Nanputuo Temple was first constructed during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). Mike Peters / China Daily

There's plenty to see and eat along Taiwan Food Street. Mike Peters / China Daily

If you are a museum fan, you may need an extended stay in Xiamen. Besides the shrines for music and jade, there are museums dedicated to Koxinga, coins, bridges, overseas Chinese and anthropology.

If shopping is your thing, check out the Buy Now Electronics Market for the latest gadgets, and Gulangyu's market streets for souvenir samples of tasty dried meat and fruit, pies and milk-tea cafes. We were gobsmacked by surfboard-sized dried eels, but before you grab one remember they won't fit in the overhead bin if you're flying home.

Xiamen is gearing up to become an aviation hub, with the fourth terminal at its Gaoqi International Airport scheduled to open in June 2014, Business Traveler Asia reports.

In 2012 the airport received about 17 million passengers, and the new terminal will be able to handle 20 million alone.

International trade is nothing new to Xiamen. The first German company to settle in Xiamen in 1854 was Pasedag & Co, notes Stefan Gallon, the consul general of Germany in Guangzhou. International brands with big Chinese markets, such as Denmark's Ecco and US computer-maker Dell, have long-established manufacturing in Xiamen.

Xiamen's waterfront ferry terminals are also expanding, to more easily accommodate the crowds of passengers who line up for tickets to Gulangyu and the nearby islands of Taiwan.

Tourists who come seeking coastal sun, mild temperatures and Fujian cuisine are a major boost to Xiamen's economy, but even the visitors complain about the crowds in summer.

Contact the writer at michaelpeters@chinadaily.com.cn. Sun Li contributed to this story.