Xiamen's own sweet time

A bird's-eye view from Gulangyu island to downtown Xiamen in Fujian province. Zhu Xingxin/China Daily

A snack street in Xiamen offers diners a variety of delicacies from both Fujian province and Taiwan.

The city reminds one to slow down. It's quaint architecture and scenic natural sites encourage a relaxed lifestyle. Sun Ye takes you there.

There is only one tip to enjoy Xiamen - relax and take your time.

Admittedly, I had aimed for a laid-back weekend trip there, one that racks no brains at all. And Xiamen is the city that makes every effort to leave you the impression that it's the most effortless, breezy, romantic rendezvous ever.

I arrived at the oceanfront city on a high-speed train that started from Shenzhen, known for its time-is-money, keep-your-hectic-schedules-even-fuller attitudes, in a little over three hours. The two cities, 600-kilometer apart and now connected by the newly-launched high-speed rail with some 20 daily trips in between, are both special economic zones.

But Xiamen, which also include several small islands facing Taiwan, reminds visitors not of money or efficiency, but ease, especially so if you keep your stay to the city's more historical Siming district, where its most scenic spots are concentrated.

Take its No 1 Bus Rapid Transit line to the very end and you'll be in the midst of the historical district.

Arcade lanes crisscross the center of Siming. The two-or three-storied buildings, with their upper floors overhung and covered ground floors often becoming interesting shopfronts, are extremely conducive for a good stroll around. They deter sub-tropical heat and rainfall, and exude a relaxed, unhurried style.

The arcades comprise of peeled-off walls and grimes from the last century, as well as recently white-washed shopfronts to house posh stores (around Zhongshan Road).

Along the way, guests can soak in heritage sites including the city's earliest church for Chinese Christians, the old building of the OCBC Bank, the city's first hotel, among others.

Shops hang signboards not of discounts or sales, but "Take your time", "Pace and enjoy", and "Believe in serendipity".

Meet Xiamen, one of the many typical stores up Zhongshan Road, paints its shopfront with these words: "Xiamen is a lifestyle. You reminisce and live the present."

The shops sell the region's special filled-up pancakes, peanut brittle, dried meat floss, as well as map/stamp books. The books allow tourists to follow carefully designed routes (of music, of famous cats etc.) and put stamps on each stop.

And they're best known for hipster services like keeping letters and mailing them in the future, exchanging drift bottles of postcards and breeding small plants in the way "one cares for his dream".

With so much to do, exploring the area will take up the better half of a day.

And the walks, whichever direction you take, will lead to the city's natural endowment.