At
the northern end of the
Gaoqi-Jimei Sea Dyke
lies the town of Jimei.
Encircled by the sea on
three sides, the town is
known for its
magnificent buildings
and picture-postcard
scenery. Jimei is the
hometown of Tan Kah-kee,
who founded Xiamen
University in 1913. He
then went on to build a
kindergarten, a science
centre, a library and
several other schools
teaching various
subjects, turning Jimei
from a rural village
into a sizeable town
whose total student
population of more than
100,000 exceeds that of
the local residents. As
a tourist site, Jimei
has the following
attractions to offer:
Aoyuan (Turtle Garden)
Situated on the
southeastern tip of
Jimei Town, Turtle
Garden includes a
50-metre-long corridor,
a monument and the
Mausoleum of Tan Kah-kee.
The walls on both sides
of the corridor have
carvings of more than 40
pictures relating the
lives of historical
figures. A pagoda-shaped
stone monument is
erected in the centre of
the garden. On the stone
railings are relief
sculptures depicting the
life of this great
patriot.
Yanping Fortress General
Zheng Chenggong built
this granite fortress
atop an overhanging
cliff over-looking the
sea on the southern side
of Jimei Town. The site
now lies in ruins except
for one solitary door
and a rusty cannon.
Xiamen Sea Dykes Xiamen
is linked with the
mainland by the
Gaoqi-Jimei and
Jimei-Xinglin Sea Dykes.
Both dykes are open to
traffic and are used by
trains, automobiles and
pedestrians. In 1991 a
new highway bridge was
built to the northeast
of the Gaoqi-Jimei Dyke,
and is the first
land-sea bridge in China. |