Picturesque, tree-lined sandy beaches delimit the idyllic city of Xiamen in southeast China’s Fujian province. Known for centuries as Amoy, the city’s colorful character stems from its roots as a 14th-century Ming dynasty trade center and outpost to defend against Japanese pirates. The nearby Quemoy Islands house the sought-after Gulangyu Island. Ample palm trees screen the island’s serene beauty, tranquil atmosphere, fresh air and enchanting architecture. Gulangyu is merely a sample of Xiamen’s breathtaking beauty that lures tourists from far-flung corners of the earth. Tourism aside, the city benefits enormously from its proximity to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Fishing, shipbuilding, food processing, tanning, textiles, machine tool manufacturing, chemical industries, telecommunications and financial services buoy its diverse and well-developed economy. This seaside town harbors a burgeoning foreign community, evident in the number of foreign restaurants, and in the overall higher cost of living. The city was recently voted China’s cleanest, and those who have lived in other major Chinese cities will greatly appreciate the "no spitting" signs. If you like it hot, you will like Xiamen: the climate is tropical, with bearably hot summers and very mild winters. The sultry climate, coupled with Xiamen’s many pedestrianized commercial shopping and restaurant districts, makes for a highly agreeable city living experience.