Take slow walk to Xiamen, there is a road that takes you through time to appreciate the city
UP ChinaTravel
2024-07-21 18:08:04
0Times

Just because of a sudden idea when I graduated, I came to Xiamen for ten years. This city is known as the best livable city, and its slow pace has gradually penetrated into my life over the past ten years. In my spare time, I like to use my footsteps instead of other means of transportation, walk slowly, and appreciate the city. The most suitable place for slow walking is the railway park that runs through Xiamen's Laocheng District.


Starting from the Siming District Government, the railway park is close to Dashengli on Siming South Road. This is an old street in Xiamen where many old Xiamen citizens live. Xiamen University, Nanputuo, Museum, Hongshan Park and other old Xiamen attractions are all on this road.

This park was originally a deserted old railway. In the early days, it was used as an extension of the Yingxia Railway. It began to be idle in the 1980s. In a flash of 20 to 30 years, it has become a forgotten corner of the city and is also full of memories of the older generation of Xiamen people of the Xiamen Railway. Today, the traffic lights and warning signs specially set up at that time still remain at the intersection.

People who have lived here for many years will find that Xiamen Railway Station can be regarded as the dividing line between the Laocheng District and the New town area. The converted Xiamen Railway Cultural Park starts from Jinbang Park (Wenping Road) in the east and ends at Heping Wharf in the west. It is about 4.5 kilometers, just running through the Laocheng District. The entire park connects the ferry terminal, Xiagang Laocheng District, Wanshishan Scenic Area, Huxiyan Scenic Area and Wanshou Area. The intersecting sections can then spread out and extend to Zhongshan Park, Huaxin Road, Yangtai Mountain, Wenping Mountain, Dongping Mountain, Longhu Mountain, and to Zengcuo 'an and Huandao Road.


Stroll along the railway park and admire bougainvillea. The slow walk in Xiamen starts here.



There are lush flowers and plants along the railway park. Bougainvillea can be seen all year round in Xiamen. In spring and summer, the flowers are luxuriant and colorful. The birds sing endlessly among the flowers, and occasionally one or two naughty little squirrels run out. Although there are no arcade or red houses with southern Fujian characteristics along the way, the old houses with mottled gray walls exude a nostalgic atmosphere and tell the story. The secrets of the city's old times, humanity and nature are perfectly integrated. Although the rail sleepers have been replaced with brick and red wooden boards, being in it still feels like riding a time train. The Hongshan Tunnel is the entrance to the Time Channel.

The Hongshan Tunnel is the last tunnel in the southern section of the Yingxia Railway. Now it has become a memorial hall for the history of Xiamen Railway Development. Slow down and continue, and an epic of the century-old development of China's railways is slowly unfolding before our eyes. Among them, the Yingxia Railway is of great significance to Xiamen's transportation development. It was proposed by Mr. Chen Jiageng, a patriotic overseas Chinese, and he went to the site to inspect the route. Construction started in February 1955, completed in December of the following year, and opened to traffic in 1957. The cross-sea embankment built first connected Xiamen Island, which was isolated by the sea, with the land. Because of this railway, Xiamen Island is no longer just a fishing village. It has taken the pace of industrialization and laid the foundation for Xiamen's development, and achieved step by step into today's beautiful Egret Island.



On one side of the tunnel, old black and white photos of Xiamen Island are displayed, and on the other side are the brilliance and beauty of modern Xiamen. Time flies and time flies. The changes that this city has experienced over time are epitomized in the two long paintings, which are worth tasting carefully. In the hot summer, the cool breeze blows inside the Hongshan Tunnel, which is very comfortable and a good place to cool off in summer.


Out of the tunnel, the time train advanced to the Huxi Rock Section. The track is built along the mountain and bends and extends. Huxi Rock is on the mountain on one side, and the high wall on the left separates it from the city. The newly renovated road is different from the textured mahogany in the front section, but has a bluish-gray cement floor. Several dark and blue tracks have been preserved, and occasionally vehicles pass by easily.


Follow the road around the mountains and soon arrive at the Xiamen Garden and Botanical Garden, commonly known as the "Wanshi Botanical Garden".

As one of the country's first batch of AAA-level tourist areas, Wanshi Botanical Garden is backed by Wulaofeng South Putuo and is close to the Zhongshan Road Commercial Circle. It covers an area of 4.93 square kilometers and collects more than 7000 species of plants. It has been built with Palm Island, Psammophyte Area, Rainforest World, Flower Garden and other special parks, as well as eight large and small scenic spots such as "Tianjie Xiaozhong","Zhongyan Jade Wat", and "Wanshi Hancui".
Even if these names are put aside, the environment here is beautiful and natural and peaceful, especially in the early morning. The green plants are lush and the air is fresh. The flowers, grass, wood, forest, stone, pavilion, lake and bridge in the park are cleverly combined to create a pleasant scenery, attracting birds to sing and butterflies to dance, and egrets to inhabit. In summer, different varieties of lotus flowers bloom in the pool, with fragrance overflowing, attracting bees and butterflies to linger. There are more than 2000 kinds of cacti and fleshy shapes and are grown all year round. Many Xiamen people get up early and come here for morning exercise.






After visiting the Botanical Garden, continue walking along the railway park and the time train crosses the "real" railway. The original form of the railway is retained and stations are added to the side, which really gives people the feeling of a train arriving at the station. The name of the station is meaningful. From childhood station to elderly station, it sounds like life, but also like a sigh of the railway from glory to its end. As the sky gradually darkened, we crossed the intersection of Wanshou Road and reached the end of this railway park. Continue walking through the end of Wenping Road, and you can also see the old railway behind the old railway station, with several green leather locomotives parked on the tracks. However, some trains still pass through the old railway. Due to safety considerations, the railway park now ends in Wenping Road District.





Walking along Wenping Road until you reach Jinbang Park on Xiahe Road, looking back at the hustle and bustle of cars, a feeling of traveling back to modern times arises spontaneously. In fact, the railway park is not only suitable for leisurely walking, leisure and nostalgia, but also a good choice to avoid traffic congestion during rush hour.

Walking through the old Xiamen railway and having a rich Xiamen flavor dinner would be great. Not far from Jinbang Park, the tunnel praise next to Shuanghan Road Crossing serves all kinds of Xiamen snacks.

Daozan is not a traditional restaurant. It calls itself a landmark restaurant for food and gifts in Gulangyu. Gulangyu Island, which originated in 1844, integrates Xiamen culture and life aesthetics into the design and penetrates every bit of the store. Xiamen snacks are just one of them.
Located on the first floor of Shuanghan Tiandi on Xiahe Road, two white dolphin statues jumping out of the water at the entrance are very distinctive. Between the golden colors of the sun, the red brick wall is paired to create the atmosphere of an ancient house. The mirror painted with Gulangyu style buildings enhances the visual effect, allowing the originally not spacious space to give people a transparent atmosphere. The LOGO at the center is also carefully designed. It is not only the initials of "authentic praise", but also the meaning of like, and it is very meticulous.

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