Xiamen YMCA and YWCAYMCA Volunteer! Xiamen International Christian Fellowship Expat Nondenominational interdenominational
Xiamen International Christian FellowshipXICF Fellowship 
Xiamen Churches Protestant Catholic Seventh Day Adventist Amoy Mission Missionaries AbeelChurches Islamic Muslim Mosques Ashab Quanzhou Damascus Fuzhou Xiamen
Xiamen and Fujian Buddhist Taoist Confucian Temples Mazu Manichean Hindu IslamicTemplesXiamen and Fujian Temples and Mosques Buddhism Confucian Taoism Taoist Buddhism Mazu Matsu Meizhou IslandXiamen and Fujian Mosques Islamic Muslim Ashab Mosque Quanzhou Fuzhou Mohammed Disciples DamascusMosque
Xiamen Expat Association Welcome SupportExpat Groups
Hire a Maid Household help servant baomu amah etc.Maids Xiamen Emergency and Frequently used telephone numbersPhone #s
EDUCATION
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
Xiamen restaurants dining western and Chinese cuisineRestaurants Xiamen Asian restaurants -- Singapore Thailand Thai Malaysian Japanese Korean PhilippineAsian
Xiamen Vegetarian cuisine Nanputuo Temple Seventh Day Adventist Health foodVeggie Xiamen Restaurants Fast Food McDonalds KFC Kentucky Fried Chicken Pizza Hut Burger King (just kidding!) Cafes Coffee shopsJunk Food
Xiamen restaurants dining western and Chinese cuisineChinese Xiamen Italian Restaurants -- over 40! Pizza pasta cheeseItalian
Western (Internationall) Cuisine in XiamenInternationalAlien visa info -- Americans, Europeans E.T. Outer space visitors
Chinese visa and passport informationVisas 4 aliens
RECREATION
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
Martial arts Chinese Kung FuKung Fu Hiking around Xiamen BushwalksHiking
Piano Island Music Events Xiamen Philharmonic OrchestraMusic Events
Chinese festivals and culture minnanFestival&Culture
Chinese Jokes Humor Funny China photosHumor&Chinese Jokes Humor Funny China photosFun Fotosfunny photos of China
BUSINESS
Doing Business Invest in Xiamen Fujian ChinaDoing Business
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
China International Fair for Investment and Trade and Cross Straits ExchangesCIFIT (Trade Fair)
Common Talk Xiamen Dailys Weekly English SupplementMTS(Translation)

Back to Top