4 may 06

Greetings,

For a quick break during the May 1st holiday, he got on a bus to Xiamen, an old famous city. Also known as Amoy, it began in the Song Dynasty, 960-1279. The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, established the city, seaport and commerce.

The bus left the mountains roaring past miles of paddies, stone homes and smoke belching factories until it reached the green city by the sea. He found a room. He strolled through Xiamen University to the beach with a friend. They went to Relax for dinner, java, conversation, chess and laughter.

The Portugese arrived in the 16th century. They were followed by the British, French and Dutch. The port was closed to foreigners from the 1750's until 1841 when the British forced Xiamen to open during the Opium War. Xiamen remained under Japanese control from 1938 until 1945.

Japanese and Western influences established the nearby island of Gulang Yu as a foreign base. In 1903 it was designated an International Foreign Settlement. It has a sleepy Mediterranean feeling with lush gardens and colonial buildings.

Many famous Chinese musicians started here. A very cool piano museum sits high above the sea. Chopin, Liszt, Haydn, Brahms, Bach, Mozart, Wagner, Beethoven, Shubert, Stravinsky, Debussy, Handel.

New images are available in the May 06 gallery. Enjoy and peace.