Xiamen, China
Xiamen is located in the south of Fujian Province in the Peoples' Republic of China and sits on the West Coast of the Taiwan Straits facing Kinmen Island. Xiamen which enjoys a long trading history as a Port City has an area of 1569 square kilometres and a population of almost 3 million people.
Xiamen enjoyed the privilege of being one of the first four "Special Economic Zones" in China and as such, it has experienced rapid economic growth.
Xiamen has received a wide range of national and international honours including "National Sanitary City", "Nations in Bloom" and in 2004 it was recognized by the United Nations with a "Habitat Scroll of Honour Award"
One of China's leading tourism cities, Xiamen attracted 20.6 million visitors from within China and internationally in 2007. Xiamen's Tourism Industry continues to experience growth in excess of 10% per annum.
Two key aspects of Xiamen's growth have been the city's harbours and airport facilities. Xiamen Harbour boasts over 124 commercial berths. In 2007 Xiamen Port handed over 81.17 million tons of cargo, ranking it number 7 in China and number 22 in the world.
Xiamen's airport is a truly international facility. Flights from 81 different cities use the airport and there are 21 foreign airlines operating from the airport. In addition, there are international services to over 37 cities. In 2007 passenger throughput at the airport exceeded 8.68 million people.
Xiamen is a successful centre for science, education and technology development. Both Xiamen University and Jimei University have received international acclaim, as has the Xiamen Orchestra and its Young Egrets Dance Troup.
The Xiamen Marathon has operated since 2003 and Xiamen also hosts World Ocean Week and the China International Piano Competition.
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