A visit to Xiamen University

Main entrance to Xiamen University (大学pinyin: Dàxué) from Siming South Road.
Near the arch entrance is a small bus terminal and next to it is the Nanputuo Temple.
Most tourists have their itinerary visiting the temple nearby and did not include a visit to this large university.

 Visitors were allowed in day and night without the need of a visitor's pass.

This entrance is called the Danan Gate or Nanputuo Gate.

Xiamen University is Top Asian Universities ranking number 112,two spot below Thammasat University of Thailand and one to sixth spot above Bandung Insitute of Technology and Universitas Gajah Mada ,Republic Indonesia.



  Bronze Statue of Tan Kah Kee(October 21, 1874 – August 12, 1961) ( 陳嘉庚; pinyin: Chén Jiāgēng) in front of Xiamen University History Museum who is the founder of Xiamen University.

Direction:from the Danan Gate entrance turn right and walk straight ahead till the very end T-junction which is the fifth junction and keep to the right.
If you walk left will be a small traffic circle making a three o'clock turn is a road leading to Hulishan Fort.

 Tan Kah Kee's hometown is Jimei District in Tong'an County. He left for Singapore in 1890 at the age of 17 and started off as a 'coolie' in his father's wholesale rice business.

Unfortunately his father's rice business went bust so he had to venture into other areas to help settle the debts.
 Initially he ventured into pineapple production and soon diversify into the rice trade,saw-milling and sugar refinery.

By the year 1925,he has established himself as a rubber magnate where he owned over 15,000 acres of rubber land.
His empire was never spared by the world financial crisis of the early 20s and 30s and this time he has to declare bankrupt.
At that time in 1934 there is no such thing as bailout.Luckily for him he has already amassed a huge fortune and his love for his motherland made him return again to set up this university in 1921.

Prior to this he has already started Jimei University.

His motto: a sound education can bring properity to a nation.




  Statue of Lu Xun (鲁迅; pinyin: Lǔ Xùn) (September 25, 1881 – October 19, 1936)born in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, one of the major Chinese writers of the 20th century.

Considered by many to be the leading figure of modern Chinese literature, Mao Zedong himself was a lifelong admirer of Lu Xun's works.

 At Jiangnan Military Academy (江南陸師學堂),it was there Lu Xun had his first contacts with Western learning, especially the sciences; he studied some German and English, reading, amongst some translated books, Huxley's Evolution and Ethics, J. S. Mill's On Liberty, as well as novels like Ivanhoe and Uncle Tom's Cabin.

The "Kah Kee" building complex with a large lake in front.
To many in Singapore and around the region, the name Tan Kah Kee is synonymous with leadership, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, social reform and education.

Generations of Anglo-Chinese Schoolers (ACSians) are also familiar with the name as one of the school houses also bears his name for his enormous contributions to education and Anglo-Chinese School.

He has close to 102 descendants almost all of them were former ACSians,a school where he donated huge sum of money to promote English in Singapore.

 There were 7 main entry points into the Xiamen University main campus.
 1) Danan Gate (Nanputuo Gate)-Siming South Road.
2) National Park via Taiping Hill-my main entry point trekking through the woods.
3) Baicheng Gate-from Round-the Island Road
4) Haibin Gate-opposite is Hulishan Bus Stop
5) Haibindingqu Gate-opposite Mingzhi Bus Stop
6) Daxue Road Gate.
7) Qunxian Gate-Yanwu Road





Old traditional building used as student dormitories.

This building style is similar to the Jimei University,the hometown of Tan Kah Kee.

The upper roof edges have a style of the Nanputuo Temple.
 It was very relaxing to walk within the campus ground with many trees providing the canopy and the landscaping is superb.
It seemed that every hour there's a vehicle sanitizing and flushing the road to ensure a clean and healthy environment.






View of seating area beside the Furong Lake.
This is a very nice park within the campus where students also hang around here after lectures to relax and get some inspirations.

  Banner soliciting for tuition (pinyin:buxi).

 As part of a strategic way of earning some pocket money,students here must have launched this website happybuxi.com

Xia Da (Chinese Pinyin name of the university) Inside the Jianwan Building campus canteen,a short distance from Danan Gate.

 Haibin Student Canteen is near Haibin Gate .

Nanguang Student Canteen near Museum of Antropology.

Yifu Building canteen has a hotel for outsiders beside the Internationa Academic Exchange Center.







Guesthouse inside the campus near the Lingyun Student dormitories area.

The road beside the guesthouse is link to the Xiamen National Park.

Monthly rate per head 1000Yuan.
Three person dorm bed 55 Yuan.
Outsiders welcome
Popular Public Bus Routes: # 45, 812, 1, 15






Billboard showing Maple Hotel
Tel:0592-2368333
 Room rates from 98Yuan
Location at Siming south Road behind McDonald Restaurant.



 

Huge evergreen eucalyptus tree inside Xiamen University compound.
The bark of the tree seemed to flake.
A native plant of Australia where the tree's bark were used in the pulp and paper industry.




Daily night street bazaar along Siming South Road.
Bus stops around here have buses well connected to all parts of the city including buses to Tong'an county,Jimei or Haicang.

Buses were airconditioned and the fare is 2 yuan even to out of the city.
Go into the bus with small notes bill to put into the slot machine otherwise you won't get your change back.
This place is station stop zero so you can easily get a bus seat.






Busy town square at Siming South Road.
The Mc Donald and KFC Restaurants walking distance to Nanputuo temple and Xiamen University was less than 10 minutes.

 Hotels around siming south Road:

Hilford Hotel Xiamen No.495 Siming South Road
7 Days Inn No. 433-2 Siming South Road,

Bestel Hotel Siming West Road adjacent Zhongshan Lu Nanzhong Plaza, Siming West Road

MAP of my walking trail from Baijiacun Hostel via Martyr's Memorial Park via Botanical Garden via Defence Museum to Xiamen University northeast gate.


Hotels Near seaside around Zengcuoan Road next to Xiamen University.:

Xiamen Sunshine Holiday Inn 289,Zengcuoan Road.
Xiamen University Graduates Inn Xiada Branch No.47 Zengcuoan West Road
Xiamen Mode Inn ZengCuoAn Branch No.252 Zengcuoann Xiamen
Lan Sea Inn No.239 Zengcuoan Road
Xiamen Star Inn No.292,Zengcuoan Road 
Xiamen University Graduates Inn Zengcuoan Branch No.155 Zengcuoan North Road
Xiamen Star Moon Inn No.50 Zengcuoan Xiamen
Wanwan Home Apartment No.145 Zengcuoan Xili
Fujian Xiamen More Inn No.221 Zengcuoan Huandao Road
Xiamen HTC Inn No.370 Huangdao Road, Zengcuoan Xiamen
Meng Yi Inn No.96 Zengcuoan Xili Road
Xiamen Star's Wish Inn No.243,ZengCuoAn,Huandao Road
Xiamen Megaboom Business Hotel No.219-225 Zhongshan Road
Xiamen Tianyue Hostel No.38 Cengcuoan South Huandao Road
Xiamen Tian Quan Inn No.235 Zengcuoan Road