Shopping in Xiamen
Local Specialties and Souvenirs
Tieguanyin tea铁观音
Tieguanyin tea, a renowned traditional Chinese tea belonging to the oolong tea category, is one of the top ten famous teas in China. Originating from Xiping Town, Anxi County, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, it was discovered between 1723 and 1735. The term "Tieguanyin" refers to both the tea name and the tea tree variety.
Tieguanyin tea is made from fresh leaves of the Tieguanyin tea tree, which are propagated by cuttings, cultivated, and picked, then processed using a unique traditional craftsmanship. As an oolong tea, it can be specifically classified into three types: Fresh-Scented Tieguanyin, Strong-Scented Tieguanyin, and Aged-Scented Tieguanyin. As a semi-fermented tea, it features a delicate and elegant aroma. After brewing, it emits a natural orchid fragrance, with a pure and rich taste and a long-lasting, fragrant aroma, earning it the reputation of "lingering fragrance even after seven infusions."
Drinking Tieguanyin tea offers numerous benefits. In addition to the general health functions of tea, it also has effects such as anti-aging, preventing arteriosclerosis, combating diabetes, aiding weight loss and fitness, preventing dental caries, and reducing internal heat.
Gulong canned sauces古龙肉罐
Gulong canned sauces are essential condiments for Fujianese people when having meals or noodles, similar to Lao Gan Ma (a renowned Chinese chili sauce brand). The sauce production in Gulong Canning Factory uses high-quality soybeans from Northeast China, adheres to natural ancient brewing techniques, and does not add preservatives. The products are packaged using vacuum aseptic technology, while the central kitchen employs safe oil, reliable meat, and membrane-treated water for processing, ensuring food safety.
Gulong's canned sauce series offers dozens of flavors, providing so many choices that you can enjoy a different one every day for a month without repetition. The brand continuously innovates and develops new flavors. Among all options, the most classic ones are Gulong Mushroom Meat Sauce and Gulong Meat Sauce. If you travel to Fujian, be sure to buy two cans of Gulong meat sauce to try!
Nanputuo Vegetarian Cake南普陀素饼
Nanputuo Vegetarian Cake originated in the Ming Dynasty and has been passed down from generation to generation as a tribute for sacrificial offerings to Buddha. Its production technique adheres to the healthy - living concept of being natural, nutritious, scientific, healthy and environment - friendly.
Nanputuo Vegetarian Cake inherits the characteristics of Nanputuo vegetarian cuisine, which is purely vegetarian, exquisitely made and uses fastidious ingredients. It adheres to traditional techniques and is made by hand.
The taste of Nanputuo Vegetarian Cake is crispy and fragrant, sweet but not greasy. There are a wide variety of flavors, including the "traditional" mung bean, coconut, pumpkin, as well as the "new - style" green tea and taro.
Nanputuo Vegetarian Cake is golden in color and small and delicate. It is slightly baked during production, leaving no oil stains on the surface, looking fresh and clean. When you smell it, there is a faint aroma of pastry looming. When you taste it, the outer skin is soft and tough, easy to chew and digest, and the inner filling is crispy, with a dense texture that melts in your mouth.
A Ji Zai Malay Pastry (Mǎtísū)阿吉仔椰子饼
A Ji Zai is a Xiamen institution – a bakery locals have grown up with! When it comes to souvenir gifts, it's the first name that comes to mind. This iconic brand boasts over 90 years of history, famous for its Malay pastry (Mǎtísū) – renowned for its thin, crispy, and flaky layers, perfectly balanced sweet-salty flavor, and being neither sticky nor greasy. No matter when you pass by, you'll always see long, snaking lines of both locals and tourists eagerly waiting for the freshly baked pastries to come out of the oven.
Yun Shen Chu Bodhi Fruit云深处菩提丸
Yun Shen Chu Bodhi Fruit is a special kind of sweet preserved fruit from Xiamen. It's made by cooking green olives with sugar water and valuable traditional Chinese herbs like cardamom, clove, cinnamon, and eaglewood. This makes it taste sweet and delicious.
The olives are soaked in a strong herbal mixture and go through several steps of soaking and sun-drying over many months to make the final product.
Yun Shen Chu Bodhi Fruit has a pleasant sweet-salty taste. After eating it, it soothes your throat and leaves a sweet aftertaste. It's also known to help stop nausea, aid digestion, and relieve stomach aches. Because of this good taste and these helpful effects, it's very popular with people who buy it.
Garlic-Flavored Twists (Suàn Róng Zhī)蒜蓉枝
Garlic-Flavored Twists (Suàn Róng Zhī) are a traditional snack with a long history, dating back to the Qing Dynasty over a hundred years ago.
They are made from good quality flour, pure sugar, and fresh garlic paste, using a family recipe and six traditional hand-made steps.
The twists have a coating of sweet frosting, making them crunchy and sweet to eat.
Dan Hua Crisp蛋花酥
Dan Hua Crisp is a special Xiamen snack. It's made from white sugar, fine flour, peanuts, malt syrup, and fresh eggs.
The snack has two parts: a crispy outer layer made from egg, and a sweet peanut filling inside. It looks like yellow strips with small pressed patterns on the surface. This gives it a unique texture – crunchy outside and sweet inside.
Known as a classic "old-time flavor" of Xiamen, the Egret Brand Dan Hua Crisp has helped share Southern Fujian food culture with Southeast Asia since the 1980s. Even in 2023, it's still a popular souvenir gift made using the traditional recipe.
It keeps its handmade tradition. The outer layer has a light, wafer-like crispness that blends perfectly with the sweet peanut center. It's not too sweet, making it a popular snack to enjoy with tea in Southern Fujian culture.
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Dian Qian Night Market殿前夜市
Dian Qian Night Market is located at the crossing of Dianqian 5th Road and Dianqian 6th Road. It's said that anyone who has ever lived in the Dian Qian area knows about this market.
Walking in, you see strings of light bulbs in the distance. Once you join the crowd, it's easy to get pushed around by the waves of people coming towards you.
Moving deeper from the entrance, both sides of the street are lined with all kinds of stalls: barbecue, fried meats, marinated snacks... you name it. People say this market stays open every night until the early morning. The time before 11:00 PM is considered the "golden hours," but many stall owners stay open all night. If you visit Dian Qian Night Market late at night, you'll see faces full of excitement mixed with tiredness...
A bit further in, you can find clothes for 100 yuan for 3 items, and neat rows of small bags.
On the other side of the main street is the kingdom of grilled fish and skewers. Walking down just this one road, you'll pass several grilled fish stalls alone.
The stall owners start setting up as it gets dark and stay until late into the night. For people living nearby, Dian Qian Night Market is a place for an after-dinner stroll. Families come here to walk off their meal. If they get a craving, they can buy some snacks or hunt for small everyday items, before heading home satisfied.
Living nearby is convenient, but it also has its problems. Because it's close to Gaoqi Airport, planes fly overhead constantly all day long. The loud roar of passing planes is a never-ending sound.
Huli Night Market胡里夜市
Huli Night Market is one of Xiamen's biggest and most famous night markets.
Over 30 years ago, when Xiamen first became a Special Economic Zone, many factories moved here. Lots of self-built houses went up nearby, bringing in many workers. Every evening, the area became packed with people and very lively. For local people living nearby, this place also holds many memories for long-time Huli residents.
The Huli walking street area mainly includes three roads: Huli Street, Fenghu Street, and Zhukeng Road. Huli Street and Fenghu Street mostly have small shops selling clothes and shoes. Zhukeng Road has a few clothes and shoe shops too, but it also has many temporary stalls offering a "rich" variety like barbecue, spicy hot pot, clay pot dishes, and stinky tofu.
At night, the barbecue stalls here get very busy. The smell of cumin spice mixes with beer in the air. The crowd only starts to thin out in the early hours of the morning.
Xihai Night Market Street西海夜市
Xihai Night Market Street is almost all clothing stores, mostly women's clothing shops. Business here is usually quite good, likely because the area is near a university and is a local neighborhood.
