B and I are now in Fujian province, which is on the coast directly opposite Taiwan. I really like it here, even though the weather was very hot and humid (just like Taiwan). We stayed at Xiamen for one day, and then went to an island opposite the city, Gulangyu, which is where all the Europeans used to live when it was a treaty port. Gulangyu is very beautiful and scenic, with many old European-style villas now converted into apartments for the Chinese. There are no cars on the island, and it's small enough to walk everywhere, while big enough not to feel cramped. They have many tourist attractions, including a museum dedicated to the Chinese conqueror of Taiwan (Koxinga) and a museum of over 100 antique pianos. Gulangyu is famous for its music; many of China's most famous classical musicians have come from there (I suppose it's the European influence). Because the climate is subtropical, the island is covered in beautiful trees and plants, like enormous banyan trees four feet thick, and scenic gardens.
We had to leave the island this morning though because a typhoon was coming, and we didn't want to be stuck there for possibly days (the ferry to the mainland doesn't run during typhoons). Instead, we traveled to the ancient city of Quanzhou, which used to be most important but now is a small city: thus, relatively more of their old buildings remain. So far it is very nice; we will tour it tomorrow and appreciate all the ancient sites.
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