| Xiamen or Taipei...HELP ME! | |
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| Jul 14, 2004 12:12 |   |
 | Hey all, I just graduated college, came over to Taipei with my company, and am now being given the choice to move to Xiamen instead. I'm getting to know Taipei alright, but I know very little about Xiamen and am hoping somebody can tell me about the place. I know this is more a traveling website, so I'm hoping that one of you travelers have traveled to Xiamen and can answer one/some/all of the below questions. THANKS! 1)For instance, is there an expat community there? I'm definitely going to meet the locals, but I fear I may get lonely if I go a year without having somebody with whom to talk baseball/football and complain about the Chinese government. 2)I don't even know what dialect they speak there. I studied three years of Mandarin in college and want to make sure I'm fluent over the next 12 months. I KNOW I can do that here in Taipei, but can I do that in Xiamen? How're the Xiamen University classes? Does everybody on the street speak Mandarin that me, a fresh schoolboy from the states, could understand? 3)How hard is it to get around? I'm not getting a scooter, maybe a bike (no, not a hog...a bicycle); is there public transit (I'm guessing buses but no subway?)? 4)What about public parks? I love running. Taipei sucks as far as running goes, but it DOES have Daan park, where I could go and run around it's 2k trail. Not great, but it's enough. Does Xiamen have affordable gyms? 5)I want to study judo or jiu jitsu (ie, one of the wrestling martial arts). Can I do that in Xiamen? |
| Jul 16, 2004 10:26 | #1 |
| Please don't worry! Everyone who first come to a totally new place, he/ she will feel very nervous, which is positive. If you can understand the dialect in Paibei, I think there exist no difficulty for you to understand the one in Xiamen, because Taiwanese and Fujianese all speak the Mingnan dialect. |
| Jul 30, 2004 13:06 | #2 |
| Xiamen people are friendly,you can speak to them in putonghua or otherwise known as Mandarin. Young people can understand English. It is better to speak to them in Fukienese or Minnanhua. There is certainly a community of expats. As for learning martial arts, you might have have time putting it into action since the Xiamen people are generally peaceful. Buses cost 1 Yuan or 1 RMB when you step in. Get yourself a City Map at Xinhua Bookstore for 15 RMB at zhong Shan branch. The parks are bigger and better compared to Taipei. The one at Zhong Shan is free. Go ahead. Go there. Discover and Enjoy. |
| Aug 3, 2004 09:55 | #3 |
| Going from one place to another within the city is fairly easy with over 50 public transport routes. Bus fares are RMB 1. Minibuses also shuttle back and forth in the city, but be prepared for delay because minibus drivers are liable to wait until the bus is full. Fares for such buses are from RMB 1 and above depending on the number of stops. |
| Aug 5, 2004 23:24 | #4 |
| Hey GSTARKWE, If you decide to go to Xiamen it would be a good choice. you wrote that you were just graduated, what do you need with expats ?? the expats who are situated or most of the time older people. (I live allready for one year and hang around with some of them but they are all older then me) There is also Xiamen University or you can just go for dinner or for a drink in a 4 and 5 star hotel there are always foreigners You studied three years Mandarin so the language is no problem, The Xiamen University classes is in my opinion are a little bit bad and very expensive, I experienced it! For getting around are there a lot of busses and taxi's who will bring you around the city. In Xiamen the public parks are quiet nice and clean so that would also no problem for you, the only thing is if there is a park next to your house. For martial arts I wouldn't know but you will find out really soon if you are in Xiamen. Greetings |
| Aug 6, 2004 19:51 | #5 |
| Thanks, all, for your help. I am in Xiamen now and am enjoying it. I've mostly been working my first week here, but I can tell already that it's a beautiful place with wonderful parks, running trails by the canal, clean air and great people. Thanks for all your help...I'm looking forward to the year here! -gstarkwe |
| Nov 14, 2005 05:25 | #6 |
| In case you happen to browse through this thread. Just wanted to ask if you found a BJJ gym there. I am a purple belt in Bjj and will be sent there next year for work. Any info will be much appreciated |
| Jun 7, 2007 21:03 | #7 |
| Info Xiamen no Bjj gym (of course) the mainland is still very much behind in most things. No subway(bad public transport). Bad food (you will get food poisoning). Rude locals (no one is actually from xiamen). Not as clean they boast, its a small city with far to many cars and the buses often spew black smoke from the exhaust. Winter is cold, xiamen is only sub-tropical sometimes the temperature drops as low 5 degree celsius and also factor in the sea breeze(COLD). It will get worse a Taiwanese company has invested in a chemical plant which is entirely to close to xiamen city and if where to have accidents(count on they will) would cause dangers to the health of all residing in Xiamen. All other provinces refused this plant but Xiamen accepted, this city has a history of corruption and less then 10 years before there was huge mafia problems here. Yes Xiamen has many students from overseas studying Chinese however most leave after a year or less due to the fact that Xiamen is extremely boring and not ready for foreigners. No youth oriented area's, Shopping is a nightmare as Xiamen does not accept Foriegn cards in all but two very "shitty" supermarkets(carrefour and metro). If you are in Taiwan stay there get to know it more its not a good as HK but it is far more suitable for internationals. I am also leaving here in a month(thank the heavens) and I can say I won't come back. I would advise you stay in Taiwan and if you ever have time for a vacations come to my country (THAI) :) |
| Dec 10, 2007 10:28 | #8 |
| GUESTRICKY L... | Man, is Xiamen that bad? Im heading over there in a few months for 3 years, better be good. I was also looking for a BJJ class, coz I really wanna keep training. Hope there will be a bjj gym there soon, otherwise I might start one. Cheers |
| Dec 15, 2007 08:25 | #9 |
| It's all relative. Xiamen is one of China's nicest smaller cities. And they all have their problems, Xiamen is no exception. It's not Shanghai so you won't find such a cosmopolitan atmosphere. Of course if that is what you want then you can choose to live in Shanghai. There is a good and always transient expat community, many of them younger students and teachers and lots of great outdoor things to do. In fact if you love running, Xiamen has miles of coastline that is free and beautiful to run along and some mountain parks which would be a bit more of a challenge. And yes it gets pretty cool in winter despite being a subtropical climate but the sun shines far more often which is a big plus but you will need some warm clothes in the winter as there is little heating. A city is only as friendly as you make it. |
| Sep 11, 2008 02:55 | #10 |
| GUEST13209 | Dear GSTARKWE , I have been living in Xiamen for 4 years and let me try to answer your question. 1)For instance, is there an expat community there? I'm definitely going to meet the locals, but I fear I may get lonely if I go a year without having somebody with whom to talk baseball/football and complain about the Chinese government. There is a small expat community, it can't in any way be compared with shanghai or Beijing. 2)I don't even know what dialect they speak there. I studied three years of Mandarin in college and want to make sure I'm fluent over the next 12 months. I KNOW I can do that here in Taipei, but can I do that in Xiamen? How're the Xiamen University classes? Does everybody on the street speak Mandarin that me, a fresh schoolboy from the states, could understand? The locals Speak Minnan hua but most of the locals speak Manarin. Half of the city is gold diggers from other parts of Fujian or China. Almost nobody speaks English, even if alot of peolpe shouts hello when you pass by. 3)How hard is it to get around? I'm not getting a scooter, maybe a bike (no, not a hog...a bicycle); is there public transit (I'm guessing buses but no subway?)? The trafic in Xiamen is terrible, do not ride a bicycle it's really dangerus. The car/taxi drivers can not drive at all. They drive with no concern for others life. I have seen 4-5 dead peolpe lying on the street after beeing hit. The buss driver drives even worse. If you take a buss ride you should be prepared for packed busses, sweat and farts. It's a very unciviliced trafic situation. Unfortunately the trafic gives you a mirror to the peoples soul. Money money money, me me me. 4)What about public parks? I love running. Taipei sucks as far as running goes, but it DOES have Daan park, where I could go and run around it's 2k trail. Not great, but it's enough. Does Xiamen have affordable gyms? Xiamen have some parks, they all have a very artificial feeling. I tought you could run around the lake in central Xiamen but is stinks to much. You can however run at the beach side, Huan dao lu. The gyms in Xiamen are not very good and they are quite expencive. 5)I want to study judo or jiu jitsu (ie, one of the wrestling martial arts). Can I do that in Xiamen? I m sure you can find something but don't expect to much. I hope my answers can help you decide. George |
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