Island dreams: Xiamen and Gulangyu islands are popular destinations for a summer get-away. [Photo provided to Shanghai Star]

Xiamen has become a popular destination for Shanghai residents who want a brief summer retreat. Pauline D. Loh finds out the reasons why and looks at options to eat, play and stay.

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If you wander around the tourist village of Zengcuo'an or the island of Gulangyu, you may very likely hear more of the Shanghai dialect than the local Fujianese tongue.

Xiamen, as a local hotelier tells me, is the new playground for Shanghai residents wanting a short break from the hustle and bustle - only to find the hustle and bustle transposed to this lovely Southern coastal city in Fujian province.

Proximity is definitely an attraction. Xiamen is only seven hours away from Shanghai by same day high-speed train, while a direct flight takes about one and a half hours.

Good hotels are relatively cheap, and many companies take advantage of the excellent MICE facilities here to book workshops and training sessions.

The casual traveler, too, can find plenty of affordable room deals.

Then there is that main attraction - good seafood and great street fare everywhere including the former German concession of the picturesque Gulangyu island.

Here, Xiamen is almost within hailing distance of Taiwan, and both territories share a patron saint and folk hero in Zheng Chenggong, who first colonized Taiwan for China in 1662. His son proceeded to become the first not very successful governor of the province.