About Xiamen

Located at the southeast coast of China, Xiamen is a tourist city of Fujian Province famous for its attractive seascape. As one of the major seaports since ancient times, it boasts a wide gulf with deep water but without freezing and silting. The name of 'Xiamen' was consequently given, which means 'a gate of China'. As one of the forerunners of the special economic zones of China, the city mainly consisting of Xiamen Island, Gulangyu Island, the north bank area of the Jiulong River and Tong'an County, is connected with the mainland by the Gaoji Seawall, Xiamen Bridge, etc. The city has been called the Egret Island because of the hundreds of thousands of egrets inhabiting there. This is due to the beautiful natural scenery, the fresh air and the clean environment of the city.

Being of a subtropical monsoon climate with mild weather all year round expect the typhoon months, Xiamen is an ideal tourist destination for you. It is a typical littoral city with abundant tourist attractions such as islands, mountains, temples and parks, etc., providing you with a full sightseeing schedule. The well-known Gulangyu Island, South Putuo Temple and other tourist areas like Jimei, Hulishan Battery, Wanshiyan, etc. are highly recommended. A sea tourist line is also available for you to enjoy the amazing scenery of many beautiful small islands around.


Xiamen enjoys convenient transportation. You can go there by air, by train, by coach or by sea. The transportation within the city is also satisfying. Most tourists consider the accommodation, consisting of many star rated hotels, convenient. Meanwhile there are plenty of special local products to be added to your shopping list, including various kinds of tealeaves, fruits like sugarcanes, olives and longans as well as sea products such as fish, prawns, crabs, abalones and lancelets.

Being the hometown of many overseas Chinese, Xiamen has actually benefited from the contribution of overseas Chinese and its economy has undertaken great advancement. To promote its tourism industry, it has established not only the corresponding infrastructures, but also a great variety of entertainment centers. The folk customs of the minorities, varied local festivals and especially the particular local dishes and snacks are also appealing to visitors. Xiamen, with distinct oriental culture and southern Fujian features, welcomes you from all over the world.


Time Zone
Time Zone: GMT plus 8 hours

Useful Numbers:
Telephone country code: +86
Telephone area code: 592
Police: 110
Fire Department: 119
Ambulance: 120
Local directory assistance: 114 (service in Chinese only)

Currency and Bank Information:
The RMB (Renminbi) is the official currency, also called Chinese Yuan. Only RMB can be used when you are in China. Major credit cards including VISA, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted at some hotels, department stores and restaurants.
Exchange rate is now about(Dec 24th, 2016)
1 Euro = 7.263 RMB
1 USD= 6.946 RMB
The universal Currency Converter: http://www.xe.com/ucc/
Currency exchange service is available at the airport Office of the Bank of China. Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Construction Bank of China, and Guangda Bank also provide ATM service in the terminal.
There are a few banks on the Xiang'an campus of Xiamen University. Most of banks are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. on weekdays, and close earlier on Saturdays and Sundays.

Tipping
Tipping is not a part of Chinese custom. A 10% to 15% service charge may be added to your bill at some tourist hotels thus no tipping is expected unless you are provided with extra service. It is not necessary to tip a taxi driver unless he/she assists with luggage or provides extra service.

Electricity
The standard domestic power supply in China is 220 V AC at 50 Hz. The standard sockets are two parallel lines
and three lines as shown on the right photo.

Insurance
No responsibility can be assured for any kind of personal accidents, sickness, theft, or property damage suffered by conference participants. Participants are advised to arrange whatever insurance they consider it necessary.

Weather
Xiamen is a subtropical coastal city. The temperature in Jan is between 10-17 ℃, with an average of 15℃ (59°F). The average precipitation in Jan is about 37 mm. Yahoo’s 5-day Xiamen weather report:
http://weather.yahoo.com/forecast/CHXX0140_f.html

For more useful and interesting local information, visit http://amoymagic.com/.