Xiamen, China

Xiamen straddles the islands at the mouth of the Jiulong River and boasts picturesque colonial architecture. One of China’s most fascinating cities, it is graced by salty sea breezes, rocky promontories and gleaming glass towers. Xiamen has been largely influenced by the Hoklo people. Han Chinese whose ancestors hail from this Fujian province, they continue to hand down their own unique dialect and cultural traditions. The city’s Nanputuo Temple complex, a sacred Buddhist temple, is one of China’s most revered and attracts pilgrims from all corners of the nation.