Xiamen, known in the native Fujian dialect as Amoy, is an island off the coast of southeast China. The shape of the island is said to resemble a flying egret. Centuries ago it was, in fact, an uninhabited island nesting site for these birds. Folk tales recount battles between the egrets and poisonous snakes for dominance over the island. Now, Xiamen is also known as the Island of the Egret.

The island's history can be traced back 3,000 years. Ming Emperor Zhu Hongwu (1338 - 1398 A.D.) ordered a new city to be built there to guard against pirates. He named it Xiamen, meaning the Gate to the Chinese Mansion. National hero Zheng Chenggong (1634 - 1663 A.D.) once headed a garrison there. After the Opium War in 1840, it became one of the five ports forced open to trade by foreign powers.

With an area of 334 square miles and a population of 960,000, it is now the second-largest city in Fujian province. Surrounded by rocks, caves, temples, gardens, flowers and woods, it has a variety of natural and cultural scenic spots.

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