Historically, Xiamen was established as a major seaport in the Ming Dynasty, in the seventeenth century to stem the southward influence of the Manchu Qing dynasty and restore the Ming rule. Xiamen was also an unofficial trading depot, doing a thriving under-the-counter business in silks with the Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch, until a British naval force stormed ashore after their victory in the first Opium War in 1841 and opened it up as a full Treaty Port. There is evidence today of its role as an international settlement in the surviving colonial architecture of parts of its skyline.

Xiamen has a subtropical oceanic climate. From July to September the summer is warm with temperatures reaching 37'C. Winter is cool with average temperature around 11'C. The annual average is 20.8C, with the absolute highest temperature of 38.4C, lowest of 2C. The best season for visiting Xiamen lasts from April through to November. There are the Gulangyu Islet, Nanputuo Hill, Wanshi Crag, and Jimei tourist areas and a tourist route on the sea.

Xiamen was declared one of China’s first Special Economic Zones in the early 1980’s, taking advantage of the city’s heritage as a trading center and the proximity to Taiwan. Today Xiamen is one of China’s most attractive and best-maintained resort cities.