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Xiamen

It is said that in the ancient time, flocks of egrets (Bailu in Chinese) migrated to dwell on Xiamen Island from time to time and that is why people call Xiamen "Ludao" (Island of Egrets) and Xiagu Strait "Lujiang" (River of Egrets). The first settlement of people on Xiamen Island dates back to the latter part of the New Stone Age. That was three to four thousand years ago. And the recorded history dates back to the middle period of the Tang Dynasty, which was more than 1140 years ago. During the Tianbao Period of the Tang Dynasty, the ethnic Chinese surnamed Xue (薛) and Chen (陈) migrated to Xiamen Island from Fu'an in the east of Fujian Province and Zhangzhou in the south of Fujian Province and settled at the southern and northern foot of the Hongjishan Mountain respectively.

The administrative organization of Xiamen City was first set up in the Song Dynasty. It was then affiliated to Tongan County, Quanzhou Prefecture. In the twentieth year during the Hongwu Period in early Ming Dynasty (1387), the imperial government started to build stockade villages and forward posts on the island and named the island "Xiamen", meaning the "Gate of the Motherland". And the geographical name of "Xiamen" became the official name of the island despite that Xiamen was once renamed "Siming Prefecture" and "Siming County" during the several hundred years from then on. In 1933, Xiamen was officially established as a city. That made it the first city set up in Fujian Province.

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Transportation

Basic Tourist Infrastructure With Modern Functions
Tourist Information Service
Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Tourism has established Tourist Information and Service Centers in places where tourists are concentrated and distributed such as the Airport, Railway Station and passenger quays. All the Centers, which ware put into operation in 1998, are equipped with multimedia computers to provide tourist information about Xiamen. They also provide complimentary advertising materials such as tourist manuals or guides, touring maps of Xiamen, tourist hotels and restaurants in Xiamen in addition to providing information service to touring party and individual travelers.

Public Information Signs and Symbols
In 1997, Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Tourism together with Municipal Bureau of Technical Supervision and Municipal Bureau of Civil Administration, conducted an examination in the use of signs and symbols of public information in order to get a clear picture of the problems existed in the use of these signs and symbols before taking measures to strengthen the implementation of regulations.

In early 1998, illustrations and articles presenting the standard signs and symbols concerning public information were printed on Xiamen Daily and Xiamen Commercial Daily in series, posted on the bulletin boards of each district. A joint announcement advocating the standardized use of signs and symbols concerning public information was broadcast by Xiamen TV Station-1 During the prime period of time, creating a suitable atmosphere for the standardized use of these signs and symbols.

On June 10, 1998, a coordination meeting focusing on the standardized use of signs and symbols concerning public information was held under the chair of Mayor assistant and vice director of the project of "Building Top Tourist Cities of China". It defined the duties of various relevant sections and department. The Municipal Bureau of Technical Supervision, the Municipal Tourism Administration and the Municipal Bureau of Civil Administration were put in charge of stopping the manufacture and distribution of fake and shoddy signs and symbols so as to stop up the loophole. The Municipal Bureau of Technical Supervision was also in charge of the check and control of the manufactures and sellers of these signs and symbols with anti-counterfeit marks. The Municipal Detachment Group of Fire Control, the Municipal Bureau of Public Security, the Municipal Bureau of Culture, the Municipal Bureau of Industry and Commerce, the Municipal Bureau of Public Health and the Bureau of Post and Telecommunications got down to replace the non-standardized signs and symbols used in their respective sections and systems.
In 1998, the examination panel organized by the project of "Building Top Tourist Cities of China" conducted three comprehensive examinations in the use of signs and symbols concerning public information in May, July and August. Currently, the main service industries have replaced the fake and shoddy signs and symbols with genuine ones. Gaoqi International Airport, Railway Station, Xiamen Passenger Quay and Ferry Quay, Main trunks to the Airport, Railway Station and Quays, roads leading to major tourist attractions and main tourist areas in the city proper are all marked with eye-catching accurate and standardized signs and symbols.

• International Language Environment
  Posts of road signs written in Chinese and English are planted on the main roads in Xiamen City. Xiamen City started to set up Chinese-English road signs in 1996 when the work of changing and replacing road names and house plates was under way. The first batch of road signs with Chinese-English names were put into use in April, 1997. A total amount of 1.5 million yuan has been invested in the setting up of 932 road signs and house plates with Chinese-English names on the 403 streets and lanes of the City. From 1996 to the first half of 1998, the Municipal Bureau of Tourism put up 139 constructive Chinese-English road signs along the main trunks across the City to include the whole Island.

• Public Service Infrastructure
  Public telephone booths are installed on the main downtown streets. To speed up the construction of "Information Port" in Xiamen, the Municipal Bureau of Post and Telecommunications worked out the Overall Development Plan of the Construction of Xiamen Information Port Infrastructure, the Development Plan of Xiamen City Telecommunication Networks and Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Post and Telecommunications N-ISDN Plan together to define the development direction of the city's telecommunication industry. Xiamen City has begun to install IC card Public telephone booths along the main trunks, as well as the streets which are frequently visited by tourists, and in the main tourist areas and spots, big hotels and restaurants since 1996. These booths save a lot of trouble for local citizens and tourists from home and abroad when in need of making telephone contacts. By the end of 1998, the total number of public phones had exceeded 11,000, including some 10,000 toll ones scattered in the streets and Lanes; some 600 slot ones along the main lines of communications, in hotels and restaurants, airports, stations and bus stops, quays, tourist areas and spots, markets and shops; some 1000 IC card telephones are installed in major tourist areas and scenic spots, Airport and Railway Station, quays, hotels and the streets where tourists are relatively concentrated. More than eighty per cent of tourist hotels, travel agencies in Xiamen City have booking networks providing accommodation reservations and tourist services to both touring parties and individual travelers by means of telephone or fax. Seventy tourist hotels in Xiamen have computerized-fax and telephone reservation networks to serve individual tourists and forty-five travel agencies have computer, fax and telephone reservation networks to provide tourist services to individual tourists. Xiamen Chunhui Travel Agency and Xiamen Foreign Trade Travel Agency are capable of accepting reservations from individual travelers via Internet.

• Night Sightseeing
  Since 1993, Xiamen City has been putting great stress on the ornamental projects on main streets and night sightseeing areas. So far, the municipal government has put aside tens of million yuan to develop and construct night tourist attractions scattered on Gulangyu Island, Zhongshan Road, South-north Siming Road, Xiamen University Street, Egret Islet Park Yundang Lake, Entrance to Lotus Road and other places where tourists like to do shopping, find fun and eat snacks at night. For instance, along South-north Siming Road there are 132 markets and shops, 7 restaurants and 5 places of recreation. On entrance to Lotus Road, there are 7 markets and shops, 18 restaurants and 7 places of recreation. There are 60 markets and shops, 35 restaurants and 4 places of recreation on Xiamen University Street; 169 markets and shops, 13 restaurants and 5 places of recreation on Zhongshan Road; 31 markets and shops, 3 restaurants and 6 places of recreation on Yundanghu Lake Egret Islet. Besides, three pleasure-boasts named Ruixin, Hovering Egret and White Egret are available for tourists to visit Gulangyu Island and admire the City at night. Other night tourist items include Water sightseeing from Ferrying Quay to Huli Mountain Fortress, Huangcuo Seaside Relaxation, Gulangyu Island Seaside Grill, Bright Moon Garden Large Screen Electronic Water fall, etc.

Safety and Insurance
Tourist Safety
The departments of tourism, public security, fire control, industry and commerce, public health and other relevant units are in charge of supervising the implementation of the relevant laws and regulations in the units and places in relation to foreign affairs to protect the legal rights and interests of tourists. The law enforcement personnel of Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Tourism (XMBT) strictly observe the XMBT Procedures for Examining Tourist Market Order and Administrative Law Implementation. They are required to enforce laws in a civilized and standardized way.

The Public Order Division of Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Public Security strictly observes the stipulated relevant procedures while enforcing laws in the units and places in relation to foreign tourism. They take every measure possible to avoid affecting the normal life and rest of the tourists. The Fire Control Detachment of Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Public Security strictly observes the stipulated procedures in the course of propagating supervising and examining the implementation of Fire Control Regulation and handling cases violating the relevant regulations and rules. Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Industry and Commerce has set up "96315" action network joined in by more than 30 units. It is a network set up to facilitate the protection of the legal rights and interests of consumers (including travelers). They have clear job responsibilities and assessment standards, which have contributed a lot to regulating the behavior of law enforcement personnel. Xiamen Municipal Pricing Bureau provides a special telephone (5140729) service to facilitate the receiving and settlement of complaints. Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Public Health undertakes the task of regulating the behavior of sanitation supervising personnel who are in charge of monitoring the sanitary conditions of the units and places in relation to overseas tropism to protect the legal rights and interests of tourists.

(2) Emergency Aid Stations in Tourist Areas
(3) Emergency Aid Stations are set up in all of the major tourist areas.
In July, 1998, Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Tourism ran a training class for medical emergency rescuers in Emergency Aid Stations of major tourist areas and spots jointly with Xiamen Municipal School of Health to teach emergency rescue knowledge and skills with respect to common acute internal and surgical diseases. All the trainees came up to the requirements and were granted qualifications at the end of the course.
With a view to set up and strengthen the medical emergency stations in major tourist areas and scenic spots, Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Tourism purchased a uniform set of medical rescue equipment for each rescue stations, including wheelchairs, stretchers, oxygen bags, first-aid kit and medicines in common use. Currently each major tourist area and scenic spot has a medical emergency rescue room with eye-catching symbol set up in a convenient place to provide first aid to the tourists in need of emergency help.
Each of the major scenic areas and spots has established emergency telephone contacts with the closest local hospitals to ensure timely treatment for the patients in need of emergent treatment.

Emergency Aid Stations in Major Tourist Areas and Scenic Spots

• Tourist Insurance
  From 1990, Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Tourism recommended travel services/ agencies to take out insurance against accidental injury for package travelers home and abroad. From 1993, the Bureau made it compulsory for travel services / agencies to take out insurance against accidental injury for package travelers home and abroad. Every travel agency is required to conclude insurance contracts with Xiamen Property Insurance Company, PICC and stipulated that the relevant agency pays 30 yuan as premium for an insured amount of 30,000 yuan on behalf of each overseas tourist and 10 yuan as premium for an insured amount of 10,000 yuan on behalf of each domestic tourist. Now the insurance coverage has reached 100%. In September 1, 1997, Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Tourism recommended Xiamen Life Insurance Company, PICC as the only eligible insurer to sign insurance contracts with respect to accidental injury of tourists with the travel services/ agencies of Xiamen City in Xiamen with a view to carrying out the State Administration of Tourism Ordinance (No.9) and the Temporary Provisions on Travel Agencies Taking Out Insurance Against Accidental Injury on behalf of tourists. The premium and insured amount remained the same for both overseas and domestic touring parties/ teams. The premium and insured amount for each outbound tourist, which was a newly-introduced coverage at that time, was set at 30 yuan and 300,000 yuan respectively. The premium and insured amount for one-day excursion tourists was increased to 3 yuan and 30,000 yuan per capita respectively.

• Safety and Insurance
  The Quality Supervision of Tourism
  Quality Supervision Bureau of Tourism of Xiamen Municipality.
  Tel for Complaints (Free of Charge) : 8008582-365.
  Address : The Six Floor in Xingye Building, Number 78, Northern Hubin Road, Xiamen City.
  Telephone Number : 0592-5318985 , Fax : 0592-5318983 , Postcode : 361012

Travel Services/ Agencies
List of Travel Services/ Agencies in Xiamen City