I have always believed that writing a blog is a cool thing. Those excellent life records have a strong sense of immersion, and excellent bloggers always make people yearn for it... like DIYdog (not sure about the meaning of "bushi"). Anyway, I am grateful that such a platform can record my life. If I persist in doing it, I may feel gratified when I look back... I am a computer novice, and I still don't know how to decorate my own blog... I haven't even found a place to change my profile picture... But fortunately, in such a convenient era, creating my own blog is still an easy thing to do... Writing a blog is something that people yearn for, right? Let me start as soon as possible 😋
Coincidentally, I just wrote a travel experience recently, so I will use it as my first blog post.
Xiamen Trip#
This is my first time in Xiamen, and also my first time in the south. Perhaps it was love at first sight, the perfection of this city exceeded my imagination. Now I am on my way back, looking down at Xiamen from high above, I feel a bit reluctant to leave: the long Xiamen Bridge is like a ribbon, connecting Gaoqi and Jimei, and also connecting my yearning and nostalgia for Xiamen. Words of love cannot be fully expressed, so in the short three-hour journey back, let me briefly summarize my love for Xiamen.
Food#
People in Fujian have a special love for food. Restaurants are densely packed in the streets, and there are numerous snack streets offering a variety of snacks from all over the country, including Fujian cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Hakka cuisine, Northeast cuisine, and Taiwanese cuisine. In the past week, I have tried countless snacks: noodles, meatballs, raw pickles, sweet soup, pan-fried buns, shark meatballs, egg-filled dumplings, ginger duck, satay noodles, stir-fried rice noodles, stir-fried beef noodles, peanut soup, bamboo shoot jelly, Minnan rice noodle rolls, Chaoshan hot pot, and many more. I am not a big fan of seafood myself, as I always feel that cooked seafood has a taste that I don't like. However, after trying raw pickles, I truly "discovered a new world". The texture of raw seafood is so sticky, and when soaked in sauce, it has no fishy smell at all. But I don't recommend shellfish like blood clams, because the shell hinders the sauce from entering, and it may cause discomfort for people from other regions. Besides the well-known snacks, you can hardly go wrong by walking into any unknown small shop on the street. This is the food in Xiamen, where you can definitely find the taste you desire in its dictionary of flavors.
Transportation#
Xiamen's transportation system can be said to be extremely convenient. Buses, subways, and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) together form Xiamen's public transportation system. I believe that the level of civilization in a city can be fully reflected in its transportation. "Red light stop, green light go" is the rule of traffic, but what if there are no traffic lights at an intersection? Can vehicles turning right yield to pedestrians? Xiamen has given an almost perfect answer. Xiamen is a developed city, and everyone is in a hurry. The speed of vehicles on the road is fast. But whenever they encounter pedestrians, they will voluntarily yield, even in congested areas, and there is no honking. This is an experience I have never had before. It is a luxury to be able to sit down and read a book for a while in these few days. I happened to read a book about photography concepts in a bookstore in Xiamen, called "Not Just a Photography Class" by Teacher Zeng Yicheng. There is a sentence in the book that says, "Stillness doesn't have to be singular, it can be rich; stillness doesn't have to be motionless or silent, it can be doing many things at the same time. The key is that everything can coexist peacefully, each with its own beauty, in an orderly manner." This sentence perfectly summarizes the feeling Xiamen gives me. Yes, to put it in the author's words, it is stillness. Xiamen is a vibrant city, young people are everywhere, and there are many young people on the bus. I rarely have the opportunity to sit on a seat and read a book.
Scenery#
As a well-known tourist city, Xiamen's beautiful scenery goes without saying. Whether it is admiring the vastness of the sea on the coastal promenade, or marveling at the original forest-like greenery in the city, it gives people a sense of safety, tranquility, and happiness. These things don't need to be elaborated, as they have been described by others before. I remember the day when I completed a cross-sea ride in the pouring rain, it was not easy. I had to persevere through muscle soreness, and even though my glasses were blurry, I continued to ride with all my strength. At that time, raindrops were falling on me, giving me a sense of "a robe of misty rain throughout my life".
People#
The natural landscapes of each city are different, and each city has its own iconic landscapes. China has a vast and diverse landscape, with different regions and countless beauties. However, the differences between people in different places can be seen. When I first arrived in Xiamen, it was raining continuously. I went to a stationery store near Lianqian Elementary School in Siming District to buy an umbrella. After paying, I was about to leave when the owner stopped me and said, "Please open the umbrella, because some umbrellas are defective when they leave the factory, and it's not good to buy a defective one." I felt ashamed because I am a lazy person and find it troublesome to close the umbrella. I hesitated for a moment. The owner seemed to understand my concerns and said, "It's okay, you can open the umbrella and I will take it back after you do." I was speechless for a moment, and could only say thank you, thank you... What is humanity? Humanity is not history, humanity has no representative. Humanity is any person in this city, it is everyone in this city. The people I have met in Xiamen during these few days have been polite and gentle, there is no hustle and bustle, and no spectators. I can feel that every person in Xiamen is enjoying life and living happily. As a tourist with cultural differences, how can I not feel this great happiness?
Thanks to my brother for taking me out and broadening my horizons, expanding my knowledge. This is a rare opportunity and a precious treasure in my life. 💫