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AmoyMagic-- Travel , Resident and Business Guide to Xiamen and Fujian
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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 Mountain
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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
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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
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Writings by Bill Brown about life in China,  Fukien Xiamen etc. Includes 80 Day Drive to Tibet  Darwinian Driving Misc.Writings
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Changtai Kayaking Capital! Changting Lil' Red Shanghai Brown Family Photos Liancheng X-rated Mountains Wu Guangmin!

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Fujian Temples & Religious Sites
Photograph of Matthew Brown , in Xiamen, two years old, looking at photographs

"A picture's worth 1,000 words"--especially if they're my words! Fortunately, my books on Xiamen, Quanzhou, Fujian, Gulangyu, Xiamen Univ. etc. have numerous prize photos by award-winning photographers from all over Fujian (the books have my photos as well but you'll survive them).
Click links below for photos:

Zhu Qingfu Award-winning photographer's photos of Xiamen & Fujian Click Here for Page 2 (new!)

Gulangyu Postcards by master photographer Bai Hua

World of Lily Wang Great collection of Lily's Gulangyu architectural photos

Hong Bu Ren Historic B&W photos of Old Amoy, collected by Xiamen's "Walking History Book," Prof. Hong

Hu Shaogang (Babushka) excellent photos by master renowned photographer in West Fujian (many photos of Hakka festivals)

Wu Guangmin Beautiful photos of Fujian by Wuyi Mountain's famous photographer -- to be added

Fujian Churches -- photos of many of Fujian's beautiful churches, and various Christian activities

Fujian Temples and Religious Sites -- to be added

Brown Family Photos -- to be added

Photos of Fujian by Location (under construction)
Zhangghou Info (a few photos; more coming)

Zhouning -- Land of Kungfu fighting highlanders, carp worshippers, China's largest waterfalls complex...

Quanzhou City -- "Start of the Maritime Silk Road"

Chongwu -- Walled City & Hui'an Maidens

Wuyi Wonderland -- the natural, historic and cultural richness of Wuyi Mountain

Sanming -- the scenie Hakka Homeland, site of China's 4th largest gem deposits, sleeping Buddha,...

Yongding -- the unique Hakka earthen roundhouses

Ningde -- Taimu Mountain, Sandu'ao, deng deng (New photos still being added)

Xiapu -- Kukai's Cove, Seafood, Rafting

Changtai -- Kayak Capital of China!

Changting-- Little Red Shanghai!

Liangcheng-- X-rated mountain scenery!

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Last Updated October 2006

Excerpt from Introduction to Longyan (Hakka Homeland).

Click Here for text and 100+ photos of "Journey to the West" (trip to Longyan, in West Fujian).

 

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¡ª¡± the Hakka Homeland, Cradle of Chinese Communism, and start of the Long March (followed by the Short April ).

South China tigers roam Meihua Nature Preserve, and the subterranean beauty of Dragon Cave and the Immortal Lake Cave compete with the surrealistic scener 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).

Mysterious 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.


¡°Don¡¯t view flowers on horseback!¡± Chinese warn. (×ßÂí¹Û»¨, zouma guanhua). In other words, ¡°Take time to smell the roses.¡± 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 (Ëï×ÓÆû³µ±ø·¨) require they pass me anyway, whether I¡¯m driving 50 kph or 150 kph. But this helps keep the population down.

Endless 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 (ÖйúÀ¼»¨Ô°)¡± begin the endless villages, temples, ancient banyan trees, and the endless billboards that help entertain bored Bills.

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.

A Dog¡¯s Life 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¡ªnever 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¡ª¡°Unicorn pokes out his head¡± (puppy steamed in a pig¡¯s stomach). Yum.

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 (ÊÊÖÐ), 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!

Click Here for text and 100+ photos of "Journey to the West" (trip to Longyan, in West Fujian).

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

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DAILY LINKS
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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 Exchanges
CIFIT (Trade Fair)
Common Talk Xiamen Dailys Weekly English SupplementMTS(Translation)

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