Xiamen Hubin Bus Terminal

After a ten hour bus journey from Guangzhou,the bus passed through the Haicang Daqiao(bridge) overlooking the Xiamen Straits,the scenery was very beautiful.

It was 6:00am and the temperature about 26 degree celcius.
Xiamen has a sub-tropical climate with June till September being the summer months.
Haicang District is on the mainland while Xiamen is an island by itself.
Haicang being a major suburb of Xiamen has many high rise residential buildings,the Xinyang Industrial Zone and the Haicang Port that has been an important port for overseas trade.
In 1989, Haicang was designated as an investment zone for Taiwanese businesses.







The capital of Fujian Province is Fuzhou.

Fujian Province covering an area of 121,400 kilometers square has an estimated 35 million population.

Nine Prefecture-Level Cities in Fujian Province China :
 •Fuzhou ( 福州市 )-6 counties,2 cities,5 districts "Banyan City"-many subtropical banyan trees planted since Song Dynasty (960-1279).
 •Longyan ( 龙岩市 )-5 counties,1 city,1 district one of the hometown of Hakka people residing around the world.
•Nanping ( 南平市 )-5 counties,4 cities,1 district important birthplaces of Fujian's culture and great peoples that carved the history.
•Ningde ( 宁德市 )-6 counties,2 cities,1 district mountainous and covering one third of Fujian Province total coastline. •Putian ( 莆田市 )-1 county,4 districts also known as Lychee City, a large lychee producer. •Quanzhou ( 泉州市 )-5 counties,3 cities,4 districts mountainous and has many rivers and tributaries originating from the interior.
•Sanming ( 三明市 )-9 counties,2 districts,1 city ranks the Top One among the greenest cities in China with rich historical culture.
•Xiamen ( 厦门市 )-6 districts the first(out of 4) special economic zones of China,second largest city in Fujian Province.
 •Zhangzhou ( 漳州市 )-8 counties,2 districts,1 city Nine Dragons River is the second longest river in Fujian Province located here.






Xiamen and the surrounding southern Fujian countryside are the ancestral home to large communities of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia and Taiwan.
This is my first trip to Xiamen and my ultimate mission includes locating my ancestral home somewhere near the Xiang'an District.
 It was through Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation Amoy Branch those days where most Chinese emigrants repartriate their monies home.

 So the old Xiamen Island at that time was called Amoy meaning Hokkien which in turn is the main dialect.

By coincidence during the exodus ,most of the Hokkien people choose to land in Southeast Asian islands like Penang,Singapore,the Philippines and coastal cities like Malacca,Medan(Sumatra Island),Surabaya (East Java Island) and Sulawesi Island(Indonesia).Taiwan Island is a non exception.

There are a total of 6 districts in Xiamen: (Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, Haicang and recently Xiang'an), The Jinmen (Kinmen) Islands administered by the Republic of China (Taiwan) are less than 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) away.






Bus passengers got off at the main road infront of a row of shophouses near this Chinese Acupuncture Health Centre.

Hubin Long Distance Bus Terminal is just beside these buildings in the photo.
You'll be surprised that it doesn't looked like a bus terminal as there weren't any other buses around nor any big crowds.
Once you got off from the bus,there'll be a handful of cabbies offering their services.

The most important thing for new arrivals is the handy Map of Xiamen and there is a vendor who will approach you selling for 5 yuan.

Hubin Long Distance Bus Station (湖滨长途汽车站)is at No:59, Hubin Nan(South) Lu(Road)(湖滨南路).

A single storey building where buses were parked behind the building.
The station is just east of Electronic City.

Local Bus Routes to the Station are No:10, 15, 23, 30, 43, 45, 85, 88, 99

There are two other main bus stations namely: Songbai Bus Station (松柏 汽车站) at No.211, Lianyue Lu (莲岳路)
The station is just a few blocks east of the Best Western Premier Hotel and Songbai Park.
Local Bus Routes to the Station are No: 24, 31, 33, 49, 73, 86, 98, 99, 101
Tel: (0)592 5089 018, 5089 328, 5091 086 and Jimei Bus Station (集美 汽车站) at No.159, Yinjiang Lu (银江路)
The station is just south of Jimei University’s main campus on Yinjiang Lu (银江路) Local Bus Routes to the Station are No: 18, 52, 55, 56, 67, 79, 106, 615, 616, 625

It was still early at around 6:30am and most of the eight ticketing booths were still not opened.
There was a board displaying the many destinations,departure time and fares from this terminal.

One interesting information provided in the display list were the the distance price per kilometre chargeable by the buses with their minimum and maximum levy.

Guandong Province: Guangzhou(757km)-0.267/0.336 cts per km =Fares:268Yuan-393Yuan

 Shantou(287km)-0.178/0.223 cts per km=Fares: 97Yuan -111Yuan

Chaozhou(283km)-0.162 cts per km=Fares:86-87Yuan

Meizhou(404km)-0.162/0.203 cts per km=Fares:122Yuan -140 Yuan

Dongguan =Fares:257Yuan-324Yuan

Yunnan Province:
Guilin(1,305km)@0.243cents per km=365Yuan

Kunming (2,435km)@0.267cents per km=523Yuan

Hunan Province:
Changsa(1,122km)-0.243/0.305 cts per km=Fares:332Yuan-484Yuan

If you plan to visit the Hakka people Tulou (土楼), literally meaning “mud buildings” which is listed as a UNESCO site in Yongding,there will be buses departing at: 07:50, 08:50, 10:30, 11:50, 13:00, 13:50, 16:00 and 16:30 daily, 4-hour drive, and the approximate ticket fare is 75 Yuan.

Yongding–Hukeng: the bus departs every 40 minutes, and the approximate ticket fare is 15 yuan
Distance between Yongding attractions:
Hongkeng Earthen Building Complex is 4 kilometers a(2.5 miles) or from Gaobei Earthen Building Complex (includes Chengqi Building), 5 kilometers (2.7 miles) from Nanxi Earthen Building Complex, and about 40 kilometers (22 miles) from Chuxi Earthen Building Complex.

 


View of Hubin South Road from pedestrian bridge in front of Hubin long Distance Bus Station.
Beautiful landscapes and magnificient modern skyscrapers will definitely make visitors attracted to Xiamen.

The air is fresh and clean coupled with the temperate type of climate.

In 2006, Xiamen was ranked as China's second 'most suitable city for living',as well as China's 'most romantic leisure city' in 2011.

Condominium beside Hubin Long Distance Bus Station.
A 3-bedroom,1,300 square metres apartment around this area fetch a monthly rental of 4,500Yuan.
 The main criteria is that you'll need to rent for a period of at least 6 months but preferably a year. Most owners sign a 1year leasing contract.

Getting transport out of Guangzhou.

Traffic along Renmin Bei Lu here were moving from Guangzhou Railway Terminal area towards the direction of Zhong(中)san(山)Qi(七) Lu(路).

The stretch of road from the junction near Dong Fang Hotel till the railway and coach terminal has the most garments,textiles and consumer goods wholesale shopping complexes.

 The building here with lanterns in front is the Kapok International Fashion City.

The word kapok is the city tree of Guangzhou. Guangzhou(also known as 'City of Ram') is the South Gate of China and prior to 1980 was called Canton. So the main local dialect is Cantonese.






Crossing the road around this traffic circle is diallowed so you need to use either the overhead pedestrian bridges or underground tunnel which has a few junction inside and mind you the crowd is very big.

 Liuhua Passenger Coach Terminal is directly link to the overhead bridge located on the upper floor next to Kapok International Fashion City.

 Liuhua only has five operational ticketing counters but only two counters were opened. There was a big screen flashing the destinations,time and fares but all were in Chinese. The disadvantages is there weren't any information counters to cater for enquiries.




Direction ahead to Guangzhou Railway Station,local provincial bus terminal while right is Liuhua Passenger Coach Terminal nearby.

The building on the left is Guangzhou Long-Distance Bus terminal.

Guangzhou has several long-distance bus stations and the three useful stations were around the main Guangzhou train station.

These are the Liuhua bus station (Liúhuā Chēzhàn) across Huanshi Xilu in front of the train station, the Guǎngdōng long-distance bus station (Guǎngdōng shěng qìchē kèyùn zhàn; Huanshi Xilu) to the right of train terminal and another long-distance bus station (shì qìchē kèyùn zhàn) over the footbridge leading from the train station.





View of Guangzhou Long Distance Bus ticketing hall.
The destinations,time and fares flashboard were in red,green and yellow digital display spreading over the nearly twenty odd booking counters.

It keeps on changing after one minute due to the fact that there were too many China cities to display.

Since the cities name were all flashed in Chinese,foreigners should walk to the information counter on the left and seek assistance.

The girls at the reception will check on their computers and will let you know on the spot the availability of seats on your requested date and destination.The girls were very efficient and do understand English. Once you've got the details,make sure you ask her write on a piece of paper which will be very handy when you proceed to the booking counters.




  Counter 207 is somewhere in the middle of all the counters with the word "Foreigners Priority"

 Very Important note: "It is a general ruling that any person or persons booking a bus ticket must produce his or her identification papers,so remember to show your passport as for foreigners or mainland Chinese citizen ID.

 Booking a bus ticket is simple,just mention the destination and time.The booking officer will repeat it via a loudspeaker. If you have problem mentioning the city in Chinese,the written note from the information counter do help.






Local Provincial Buses in front of Guangzhou Railway Station.

 All of these stations have buses to Shēnzhèn (Y60, two hours, every 12 minutes 6am to 11pm), Zhūhǎi (Y72, 2½ hours, every 15 minutes 7am to 9pm), and Kāipíng (Y45, 2 hours, every forty minutes).







  Buses for other destinations leaving mostly from the long-distance bus stations include: Shanghai-12:35 (415Yuan),18:40(460Yuan)=1,700km
Haikou (Hainan Island)-12:35,18:45,20:30,22:00=260Yuan=672km
Guilin-09:10,10:15,11;30,13:00,20:30,21:30,22:30,23:30=200Yuan=672km Chaozhou:09:20,11:20,12:20,15:30,18:20,22:10=165Yuan=482km
Xiamen-11:15,20:00,22:00=260Yuan=769km
Kunming-11:30=430Yuan=1,482km
Nanning-11:0019:00,20:30,22:30=200Yuan=770km
Nanjing-18:00=260Yuan=884km




Guangzhou Railway Station (广州火车站) at West Huanshi road in Yuexiu District once was the busiest railway station in the city.

In the early 1990s, many people came to Guangzhou to seek their fortune.
The railway station became a commercial hub and has played an important role in Guangzhou transportation ever since.
Many commercial areas are centered on the station.
The station covers an area of 43,000 square meters (10.6 acres), comprising a station building, 11 railways, 4 platforms, a station square, parking lots, gardens, underground parking lots and markets.
There are four floors in the station buildings, the first of which is the Ticket Hall.
The upper three floors contain waiting rooms, shops and restaurants. Escalators connect the waiting rooms and the platforms.
It operates non high speed trains to Beijing,Wuhan,Kowloon and Zhuhai and has numerous T-trains that stopped at main stations along the way to Wuhan,Nanchang,Kowloon,Shanghai,Tianjin,Zhengzhou and Jinan.

Now that the new Guangzhou South Railway Station (Guangzhou New Railway Station) is open, the Guangzhou Railway Station only deals with some of the passengers to Beijing, Maoming, Zhuhai, Shenzhen, and Wuhan, and some short-distance, multi-stops, and low-speed lines.

 It still provides very convenient service to some medium and small cities.







Guangzhou Baiyun City Hotel is beside the railway terminal.

There were many unscrupulous touts trying to deceive local travellers into booking a hotel room only to find that they were being conned.

 The 'gong an'(policemen)find it difficult to track their activites as these touts only carry with them pamplets.

 My plans to book a train ticket to Xiamen didn't materialised as I was in the wrong railway station.

After checking with the information booth near the main compound entrance in front of the terminal,the officer who spoke slight English gave me a map and told me to go to Guangzhou EAST station that is at Tianhe Road.





This is Huanshi West(pinyin:Xi) Road that link to Shamien Island which is quite far away.

 Nearby is the Wan Tong Complex and the Clothing Market,Huanan Cinema,Global International Trade Centre,Yu Jing International Footwear Plaza,Hualigong Hotel.

 Off the main road were Yuexiu Hotel,Guangzhou Children and Maternity Hospital,Xindalu Footwears Wholesale Mall,Kowloon Hotel,Guan Sheng Hotel,police station,Shenyang Hotel,R & F International Shoes Trading Centre,Ziyou Frozen Food Market,Xicang Electronic Mall and many schools around here.

Try using Metro Line 5,stop at Xicun subway station and take a leisure walk back to Guangzhou Railway station,you'll have a better chance of sourcing products and discovering the best of Guangzhou.

Metro Baiyun Airport Line 3,the fourth stop at Jiahewanggang station,get off and switch to Line 2,count the eighth stop is Guangshou Railway Metro station.

Guangzhou to Xiamen bus ticket aircond sleeper berth 260 yuan,Departure 8:00pm.

 Passengers can buy railway or bus tickets in the ticket office of the station or at the railway ticket windows in Guangzhou City 10 days in advance.

Passengers in the city can also book their tickets via telephone 10 days in advance.

Two ticket booking hotlines are available from 8:00-21:00 everyday.

The numbers are 96020088, 95105105 (in Chinese language).

Bus Routes to Guangzhou Railway terminal:
Take Bus No. 30, 31, 52, 180, 201, 210, 211, 228, B10 (234), 254, 257, 257 (Express), B2 (269), 275, 529, 550, 552, 803, 805, 807A, 807, 840, 862B, 862, 7 (Night) , 8 (Night), 11 (Night), 14 (Night), 15 (Night), 18 (Night), 25 (Night) and 41 (Night) and get off at Guangzhou Railway Station stop.

Subway Lines: Take Subway Line 2 and 5 and get off from Exit D.





Upper floors are the shopping arcades and the Liuhua Passenger Coach Terminal.

 Below is another bus terminal which is for the local intercity buses.

In the evening during rush hours,the whole station is swarmed with passengers lining up to catch the buses.

The fares will be 2 Yuan for night buses irrespective of distance.

Behind this local city bus terminal is the Xindadi Clothing Market,Xindadi Hotel beside Chinese-Muslim Restaurant,Xin Xing Clothing Wholesale Market,Liuhua Clothing Wholesale market.

The Hazrat Saad Bin Abi Waqas Mosque is across the road from Guangzhou Railway terminal.

Before entering this bus departure hall,passengers will have their luggage scanned and the embarkation time will be flashed on a screen.

The two tiered sleeping berth inside the bus is much more comfortable than the one which I took from Vinh to Hanoi in Vietnam.

Seemed that most people prefer to go by train so there were excesses and passengers just choose any sleeping berth available.

Maybe this is also the off season but it is the semester break for most of the local universities.

Travelers should stay off on the following holidays unless you are willing to join the exodus and paying for double the premium tickets
1. New Year's Day: Jan 1-3.
2. Chinese New Year: late January or February
3. Ching Ming - the Tomb Sweeping Festival: April 3-5
4. International Labour Day: May 1-3 Like most countries in the world, Labour Day is celebrated on May 1, and is a public holiday in China.

In the 1990s, the Labour Day holiday was extended from 1 day to 3 days.
The Chinese government made it a 7 day holiday by moving the prior and upcoming weekends together with these 3 days.

The Labour Day holiday was one of the three Golden Weeks in China, allowing millions of Chinese people to travel during this period.

But Starting January 1, 2008, China reduced this holiday period down to 1 day, while simultaneously reviving three traditional Chinese holidays: Dragon Boat Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, and the Mid-Autumn Festival.

5. Dragon Boat Festival: June
There are few sites more spectacular than a fleet of painted dragon boats racing toward the finish line, with a drummer in each boat hammering out the rhythm for the rowers to follow.

Zongzi, the sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves that are an essential feature of any Dragon Boat Festival celebration. (Date: fifth day of the fifth Chinese lunar month).

6. Mid-Autumn Mooncake Festival: September
When the autumn harvest moon is at its fullest, the Chinese celebrate by lighting colorful lanterns and enjoying delicious mooncakes. Learn more about the legends behind the festival and try some mooncake recipes. (Date: fifteenth day of the eighth Chinese lunar month).

7. National Day: October 1-7 The new China was founded on October 1, 1949 with a ceremony at Tian’anmen Square, Beijing.
The Central Government passed the resolution and declared that October 1 is the Chinese National Day. The National Day Holiday is a golden week in China.
When the anniversary is a multiple of five (e.g. the 50th, 55th, or 60th), large scale official celebrations may be held, including an inspection of troops on Tiananmen Square.
The year of 2012 is the 63rd anniversary.

Attractions of Liwan-Yuexiu Districts

The Changshou Metro Station can be accesed via a basement stairway near the main entrance of Heng Bao Plaza shopping complex.

Heng Bao Plaza is one popular hangout place among the locals and there is a restaurant here using the electronic ordering system on iPad minus the waiters.

Wansui Japanese Seafood Buffet Restaurant is on the second floor.

My current position is at (14)Jade Market Street and (4) Hualin Temple.

Other sites nearby incudes (3)Hualin Internationa Jade Plaza,(5)Liwan Plaza,(6)Nylon Hall,(7)Shangxia Jiu Square,(8)Shangxia Jiu Boulevard,(9)Guangzhou Restaurant and (10)Ping An Cinema.



 

China's new Passart car displayed at the ShangxiaJiu Square.

This 2.0 litre Auto is priced at 284,800 Yuan. The NMS Passat is made in China by the Shanghai-Volkswagen joint venture and called New Passat.






  Hualin Temple is a Zen Buddhist temple just beside the Jade Street Market.
Admission is free and once you enter the compound, you'll first see a hall with the statue of Abbot Zhiyang who mastered the construction of five-hundred Arhats or Buddhist immortals which is now kept in the main Arhats Hall building.

 To go inside,one has to use the backdoor which faces the north.




  The "Laughing Buddha" giant statue sits near the main entrance while all the five hundred Arhats in different postures,mood and expressions can be seen all over the hall.

Among them included one thirteen century Italian traveller called Marco Polo also known as Ven.







Jinlun Guild Hall is the principal place of assembly of the Silk Guild in Guangzhou during the Qing Dynasty (Manchu Dynasty AD1723).

The building is beside Kangwang Middle Road,a short distance from the Jade Street Market.

This place is the living testimony concerning capitalism in China which is an important relict of the Marine Silk Road and key material evidence to the foreign trade conducted at the Thirteen Hongs.

All the exhibits vividly demonstrates the splendour once shown in the textile industry and the silk export by China.

On the right corner showcase were many patterns of embroidered fabrics and descriptions about the History of Jinlun Guild Hall were on the wall written in both English and Mandarin.

An ancestral temple styled architecture of Jinlun Guild Hall.

Admission is free but requires to sign on a visitors book.

The original site of the Jinlun Guild Hall was in Xi Lai Xin Street, Xiajiu Road.

The entire building and its foundation were moved to its present site in Kang Wang South Road due to the expansion of KangWang Road.

Jinlun Guild Hall is the Guild Hall for the silk textile industry in Guangzhou. Originally built in 1723, it has been restored and redeveloped numerous times.
The Guild Hall is a three-hall shrine built in the vivid Southern China architectural style with carvings, and ceramic and plaster sculptures.
There are 22 stele carvings in the Hall, which are important relics for studying the rise of capitalism in the Qing Dynasty and the history of commerce and trade in Guangzhou.
The Hall was declared a protected site for its historical and cultural value at the municipal level in July 1999.

Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family is also called Chen Clan Academy or Chen's Lineage Hall at Zhongshan Qi(7) Road now known as Guangdong Museum of Folk Arts and Crafts.

This place is where family members of the Chen clan scholars prepare for the imperial examinations during the Qing Dynasty.

The temple is a compound complex consisting of nine halls, six courtyards and nineteen buildings connected by corridors, all separated by walls from the outside world.

Admission fees is 10 Yuan ,opened from 08:30-17:30.
Every month there is a one day free entrance during the 1st day of Chinese Calender month (normally middle of month)
To reach here,Metro Subway Line 1 to Chenjiaci(Chen Clan) Station stop.
Bus Routes: Take 17, 85, 88, 104, 107, 109, 114, 128, 133, 181, 193, 204, 233, 250, 251, 260, 268, 286, Tourist Bus Line 1 or 2
**Tourist Bus Line 1,2 or 3 starts at the terminal in Zhongshan Ba (8) Lu (Road)=Fares 2 Yuan
During the night the open space in front was used by local folks for dancing,karaoke singing and tai chi martial art practising ground.




A pushcart muslim hawker at the corner of Dongfeng Xilu(East Road) near Albasha Muslim Restuarant selling special grilled lamb meat.

 He advertised as 'Muslim Lical Flavor Rotiseerie Xinjinang' or to put it another way is "Muslim local favour rotisserie Xinjiang"

In fact most of the muslims in Guangzhou came from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
 Xinjiang borders Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, has abundant oil reserves and is China's largest natural gas-producing region.





Grilled lamb(pin yin:yang rou) stick each for 2 Yuan.

These kabobs, kebabs, satays, or skewers are Halal(meaning according to Islamic laws).

China's far western region of Xinjiang is the home of sheep breeders.
China which has to feed 22 per cent of the world's population but has only 7 per cent of the world's arable land, has devoted plenty of resources in recent years to increasing domestic production of grains, meat and other food products.

There will be the 19th Guangzhou International Food and Beverages Exhibition to be held between 10-12th December 2012 at the Guangzhou International Exhibition Center in Pazhou.







Street beggar writing poetry on the pavement.
 He has slight physical deformities on his leg so he has to earn a living in a more professional begging method.

 Passersby will read his written script and gave a little donation.

You won't see beggars walking around asking for alms in Guangzhou but most will have to come out with innovative ways to impress their net worth by performing some acts like singing,playing with musical instruments or doing some handicrafts for sale.






It took me close to an hour walking from Shangxijiu Square,exploring some of the heritage sites along the way and having a first hand look of the lifestyle of the people in Guangzhou.

The evening rush hours is a common sight in most emerging economies but you won't see traffic jams and the roaring sounds of motorcycles which were banned in Guangzhou.

 In fact the province has the most economic migrants.

Having passed by Liuhua Lake Park which is now in the Yuexiu District,the A Mariott Hotel stands elegantly on the eastern shore of the lake at Liuhua Road.
Yuexiu Park Metro Station Line 2 ,exit D1 is right near the hotel.

Beside A Mariott Hotel is the Dong Fang Hotel,a luxury commercial five-star hotel which was built in 1961 and specifically used for senior government ministers and diplomatic corps.

This kind of Chinese traditional arch gate architecture is now a common sight throughout most Chinatowns in the world.

Directly across the road from Dong Fang Hotel is the new building five storey complex of the China Fashion Trade Center which is to be opened on the 15th June 2012.

The first and second floors are the ladies dresses zone,third floor being menswear, fourth floor leather products and fifth floor the display and exhibition area.

Fashion Trade Center is a trade and exhibition center importing business models from other fashion brands, promoting clothing industry and creating new fashion structure.

The main focus will be on middle and high level brand’s wholesales providing assistance in E-commerce and retails.






Movie characters of aliens robotic structures were displayed outside the open space of the exhibition center.

This is a novel artistic creativity of Guangzhou Acee Trading Company Limited which specialized in metal arts sculptures. Address is at Mingdu First Street, Fangzhi Road., Haizhu District, Guangzhou.

This is one attractions which visitors will be enticed with when walking into most exhibition centers in China.

Part section of the robot's feet using recycled auto mechanical parts.

TRANSFORMERs robot,the year 2007 American sci-fi film. He is the Autobot.

  Chest of robot made from metal parts of junk machines.

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