Xiamen

Xiamen is a coastal city on an island in Fujian province, long regarded as one of the most attractive and livable cities in southern China. With a metropolitan population of around five million, it faces Taiwan across the strait and has a rich history as a treaty port and overseas-Chinese hometown. Its maritime subtropical climate brings warm, humid summers and mild winters with little cold. The car-free island of Gulangyu, a UNESCO World Heritage site full of colonial villas, is its signature draw, alongside Nanputuo Temple and the seafront campus of Xiamen University. Local cuisine centers on fresh seafood, oyster omelettes, shacha noodles, and popiah spring rolls. A growing metro network, Gaoqi International Airport, and high-speed rail connect it to Fuzhou, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. For an international student, Xiamen offers a relaxed seaside lifestyle, clean air, respected universities, and one of the gentlest climates in the country.