Xiamen
厦门
Instagram vs Reality
Xiamen is China's most overrated coastal city. Gulangyu Island, the main attraction, is so packed with tourists you'll spend more time queuing than exploring. The beaches wouldn't impress anyone who's been to Thailand. The food is good but not special enough to justify the trip. It's a nice enough city for locals, but as a tourist destination, it's triumph of marketing over substance.
The Honest Take:
Every Chinese person will tell you Xiamen is beautiful. It's not. It's overcrowded, overpriced, and overrated. Gulangyu Island is a tourist nightmare, the beaches are mediocre, and the 'charm' is manufactured for social media.
- •Gulangyu Island is overcrowded tourist hell
- •Beaches are rocky and underwhelming
- •Overpriced everything due to domestic tourist demand
- •Better coastal cities exist (Qingdao, Dalian)
- •Architecture is pleasant but not unique
- •Massive weekend crowds from nearby cities
What people fall for: Social media photos and 'romantic island' marketing
- ✓Visit on weekdays only
- ✓Skip Gulangyu entirely - explore the mainland
- ✓Eat seafood at Eighth Market
- ✓Nanputuo Temple is worth 30 minutes
- →Gulangyu Island requires advance tickets - but don't bother
- →University area has better food than tourist zones
- →If you want beaches, fly to Sanya or Thailand instead
- →Extremely crowded on weekends - avoid at all costs
- →Most 'must-eat' foods are tourist-trap versions
Qingdao for beaches, Quanzhou for Fujian culture, or just go to Taiwan
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