For the last stop on our 19th century China tour, we head south still further to more tropical climes, to Xiamen, an ancient coastal city nestled in the mountains of Fujian province. Fujian is one of the more unique provinces in China. It’s ancient, even by China’s standards, with evidence of human habitation going back to 7000 BC. It’s also covered in mountains, which are both scenic and pivotal in Fujian’s history: they’ve acted as a kind of cultural barrier between Fujian and the rest of China. While the Han culture originating in northern China slowly came to define what we think of as modern China, minority groups have long flourished in the isolated mountains and valleys of Fujian. There are hundreds of languages* spoken in Fujian, with locals claiming that if you drive 10 miles in any direction that the locals will speak an entirely different language! A view of lush Fujian province from our train (speeding trains don't make the best venue for pictures, so forgive the blurriness). Melanie would also like to note that the milk tea reflected in the window was yummy! Fujian’s mountains have also made overland travel and communication with the rest of China difficult, with the result being that Fujian’s denizens have long looked to the sea for trade and travel. Fujian has a string of coastal cities unusual for their long history of trade with other cultures and nations,** and Xiamen is the most famous of these coastal cities. As early as the Song Dynasty, (around 1000-1200 AD), Xiamen was the main port for foreign trade in China. As a result, when European ships first started making their way to China in the 1500s, looking for tea and silk, Xiamen was their port of call. Xiamen would end up having a lasting impact on Western views of China. For instance, the English word ‘tea’ actually comes from Xiamen’s local Hokkien dialect (one of Fujian’s many local languages), the word ‘te,’ not the Mandarin word for tea, which is ‘cha’ (茶). As China’s trade with the West grew, Xiamen remained one of the most important trading centers in China for laowai. Xiamen’s semi-tropical climate and warm year-round temperatures made it a particularly appealing place for laowai to settle, and Xiamen was thus one of the biggest hubs of laowai in the 19th century. Europeans, Americans, and Japanese all flocked to Xiamen. Most laowai settled onto an island about 100 yards off-shore from Xiamen: Gulangyu. Initially a deserted rocky outcropping overlooking Xiamen’s bustling harbor, Gulangyu’s 19th century laowai community transformed the island into a warren of mansions, gardens, shops, churches, and consulates. To the left, the entrance to the old U.S. Consulate. The island’s architecture is what you’d expect to find in a picturesque Mediterranean town, with palm trees and narrow cobble-stone streets winding between walled mansions and immaculate gardens. A variety of churches were built to suit the multitude of believers in Xiamen, with Catholic and Protestant churches often sharing a town square. And with Xiamen’s relatively warm and wet climate, Gulangyu’s gardens burst forth with astounding varieties of flowers and trees. One can even find a few art deco buildings lending a slightly modernist twist to Gulangyu! In Gulangyu, Xiamen’s 19th century laowai created a beautiful European-style city with a tropical flare that is unique in Asia. An old Protestant Church now used as a state Church. As with the other sites we’ve visited on our tour though, Xiamen’s cosmopolitan turn ended in the 1940s. Japanese forces occupied the city, and Xiamen’s laowai population fled. Gulangyu’s mansions and gardens were not abandoned for long though. Xiamen’s local populace soon took up residence, with great mansions once home to a single laowai family now home to 6 or 7 Chinese families! Gulangyu’s new residents appreciated the beauty of their surroundings and kept the island’s charms largely intact, while also adding more local flare. Where once Gulangyu’s streets teemed with French cafes and German bakeries, Gulangyu now teems with local street food: sea life of every variety being grilled on demand! Xiamen is famed throughout China for its seafood, and the locals seem undaunted in eating every imaginable creature fished out of the surrounding seas! Yummmm...nothing like eating the insects of the sea! I imagine this was once a mansion home to European elites, with formal dinner parties a common occurrence. The hanging laundry now indicates a more down-to-earth use! I wish Melanie and I were lucky enough to rent one of these apartments! After a few decades of turmoil in the 20th century, Xiamen has again emerged as a hub of trade and commerce. Xiamen is one of China’s wealthiest cities today, and the city’s port continues to be a center of shipping throughout Asia. Xiamen’s Gulangyu is also famed throughout China for its beauty, and the island overflows with tour groups on the weekends! The island has aged gracefully, with its gardens and mansions echoing its past luxury. Melanie and I happily spent a day strolling*** through the island’s winding streets and gardens, luxuriating in its peace and beauty. To the left, a Buddhist monk and his dog relaxing in a cafe. A view of downtown Xiamen from a ferry in the harbor. And so ends our tour of 19th century China. Melanie and I set out to see new places a little off the beaten path along China’s eastern coast. Our travels showed us some of the diversity and beauty of eastern China, and, unexpectedly, the imprint of laowai forerunners from the 19th century. It’s interesting to reminisce on the mixed legacy of these forebears, and also to ponder what impact today’s laowai might leave in China. China’s long history with outsiders is a mixed one, with contact often being fitful and tumultuous. Despite this, the interactions between China and laowai have been important for both parties, yesterday and today. *When Melanie and I first moved to China, we thought everyone in China spoke either Mandarin or Cantonese, but the reality is far more complex. China has hundreds, maybe thousands, of so-called ‘local dialects’, spoken languages specific to cities/regions. While these dialects are nominally related to Mandarin, many are so different as to be entirely different languages. **Because of this outward focus, Fujian is also the source for much of the Chinese diaspora living throughout the world, from southeast Asia to the United States. Next time you’re at a Chinese restaurant in the U.S., ask your server about Fujian. There’s a decent chance that’s where they’re from! ***Of note, Gulangyu does not have any cars or motorbikes, making it the safest place for pedestrians that we’ve ever experienced in China!
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AuthorTwo free spirits who happen to be a lawyer (Brian), an educator (Melanie), and Americans find themselves in China in the twenty-first century. Archives
February 2016
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