Enchanting Xiamen: China’s most liveable city

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With Xiamen set to become a major part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, you'd think the place would be given over to cargo ships, trains and planes. So it may come as a surprise to you that Xiamen regularly ranks in the top 10 of China's most liveable cities, and has even received a gold medal at LivCom and the UN Habitat Scroll of Honor for its commitment to improving its urban environment.

Lowering carbon footprints

Xiamen lies on the same latitude as Miami. /CGTN Photo‍

Way back in 1994, Xiamen had already begun its transformation into a green city.

Today, vines proliferate around highways and bridges, while palms and mango trees heavy with fruit loom over sidewalks, contributing to the city's impressive 40 percent forest coverage – a positive spin on the term "urban jungle."

This, in addition to a ban on petrol-powered motorbikes, might be why the air seems fresher here.

Cycling is big in Xiamen and a wide bike lane runs alongside the beach, the most picturesque section of which stretches for 10 km from Xiamen University, though you’ll have to share it with tittering couples on tandem bikes and wobbly tourists using bike-shares.

Wildlife haven

Many of Xiamen’s roads and landmarks are named after egrets. /CGTN Photo

All this greenery is heaven for wildlife. Indeed, Xiamen was once known as "Egret Island" and today one of the best places to see the city's mascot in action is Yundang Lake.

It's a popular bird-watching spot that even has bird blinds (a wall with peepholes), something rarely seen in other Chinese cities.

Every morning at around 7:00 a.m., egrets and photographers stake out a dam on one corner of the man-made, saltwater lake.

When the barrier opens, swarms of white egrets swoop down, plucking startled fish out of the foaming, plunging waters. Once they’ve had their fill, they’ll perch and preen themselves.

Cruise in style with a beer or glass of wine. /CGTN Photo

If you haven't got a small fortune in photographic equipment, worry not – the lake's solar-powered ferries take you past the trees and islets on which the egrets roost.

The cruise is also a great way to see the city in a nutshell, with fancy restaurants, neon-lit bars and expensive apartment complexes blending in with the lush foliage of the lake’s surroundings. No wonder they call Xiamen the "Garden City."

If you like what you see, be sure to tune in for Travelogue's “Enchanting Xiamen” series, broadcasting every day from September 3 to 5 on CGTN. Travelogue is a 30-minute features program that takes viewers on unforgettable adventures across China. It airs on Sundays at 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. BJT (00:30 & 09:30 GMT), with rebroadcasts on Mondays at 2:00 a.m. (Sunday 19:00 GMT) and Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. (06:30 GMT).

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