Orientation Week in Xiamen City (1)

Xiamen is an urban island on the Fujian Province coast. Often touted as "the most beautiful city in China," it is lovely for its hilltop monasteries, parks and gardens, and excellent beaches. My first impression, looking out my hotel window, was the seemingly ever-present haze of coal smog:

Without clothes dryers, apartment dwellers hang laundry wherever they can to dry it:

Many canals run through Xiamen City, some with lovely landscaping and habitat for egrets:

It's a nicely landscaped cities with many small parks and attractive sculptures:

Like most coastal cities of the world, residents have the benefit of fresh fish--including eel, one of my favorites:

Everywhere you look, there is construction. Cranes dot the skyline and buildings get taller everyday:

[continued in Orientation Week (2)]