UNDERSTAND CHINA · MODERN HISTORY
Xiamen
Xiamen was forced open after the Opium War. Gulangyu mixed foreign institutions, missions, hospitals and schools with overseas-Chinese residences. In 1980, the Huli SEZ turned a former front-line island into a reform laboratory.
City timeline
- 1842—1843 · Treaty provision and formal opening — The 1842 treaty required Xiamen to open; formal treaty-port operation began in 1843.
- 1902—1903 · Gulangyu international settlement — Regulations were approved in 1902 and the settlement began operating in 1903 under multinational institutions and special municipal authority.
- 1938—1945 · Occupation by invading Japanese forces — Invading Japanese forces occupied Xiamen and incorporated the port and island into the maritime-control system of the war launched by the Japanese imperial government and military.
- 1980—1984 · Huli pilot to island-wide SEZ — Labour, foreign investment, land and enterprise rules were tested.
- 1990s—present · Bay city and cross-strait gateway — Bridges, tunnels, ports and new districts integrated island and mainland.
Begin with these places
- Gulangyu historic international settlement — Distinguish colonial institutions, public buildings and diaspora homes.
- Old Huli industrial district — Trace early SEZ factories and worker communities.
- Xiamen SEZ history exhibitions — Place the 2.5-square-kilometre pilot in the national SEZ network.