2009.01.01
This two-day trip to Xiamen was not really planned in advance. During the New Year long weekend, I took my wife and kids back to Kinmen to visit her family. My brother-in-law suddenly suggested that he could be our guide and take everyone across to Xiamen. Since someone was willing to lead the way, how could I refuse~~
Leaving from Shuitou Pier in Kinmen, we reached Xiamen's Wutong Pier in about 25 minutes and I set foot in mainland China for the first time. The city felt surprisingly close. But once we were walking around Gulangyu with two kids, that fresh excitement quickly became a test of stamina @.@'"
Crossing from Kinmen into downtown Xiamen
We went out in the morning to buy ferry tickets at Shuitou Pier and took a passenger boat to Wutong Pier in Xiamen. The crossing took about 25 minutes, which was honestly fast. Before there was much time to build up the feeling of an overseas trip, we were already on the other side.
After clearing customs, we got into a taxi. The views along the way were pretty nice. We also passed a roadside landmark that felt very much of that era, a reminder that this was no longer just another drive around Kinmen. This was my first time entering a mainland Chinese city.
The taxi ride from the pier to the city center took about half an hour, which was actually longer than the boat ride from Kinmen to Xiamen... heh. Our base for the day was Lujiang Hotel, right in the busy downtown area and near the ferry pier, a very convenient location for a first visit.
From the hotel room, we could see the harbor, the ferries, and Gulangyu across the water. That view made this last-minute trip suddenly feel much more complete.
According to the hotel brochure, Lujiang Hotel had once been one of Xiamen's top hotels in the 1960s, and one of the few buildings in the city taller than five floors at the time. Based on how it felt then, it was still kept in good condition and felt like it was above a four-star level. That was my impression at the time; anyone planning a current trip should still check up-to-date information.
A ferry that charged only on the way back
After lunch and a short rest at the rooftop restaurant, we walked across from the hotel to take the ferry to Gulangyu. The fare system was interesting: at the time, the outbound trip was free, and the return trip cost 8 RMB.
Looking back, Lujiang Hotel really was close to the pier. That distance made Xiamen city and Gulangyu feel less like two separate destinations and more like two different rhythms connected by a short stretch of water.
Gulangyu was easy to walk, but not easy with kids
Gulangyu sits southwest of Xiamen, facing the city across the water. It is a place of history, architecture, and music, and its past as a treaty port left many different styles of buildings behind. But once we were actually on the island, the first practical reality was clear: aside from the island sightseeing carts, vehicles were not allowed, so we had to walk.
With two kids along... that was hard on me @.@'"
Lisa was full of energy at the beginning.
She was also very serious about souvenirs and even went over to buy some herself.
Later, though, she started refusing to walk, and I ended up carrying her for much of the way >,<. Gulangyu was not only a historic island; it was also the place where a father's shoulders ran out of battery.
Sunlight Rock: many sights, and one very busy dad
Sunlight Rock is one of Gulangyu's best-known sights. Walking uphill, looking around, and managing the kids at the same time was the real rhythm of this part of the day.
The higher we went, the more the view opened up. Steps, rocks, rooftops, and visitors all mixed together. It did not feel like a single attraction so much as the whole island slowly gaining height.
The photo from the cable car also has that old travel-diary feeling: not a carefully composed shot, just a quick picture taken while moving.
Looking back toward Xiamen from the top of Sunlight Rock, I could really feel how Gulangyu and the city were separated by only a stretch of water. We had crossed from Kinmen in the morning, and by afternoon we were looking back at Xiamen from this small island. That is how the distances of this last-minute trip connected in my mind.
Evening at the pier, then Zhongshan Road
Before leaving Gulangyu, I took one last look back. We also made it to Shuzhuang Garden, although the schedule was too tight to see everything slowly.
By evening, we were back at the Gulangyu ferry pier, and Xiamen's skyline had lit up across the water, closing out the first day.
That night we went back to Lujiang Hotel for dinner, rested for a while, and then headed straight to nearby Zhongshan Road. Seeing the busy shops and crowds along the whole street, a very period-specific thought suddenly came to mind: so people on the mainland were not, in fact, surviving only on banana peels...
Note: the banana-peel joke came from the old Kuomintang propaganda stories I often heard as a child @.@'"
Day two: Nanputuo Temple, and the regret of not having more time
The next morning, we visited another well-known Xiamen sight: Nanputuo Temple.
This second day was still an extension of the same improvised trip. Because we had to get back to Taipei for work the next day, our time was limited. The temple buildings, rock inscriptions, gardens, and pagoda all looked worth exploring slowly, but this time we could only make a brief visit.
Because we could not explore Xiamen properly this time, the two-day trip ended with plenty left unfinished. Next time, if there is a chance, I will have to come back and take it slowly~
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Originally published: 2009-01-05 Revised: 2026-07-14 View the original Blogger post
