Jimei is a small town on the other side of the bank facing north Xiamen Island, 17 kilometers (about 11 miles) from the Xiamen city center. With Gaoji Causeway and Xingji Causeway meeting there, Jimei becomes the sole gateway into Xiamen. Ji Mei is also the hometown of Mr. Tan Kah Kee (Chen Jiageng) (1874-1961), a famous overseas Chinese leader who devoted himself to the educational causes in China. Nowadays, Jimei is one of the four most popular tourist sites of Xiamen City, especially for its academic atmosphere as well as pretty natural and social sights.
Mr. Tan Kah Kee started various schools in the town, including Ji Mei Normal School, Ji Mei Navigation Institute, Xiamen Aquatic Products Technical Institute and Agriculture School besides Ji Mei Kindergarten, Ji Mei Primary School and Ji Mei Middle School. Equipped with Science Hall, a library and a hospital, these schools brought the town the name "Ji Mei School Village" which is renowned at home and abroad.
Jimei Study Village, founded by Mr. Tan Kah Kee in 1913, is the only one in China. It occupies an area of over 10 hectares (about 25 acres) on a variety of various levels and schools ranging from primary to higher education and from traditional to vocational schools. The magnificent scale of this project has no equal elsewhere in China.
Jimei University was formed by the amalgamation of five former colleges and it is now Xiamen City's major center of education and culture and has been given the general designation of Jimei Study Village. The buildings of Jimei Study Village are a combination of eastern and western styles, facing the beautiful seashore, and they are attractive places for visitors. Recently, Jimei Study Village has been selected as a protected cultural relic of the nation together with another spot in Jimei, Ao Yuan.
Ao Yuan (Turtle Garden)
Ao Yuan (Turtle Garden), lying on the southeastern seashore of Jimei, was built in four years from 1950 by Mr. Tan Kah Kee. The Jimei Liberation Monument of 18 meters height (about 59 feet) and the tomb of Mr. Tan are sited in Ao Yuan. There is a corridor extending from the entrance to the garden. The side walls of the corridor are inscribed with groups of carvings. In addition, various kinds of stone inscriptions can be found all over the garden. The foundation of the monument is surrounded by gray jade carvings and relief sculptures polished with great care, embodying a concentrated reflection of exquisite workmanship and a unique style of south Fujian stone carving art.
Compared to the gorgeous structures in Jimei, a two-storey building appears simple and plain, this is the former residence of Tan Kah Kee. Mr. Tan had made many contributions to the educational undertakings; the schools he set up number more than 100, however, his lifestyle was always frugal and simple. To the west of Mr Tan's residence is a display charting his life story.
Guilai Tang is to the south of the former residence of Tan Kah Kee. It was built for the wish of Mr. Tan. He wished to provide a place for the overseas Chinese to get together when they returned to their homeland. Guilai Tang was finished one year after Mr. Tan passed away. It occupies an area of more then 4,000 square meters (about 4,784 square yards) and the main body is in a traditional palace style. In front of Guilai Tang, there is Guilai Yuan constructed in 1983, and a bronze statue of Tan Kah Kee stands in the garden.
In addition to the spots mentioned above, Jiageng Park, Dragon Boat Pond, Yanping Gulei, Crocodile Garden, etc. are also appealing to visitors.
