Xiamen and its many splendors

China, for the longest time, has been on the very top of my must-visit list of destinations. So, when an unexpected invitation came my way to join the invitational flight of Cebu Pacific Airways to Xiamen, the reply was an astounding, "Yes, thank you."

Bubbly Ana Mendoza, the airlines super efficient and truly effective promotions and special events director, met me at the Manila Domestic Airport and we proceeded to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, but not before a detour to Pancake House, a favorite of ours.

We were warmly met at the check-in counter by Roland Nuñez, VP for commercial planning and support, Viveca Singson, JG Summit communications manager, and Edwin Bautista, domestic affairs and government relations director, an old friend who served at the Cebu Pacific office in Cebu.

The just a little-over-two-hour flight was much too short to fully appreciate the luxurious amenities. Without any warning, the fasten-seatbelts sign was switched on, and before long, local government representatives and airport officials in Xiamen extended us the red carpet welcome amid pleasantries and brief speeches, as tokens of goodwill and friendships were exchanged.

To attempt to know Xiamen even within any reasonable amount of time is simply an impossibility. So allow me to share with you my own discovery, impressions and experiences, all wonderful and memorable. For starters, we learned that Xiamen, which was founded in 1394 at the beginning of the Ming dynasty, is an island city with a rich and dramatic history. Known in the west as Amoy, it is the second largest city in the Fujian province, next to the capital Fuzhou.

But today, high-rise ultra-modern buildings seem to jot out in the sky as if on a race. For a brief moment, one could easily mistake them to be the skyscrapers of Manhattan or Singapore. The locals, however, mentioned several times that before any construction is undertaken, before they even lay down the first stone so to speak, they seek the advice of a geomancer to determine the proper combination of both natural and artificial influences on the site. In other words, feng shui reigns. This is why palaces and pavilions, buildings and structures face south and why gateways form an intentional maze to bar evil spirits from the premises. Interesting, isn’t it?

Xiamen knows it is not Beijing or Shanghai, neither does it claim to compete with other popular cities when it comes to sightseeing sensations.

But its monuments – and there are dozens of them, including one commemorating Jose Rizal, and parks where flowers abound all-year round I have been assured – are well worth visiting. The Chinese gardens, found almost everywhere, are designed and maintained to reflect the grandeur of nature, thus creating a peaceful effect. Complementing it are miniature trees, interesting grottos, intricate pavilions and quaint bridges. Mystical rock arrangements figure prominently, too, reminding one that it’s the result of human taste and intervention.

A must for every tourist, more so for us Filipinos, is the shopping. Xiamen has a wide variety of shops showcasing the products of local artists and artisans, from souvenir items to ethnic novelties, brocades and silks, figurines and antiques, woodcarvings and porcelains. Prices are as marked, but haggling – thanks heaven – is a part of the many splendors and adventures of shopping.

We did venture into Quanzhou, a two- hour coach ride northeast of Xiamen where we admired the oldest mulberry tree in the world, stood in awe before the oldest stone pagoda in China, and explored the Maritime Museum. We even went as far as Mount Qingyuan, designated as a national park. Here, mountain views replaced Xiamen’s beaches. Temples, stone inscriptions and even Islamic tombs speck the trails. These certainly give a glimpse into understanding the religious significances in the area.

The experience I will never forget from this ancient and vast nation bursting with progress and excitement was wading into the sea of its people – doing slow-motion calisthenics with pauses for gossips, crisscrossing boulevards with their jingling bicycles, anxious throngs at bus stops…. Oh! I could go on and on. China simply fascinates me – to no end.