Situated at the foot of Wulao Peak on the southern end of Xiamen is South Putuo Temple. First built (618-907) and later rebuilt during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), it is now an imposing multi-layered trapezoidal structure that overlooks the sea. The Shrine of Buddhist Scriptures houses a large collection of Buddhist cultural relics, including a Burmese jade carving of the Buddha and many important Buddhist texts.
The temple's Heavenly King Hall, the main prayer hall, the Hall of Great Compassion and the Shrine of Buddhist Scriptures are all graced with painted brackets and upturned eaves. The temple s rare artifacts include four giant stone turtles lying on the right side of the front gate, a rock with holes in the shape of an ancient Chinese coin, a large Song dynasty bronze bell and a white porcelain sculpture of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy.
The South Fujian Buddhist Institute is located to the left of the temple. Established in 1925, it enjoys great prestige among Buddhists in China.
Lu Xun Memorial Hall at Xiamen University
Lu Xun Memorial Hall at Xiamen University is housed in the Jimei Building where Lu Xun stayed when he taught in the Chinese Department of Xiamen University from September 1926 to January 1927. The hall displays some of the objects from his old residence as well as cultural relics, pictures and documents about his life.
The Museum of Anthropology
The Museum of Anthropology is located in Xiamen University's Museum Building where students and scholars research archaeology and ethnology. The museum has 30 display rooms that contain artifacts and relics from prehistoric to modern times.
Huli Hill Fortress
Huli Hill Fortress was built in Huli Village in the southern part of Xiamen Island in 1891 during the Qing dynasty. It was built of sand and clay, held together with camphor tree juice, lime and glutinous rice. During its height in the Opium War the fort had more than 100 cannons. Now only a German Krupp cannon, which cost 50,000 pieces of silver to build, remains intact on the eastern platform. Weighing 60 tons, measuring 14 meters long and with a muzzle big enough for a person to fit inside, it is the only well-preserved coastal cannon in China.
The Overseas Chinese Museum
At the foot of Fengchao (Beehive) Hill is the six-hectare Overseas Chinese Museum. Founded by the eminent overseas Chinese philanthropist Tan Kah-kee, the museum has three exhibition halls with displays containing 1,200 pictures and documents, 2,000 rare cultural relics and l,000 objects related to the history of Chinese who emigrated overseas.