With the release of Xiamen: The Camphor City Guide, there simply wasn’t enough room to include all of the photos of the city that I wanted readers to see. So here, with captions, are a selection of images that I hope will give even more colour and context to the words in the guide.
Marco Polo Area & Yundang Lake 马可波罗区 & 筼筜湖
A fresh serve of xiaolongbao from Hangzhou Xiaolongbao in the Marco Polo area
The view from Xiamen Botanical Gardens, over Wanshilian Temple and the towers lining Yundang Lake, to the green hilltop of Huweishan Park in the distance
A young family walks the western edge of Yundang Lake near Haiwan Park
The bridge that carries the visitor from Haiwan Park to Yundang Lake. The Marco Polo area is on the left
A trio of egrets swoop for fish on Yundang Lake
A couple pose for photos by night in Huweishan Park near the Marco Polo area
Flowers near the children’s playground in Haiwan Park
Kulangsu 鼓浪屿
Kulangsu viewed from Xiamen island’s Waterfront Park, near Zhongshan Road
the crowds shuffle shoulder-to-shoulder along Longtou Lu in the middle of Kulangsu
Viewed from Sunlight Rock, the iconic roof of Kulangsu’s Organ Museum is backed by the western shoreline of Xiamen island, including the Xiamen Bund now known as Waterfront Park
The moon rises over Xiamen’s newest skyscrapers, the Shimao Xiamen Straits Plaza as they take shape, with the red roofs of Kulangsu in the foreground
Zhongshan Road 中山路
Night falls on Bashi Market near Zhongshan Road, some of Xiamen’s oldest streets
Xiamen University & Around 厦门大学区
White paper bowls ready to be filled with shachamian (沙茶面) in the streets near Xiamen University
Fresh ale, brewed on site at Amoy Bräu in the Shapowei area
Nanputuo Temple, dwarfed by the towering Wulao Peak to the north
A detail of succulents in the cacti & succulents section of Xiamen Wanshi Botanical Gardens
Sampans bottom out on Shapowei inlet, with the towers of Shimao Xiamen Straits Plaza behind
Monks assemble on the outer edges of Nanputuo’s main temple
Sunset among the rocks and halls of Nanputuo Temple
Zengcuo’an & the South Coast 曾厝垵 & 南岸
Seafood on offer in Zengcuo’an
A typical hole-in-the-wall Zengcuo’an business, with its lovingly-painted mural on the outer wall
A troupe of drummers performing at the Zengcuo’an Temple during the Lantern Festival
The traditional and the hipster coexist at ATU photography in Zengcuo’an
The Accidental Oriental 