4 Places to Experience Xiamen’s Relationship with the Sea

Xiamen is a city that makes more sense when viewed from the water. Facing the Taiwan Strait on China’s southeast coast, it has spent centuries looking outward, shaped by trade, migration, fishing, coastal defense, and the movement of people between shores.

That connection is still easy to see today. Ferries cross busy channels, former dockside neighborhoods have found new roles, and long stretches of coastline remain part of daily life rather than simply a backdrop for visitors. Even some of Xiamen’s best-known landmarks tell stories that begin with the sea.

To understand this coastal city beyond its skyline, start with four places where different chapters of its maritime identity remain visible.

GULANGYU

An Island Shaped by Connections

The short ferry journey to Gulangyu immediately changes the perspective on Xiamen. Across the Lujiang Strait, the compact island developed through centuries of maritime connections, particularly during the 19th and early 20th centuries, when people and ideas arriving from overseas left their mark on its architecture and culture.

European-style villas stand alongside traditional Chinese buildings, while narrow pedestrian lanes eventually lead back toward the shoreline. Yet Gulangyu never feels entirely separated from the city opposite. Xiamen’s waterfront remains visible across the water, a reminder of the channel that helped shape both places.

Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the island offers perhaps the clearest introduction to Xiamen as a city formed through exchange.

SHAPOWEI

From Fishing Harbor to Creative Quarter

Before cafés, studios, and independent shops arrived, Shapowei was closely tied to Xiamen’s fishing community. Its sheltered harbor provided a place for boats to return from the Taiwan Strait, making the neighborhood part of the working maritime life of the city.

Much has changed, but traces of that history remain. Old buildings and harbor scenery now sit beside creative businesses, galleries, restaurants, and gathering spaces popular with younger residents.

That contrast gives Shapowei much of its character. Rather than preserving the waterfront as a frozen piece of history, the neighborhood has adapted to a different generation while keeping its connection to the harbor visible. It is one of the best places to see how Xiamen’s older coastal identity is finding a place in the contemporary city.

HULISHAN FORT

Looking Out to Sea

At Hulishan Fort, Xiamen’s relationship with the coast takes on a more defensive character. Built during the late Qing Dynasty, the fort guarded an important stretch of shoreline at a time when control of maritime approaches carried enormous strategic importance.

Its best-known feature is a huge Krupp coastal cannon, but the setting tells just as much of the story. Defensive walls and elevated viewpoints face directly toward the sea, making it easy to understand why this particular position mattered.

Today, the fort is less about military spectacle than historical perspective. Standing above the coast, visitors encounter a chapter of Xiamen’s past in which the same waters that brought commerce and cultural exchange also required protection.

HUANDAO ROAD

Where the Coast Becomes Part of Daily Life

Not every encounter with Xiamen’s maritime character needs a history lesson. Huandao Road, which follows the island’s southeastern coastline, shows how the sea fits naturally into the rhythm of the modern city.

Beaches, walking paths, cycling routes, parks, and viewpoints unfold along the shore, offering plenty of reasons to stop rather than rush from one attraction to another. Locals come to exercise, meet friends, or simply spend time beside the water, while visitors gain a broader sense of Xiamen’s geography.

After the layered histories of Gulangyu, Shapowei, and Hulishan Fort, Huandao Road provides a fitting final perspective: the sea is not only part of Xiamen’s past. It remains part of how the city lives today.

Trace Xiamen’s story from historic harbors and island communities to the coastline that continues to shape daily life. Fly to Xiamen with Thai Airways.